Satechi is a long-running name in stylish computer accessories, but one that comes to mind for, say, a Thunderbolt hub, not a keyboard. The SM3 is a strong argument the time has come for them to be a part of the keyboard discussion.
I became the lab rat. Three weeks ago, I put away my trusty MacBook to discover if the technically powerful 11” M4 iPad Pro could handle everything this solo pastor’s jack-of-all-trades work demands — writing, video editing, programming, system administration, the whole enchilada. A year ago, the answer was clearly “no.” Now, I wasn’t so sure.
What would happen if you took the classic layout and look of the Model M and rebuilt it with modern mechanical guts? Vortex decided to find out and the result is a unique keyboard with one foot in two different decades. Passed up the Legend itself because it lacks too many modern comforts? Then read on for the Remix.
KiiBoom isn’t exactly a name that rolls off the tongue. The company’s Phantom 81 is what their name is not: smooth, with glossy acrylic keys and custom lubricated switches.
In my elementary school, we weren’t given grades of A B C D F as was the standard before and since. Instead, New Haven R-II school employed a different set of letters that meant the same thing. They were E S M I F. I have no idea how this came to pass, but I hope it was because some person seeking a doctorate in education realized that his dissertation was due tomorrow and he had nothing. Frankly, I could get behind that kind of education theory. Beats modern pedagogy, anyway.
Last week, I reviewed the Unicomp New Model M, the torchbearer for a line of keyboards that elicits reverent voices and knowing nods from those who have used one. Cross over to the fruity side of things and there was a similarly admired board, the Apple Extended Keyboard, and a modern continuation, Matias’s Tactile Pro.
A couple of years ago, Metadot released the Das Keyboard 6 Professional and the MacTigr in short succession. I’ve previously reviewed the Mac-centric MacTigr, and liked it, but what about the more “normal” successor to the Das Keyboard line? Let’s take the 6 Pro for a “test type.”
A couple of years ago, I reviewed the uniquely styled, crowdfunded Epomaker B21, one of my favorite keyboards despite and, to an extent, because of its quirks. They followed it up with the B67, another keyboard that marches to its own drummer to delightful effect, quirks and all.
One of my favorite products is, of all things, a small piece of fabric. This strip of material I ran across during my jump into the Mac world two decades ago is something I now use every day. As ridiculous as that may sound, RadTech’s Optex products tend to sell themselves: usually if I show someone what it does and how well it works, RadTech ends up with another customer.