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boys - i need gift advice

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33 replies

by shellbot

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ok..sorry, but xams is just around the corner and well..being married to an absolute geek, i need to get him a cool gift..

so i think i've found it..

what ya think?

Projector Keyboard

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/office-toys/projector-keyboard/index.html

33 replies

by jdclyde

it would be a cool toy, and a heck of a conversation piece, but tab your fingers on your desk as if it were a keyboard and imagine if you could get used to not getting the touch feedback from a keyboard.

still early and slightly hungover, so will have to look around and get back to you on this one.

by rob mekel

Do give him the right instructions to work on this keyboard :) ;)

The spacing between words will be ok but ... :) what the heck it's fun :D

Rob

[i]is it a;ready april 1 ???[/i]

by shellbot

thanks GG

Some sweet stuff for sale!
I gotta check into the keyboard though, its a lot of money..gotta make sure our pc's & his laptop are Bluetooth compatible..

anyone know how i do that? :)

by shellbot

ya i found that one and ordered a few bits off it..shipped this morning, so the clock is ticking..how long will it take to get form US to Dublin??

place your bets now folks...

by bigbigboss

Try drumming your fingers on a hard surface for 10 min. and see how you like it. I won't, unless I am using it with a PDA for, may be, 5 minutes.

by deepsand

The illusion of a holographic device definitely speaks of SF; hence the "wow" factor.

If it does'nt have a problem resolving the touch points in 3 dimensions within a relatively restricted range, projecting onto a cushioned surface of the proper elasticity might just do the trick; just enough to bounce the fingers a bit so as to return enough kinetic energy to the fingers to aid in their retreat from the surface, thereby reducing fatigue.

by maevinn

I run a wireless mouse, but I won't run a wireless keyboard because of the security risk. That was the first concern I had when I saw this. But--there are many ways around the 'hard durface' issue--a sheet of thin foam rubber would make that a non issue, though I suspect that the angle would still be a complication.

by deadly ernest

for it to be a truly geek gift it would also support Linux, Unix, Mac, and have a simple software setting option to run as a Dvorak keyboard. This is only QWERTY and only for Win 2k and XP.

Summary, it's nice, it's flash, but not geeky enough.

Try some of those real fancy tower cases - I've recently seen one that's a giant iPod, one that has leds making it look like a grinning devil in the dark. But my favourite was one that slide into the middle of a tropical fish tank, the exhaust fans blow warm air into pipes, and through the tank. Now if I can only remember the web site I saw them on, it was a UK site, I remember that much.

by shellbot

if i was to bring anything even remotely "iPod" -ish or Mac-ish into the house, i'd be signing seperation papers fairly quickly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he's a geek, but he's the worse kind..a MS geek. :)

by shellbot

chritmas gifts were so much simpler when i was poor.

its all too much stress...
dunno..i want to get the keyboard..but should i? cost a lot...

*sob*

by deepsand

When in doubt, go with your gut instinct.

Who but you best knows his likes, dislikes and wants.

If you think that he will be pleased, and the cost will not an issue for either of you, then go with your 1st choice.

by Member 27113192

The reason my vote is no, besides some of the comments others have made (doesn't support *Nix, hard typing surface, etc.) is that my would husband have no flat surface on which to project the keyboard image. The only empty spot on his desk is under his keyboard. And it is only empty because the keyboard physically prevents crud from accumulating there. If the keyboard were gone, disks, plates, Mt. Dew cans would all take up that space, leaving him no where to type.

So, my suggestion is not to get this if your geek is a desk slob.

I don't have an alternative gift though. Mine wanted NWN2, which he is getting from our son, and some new hardware, which I subsidized. I only have one gift he doesn't know about, and if I post it here, there will be no surpirse on Christmas Morn.

by w2ktechman

I have seen this floating around for a while. Although totally cool, I talked myself out of it for a few reasons.
The keys are placed a little differently &
where would I use it?
Unless a PDA is a main unit for using, this is really just a toy
There is no keyboard action that we all grew accustomed to, making you think whil typing.

might like the USB rocket launcher or other items. Check out www.thinkgeek.com and look under geek toys and cube warfare....
just my opinion though

There are aplenty of geek toys out there, some are just bragging rights, and some are actually useful. This would surely be a surprise, and I doubt it would be returned, but probably not used as much as expected.

by twhipkey

Stick with your first choice, it doesn't have to be 100% practical. You can probably think of some interesting soft surfaces to project it on. (wink wink)

Sorry no emoticons

by twhipkey

Stick with your first choice, it doesn't have to be 100% practical. You can probably think of some interesting soft surfaces to project it on. (wink wink)

Sorry no emoticons

by twhipkey

Stick with your first choice, it doesn't have to be 100% practical. You can probably think of some interesting soft surfaces to project it on. (wink wink)

Sorry no emoticons

by mike_parr

It was reviewed not long back and got a thumbs up. However, the price is a little steep, can get it from Orange Shops for 60 GBP so shop around.

by rclark2

minus the cash of course. And the keyboard does have a wow factor, but wouldn't fit my workspace. The roll out keyboard tray only has about two inches clearance and I'm sure this thing is taller than that.

I do like the PDA bluetooth option, it would fit with my HP5555. But on the other hand, I try to avoid typing on my pda. I use it mainly for a portable outlook calendar and a sandisk reader/writer for stuff downloaded from my cell phone.

The guys are right that the best way to your guys heart is probably something in red or white with lots of lace. But that wouldn't get used more than a couple times a week for a few seconds at a time. Lets face it, you wear that stuff to get it ripped off. So I wouldn't go there either if you want him to actually use it.

What really caught my eye was the USB Microscope - QX5 on thinkgeeks. That looked interesting. And I can use it for the kids education and my coin collection hobby. Win/Win. Think I'll leave it prominently displayed with a big red circle and see if Santa will take the hint.

by half9

I had a look at these on www.I want one of those.com a while ago and recently read a review of them. Cant recall where it was, but it was not to flattering. Something about picking up keys that were not being typed but detected as the other fingers broke the beam. I would go for a coffee cup heated or something along those lines.The website was on here last week

by half9

I had a look at these on www.I want one of those.com a while ago and recently read a review of them. Cant recall where it was, but it was not to flattering. Something about picking up keys that were not being typed but detected as the other fingers broke the beam. I would go for a coffee cup heated or something along those lines.The website was on here last week

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