Pretty + expensive = pretty expensive keyboards

Bored with your stock keyboard? Looking for an input device which screams "I am special... and also pretty rich"? Well then, Geekstuff4u has the goods for you.

Forget functional (you can barely see the labels on the keys) and think pretty... as in pretty expensive. Ranging from US$154.80 (S$213.65) for the patterned version to the ostentatious US$214.21 (S$295.64) gold-tinted keyboard (shown above), these are not peripherals you expect to see in your office cubicle. Heck, these are not even full-sized models and lack the numeric pad. But if your motto is style over function, you'll be glad to know that Geekstuff4U ships internationally.

Kare-Kusa | Waza-Kura | Nishi-Ki | Usa-Gi | Zip-Ang (gold)

Via Akihabara News

Going around in circles

It seems like ring flash is the rage now. We'd spotted an LED ring light for point-and-shoot cameras last week, and now we have the Ray Flash from Expo Imaging, as well as a conceptual shooter with built-in ring flash.

The Ray Flash is an adapter for your hotshoe flash unit and is currently compatible only with Canon's 580EX series and Nikon's SB800. This is clearly targeted at dSLR users who are venturing into fashion and portraiture photography. The light from the Ray Flash is soft and wraps around the subject, producing an almost shadow-less picture. The great thing about it is you still get to utilize the TTL (through-the-lens) function on the camera so your picture will be properly exposed.

Well, at a price of US$249.95 on its Web site, we think you'll be better off getting a ring flash unit from the manufacturer though.

The Ring Flash Camera is a concept camera by Lysandre Follet. Although there is no mention about its specification, it is not hard to gather from the tagline "now you're ready to become a fashion photographer" that this shooter is targeted at future David Lachapelle wannabes. Hopefully, when it's commercially available it won't go under the umbrella of Lomography.com and be overpriced.

Asia to tentatively get Kuro LCDs in H2

Surprise! Instead of introducing only LCD TVs, Pioneer has set its sight on home theater projectors as well. These have been officially documented in its latest European press release. Now we're looking at a barrage of 1080p Kuro-branded displays ranging from four nine-gen plasma TVs to 32-, 37- and 46-inch LCDs and a LCoS-based home theater projector.

For those closely following its fortunes, the LCD panels are sourced from Sharp, while its new beamer bears cunning resemblance to a JVC DLA-HD100. According to its Asia office, the company "may" bring in the LCD TVs earliest in October, but have no concrete plans for the projector. It is still studying the market proposition for these new products and will be ready to share more details in the coming weeks.

Via hdtv origin

Samsung launches second dual-SIM phone: D780

It looks like things are ramping up a little as Samsung Electronics has just announced its second dual-SIM phone targeted at the entry-level segment of the market. The handset will be available in Russia next month and subsequently make its way to Southeast Asia, Europe and The Middle East.

Unlike the earlier D880, the D780 comes in a candy-bar form factor with a smaller 2.1-inch QVGA LCD and a lower-resolution 2-megapixel fixed-focus CMOS camera. Other features include FM radio, Bluetooth stereo A2DP and a microSD expansion card slot.

This announcement comes after a recent interview that Smape, a Russian-based site, had with the executive manager of the Russian division in Samsung's Telecom department, Yoonsoo Kim. In it, he divulged that the company plans to roll out a dual-SIM Windows Mobile smart phone this year.

We're still waiting for concrete details on the pricing of the D780 in Asia, but it's reassuring to see that Kim is spot-on with the entry-level dual-SIM phone. Let's hope his revelation of a dual-SIM WM smart phone this year proves correct as well. The SGH-D780 is expected to be available in SEA in Q3 this year.

New MacBook design in store this year?

Apple may be set to overhaul the design of its flagship notebooks later this year, according to a report.

AppleInsider believes that the MacBook and the MacBook Pro are due for a facelift, but doesn't provide specific timing for the new rollout. If Apple follows through, the MacBook will get the most significant overhaul, moving from a plastic chassis to an aluminum one that's already in place on the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac computers.

It would make sense for Apple to have a common bill of materials for its notebook line, and to have all the Macs look more or less the same. The substance of the design tweaks isn't clear from the report, although it does say that "thin-is-in" techniques used to great aesthetic effect on the MacBook Air will be part of the new design.

It's also expected that the new notebooks will use Intel's Montevina notebook technology when this arrives, although that would be a quick turnaround from the Penryn notebooks Apple released earlier this year. And this would also be a likely time for Apple to add the multitouch trackpad found on the MacBook Air and newest MacBook Pros to the regular MacBook.

Via CNET Crave

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