Hands-on with Magic Cube Bluetooth portable laser keyboard

The tech in laser-based keyboards has been around for a while, and when we first saw them we thought, "the future is here!" because what could be cooler than having a laser keyboard on any flat surface? I'll suggest something cooler: a keyboard that works. I spotted the Magic Cube from Celluon at CES and gave it a spin.

The Magic Cube connects to your Mac or iOS-powered device using Bluetooth and features a battery inside to power the laser and optical recognition systems. According to Celluon, you'll get 150 minutes of use from a charge. The device is somewhat large, occupying as much volume as two 1st-generation iPods, only slightly narrower. This gives it stability, but it also means you'll have to have the keyboard projector offset from your iPad or iPhone (why you would use it with your Mac is beyond me). The laser-projected keyboard is about the size of a MacBook's keyboard, complete with rounded keys. Unfortunately, it is a PC-centric keyboard complete with Menu and Insert keys, but that's not a big deal. The big deal is accuracy.

I type pretty fast considering I started typing on a computer when I was six (on an Apple II, thank you very much). If you type fast, you're going to have to slow down to use the Magic Cube. While their literature states it can detect up to 400 characters per minute, you'd have to be some sort of robotic ninja octopus to achieve such precision using this thing.
I found multiple attempts to track my speedy typing thwarted by two things: a lack of tactile feedback and the need to look at the keys while typing. In other words, your fingers will drift and the keyboard will cease to track all your key "presses" accurately. In some cases, the "press" didn't register at all. Others at the booth had similar issues. Check the gallery to see what came out when I tried to type "hi there my name is victor." Perhaps there's a learning curve?

While the Magic Cube is a nifty novelty, I wouldn't expect it to replace the dozens of physical keyboards we saw at CES. You can connect it via USB (PC-only it seems) or Bluetooth, and it comes in a variety of colors, but as a keyboard it just doesn't cut it. In the end, it felt about as useful as those old membrane keyboards (like the ones on the TIMEX Sinclair) with a resulting slowdown in typing and loss of accuracy. Here's hoping some day our magical tech dreams come true -- but until then, save your US$199.99 and spend it on a real keyboard.

Gallery: Magic Cube virtual keyboard

Hands-on with Magic Cube Bluetooth portable laser keyboard originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell hitting dealerships in 2013

You may disagree with the car's color and its powertrain choice, but you can't argue with 528 horsepower, 649lb/ft of torque, and AWD acceleration so good it should come with a neck brace. It's a legitimately hot car, and it's legitimately coming to dealerships. Mercedes today confirmed that the SLS AMG E-Cell will be available for order at dealerships in 2013, and while no price was given, expect it to be a lot. The gasoline-powered model cost around $200,000, after all. Oh, and that citrus color? It's pretty stunning in the flesh, a matte hue that makes you go "Mmm."

Gallery: Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell

Toyota debuts new Prius models, including family-friendlier Prius V

Toyota made no bones about the fact that more Prius models were to be unveiled in Detroit for the North American International Auto Show, even throwing advertisements up around town asking whether it's supposed to be Priuses or Priii. (We, as you can see, chose to side-step the debate.) Now we know what's coming, first being the Prius V. It's the MPV the company has been teasing, basically just a taller version of the four-door sedan with a hatchback and a whopping 60 percent more cargo space -- 32 cubic feet, which is more than most compact SUVs. It's to be rated 42mpg city, 38 highway, and 40 combined, which is a surprising 10mpg lower than the sedan model. That's perhaps a bit disappointing, but availability this summer is a pleasant surprise.

Tesla Model S takes off its clothes, shows us its motor

Oh, wow. Are you sure we're ready for this, Tesla? I mean, just last week you wouldn't even let us sit inside your Model S prototype and now... this. You sure we're not moving too fast? A fully naked Model S is on display at the company's booth, bare frame and bare aluminum separated by a Lucite riser, giving us a glimpse at the car's motor nestled between the rear wheels. Take a look at it, barely bigger than the exhaust of a modern musclecar yet powering this thing to 60mph in 5.7 seconds and up to an anticipated maximum 300 mile range. Unfortunately the tangle of wires and other components that'll actually make this thing go are missing, and the paint, but it's still a great view at the simple, obviously Elise-inspired frame that holds it all together.

Gallery: Tesla Model S Disassembled

QNX Car concept with PlayBook integration hands-on (video)

Okay, we've seen an iPad on a dashboard. Ready for some in-car PlayBook action? Recent RIM acquisition QNX is all over it, showing off what it calls simply QNX Car. It's a basic reference implementation of some technology that will be running the infotainment systems of cars in the coming years -- though they'll surely look very different than this by then. QNX is showing how it can pull media from multiple sources, like an iPhone, use Message Access Protocol Bluetooth to pull data from a BlackBerry, and even use Terminal Mode to replicate the UI of something like the PlayBook. Plus, the PlayBook was able to change climate control settings in the car.

The company is also working on what it's called the Simple UI Protocol. It's basically a lowest-common-denominator smartphone integration -- something like Ford's AppLink that, in theory, will work regardless of the app or the hardware on the car. It's very limited, allowing just two lines of text and a few icons to be sent from the phone to the car, and just two buttons (left and right) to be sent back to the phone as controls. The idea is to remove any aspect of driver distraction and to provide AppLink-like functionality in a standard, non OEM-specific way, which we like. But, it's so limited in scope we're not sure just how useful it would be. See for yourself after the break.

Gallery: QNX Car hands-on