Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad are nice and all, but aren't you going to need to be within a wire's-length to see the thing anyway? To that end, Logitech has announced a full-sized wired iPad keyboard targeted to classrooms with an emphasis on durability and maintenance. It has a spill-resistant design, three-year warranty and key life of over 5 million strokes, according to the company, and comes in either lightning or 30-pin versions. If you don't mind being tethered, the Lightning model will ship in August and the last-gen iPad model in November for $60 each -- but you can pre-order now at the source.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Via: ZDNet

Source: Logitech

Our initial look at the BlackBerry R10 quickly suggested that the smartphone would be a budget alternative to the Q10, but it wasn't clear just what we'd lose by penny-pinching. If DGtle is on the ball with its newly claimed specs, though, we won't sacrifice as much as we thought. Along with offering more photos of the R10, the site believes that the handset will have the same 3.1-inch screen size and 2GB of RAM as its QWERTY sibling. Instead, the sacrifices would mostly affect media hounds: the R10 reportedly steps down to a 5-megapixel camera in addition to previously hinted cutbacks in storage (to 8GB) and battery (to 1,800mAh). We may learn the full truth soon enough -- while there's no guarantees anything will happen, next week's BlackBerry Live conference is a prime opportunity for an unveiling.

Filed under: Cellphones, Blackberry

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Via: MobileSyrup, N4BB

Source: DGtle (translated)

We keep hearing about how handheld devices are replacing laptops, so how about doing it literally? Casetop just launched a laptop-style dock on Kickstarter that you can plug your smartphone into, turning it into the processor, graphics engine and trackpad of a "laptop." In return, the dock will give you an 11.1-inch 720p display, full-sized keyboard, stereo speakers, HDMI input, MHL video input, dual-mode MicroUSB, audio output and "always-powered" USB for charging other devices. Unlike similar offerings such as the still-unshipped Clambook (or Motorola's ill-fated Lapdock) the Casebook uses the handset as a trackpad, and the creators say that it won't be device-specific, working instead with a large number of smartphones from Apple, Blackberry, Samsung and others. Of course, it needs to meet the lofty $300,000 funding goal for all that to happen, but if you're optimistic, hit the source to plop down your $250 minimum pledge.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops

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Source: Casetop

Memory of a time where an NEC phone graced US shores escapes us, but the prolific -- and often accurate -- @evleaks has tweeted a press shot that signals a handset from the Japanese firm might soon arrive stateside. Emblazoned with AT&T's logo and reportedly dubbed the NEC Terrain, the Android-toting smartphone shares its front real estate with a screen, a camera and a QWERTY keyboard. No other details were spilled with the image, but with a name like Terrain and what looks like a rubberized border, we wouldn't be surprised if it could withstand a fair amount of rough and tumble.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, AT&T

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Source: @evleaks (Twitter)

We joke that Gmail holds the record for the most drawn-out test phase, but Swype comes close: the keyboard replacement has been considered a work in progress on various platforms since before Android devices hit the streets, and well after it started shipping with phones. The developers at Nuance are a little braver as of today, as they're launching Swype 1.5 for Android without any kind of beta label attached -- they really, truly consider it done. Mind you, there won't be a huge difference versus recent betas. The 1.5 update adds a quick shortcut to Dragon Mobile Assistant for those who have it installed, expands Living Language to 20 dialects, adds two new themes and refines both Smart Touch and Smart Reselect.

It's where you can get Swype 1.5 that may be the biggest change. For the first time, Swype is launching as a straightforward Google Play download that should support the same easy installs and upgrades as most Android releases. Unfortunately, that also means a price tag for the store edition. Nuance is charging 99 cents on Google Play for a "limited time" before a price increase, so we'll have to shell out if we want to take the easier path. The beta program remains intact, however -- and when Swype is at least temporarily undercutting SwiftKey on pricing, we'd consider spending some cash.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Source: Swype

When Logitech announced keyboard folios for the iPad and iPad Mini less than a month ago, it thought it had all bases covered: keyboard, stand, cover. One important group of people weren't considered in the design brief, however: so-called spillers, those with an uncanny ability to bring gadgets and beverages together. It's no wonder, then, that Logitech has been quick to come up with the FabricSkin keyboard folio to cater for this demographic. In addition to the "liquid-repellent FabricSkin surface" that coats the folio, there are a couple of new color schemes to choose from, and the Bluetooth keyboard is now without openings, similar to the Surface Touch Cover, so fluid can't work its way in between the keys. You'll be paying a premium for that peace of mind, though, as the FabricSkin folio for the iPad 2 and up (no iPad Mini version), set to launch in May, is now available to pre-order from Logitech for $149 (or £129) -- $50 more than the standard cover. Still, if there's a good chance you'd hydrate a normal folio eventually, the FabricSkin model is almost like getting a replacement at half price. We'll drink to that.

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablets

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Source: Logitech (1), (2)