Microsoft Previews "Ultimate" Wireless Keyboard, Delays Office 2007 Release

Microsoft Previews "Ultimate" Wireless Keyboard

Microsoft is teasing a new Bluetooth wireless keyboard product on its site thatit claims as the "ultimate" keyboard. The new keyboard, that has been given no name or model number, has backlighting that adjusts via a built-in ambient light sensor. Meaning, when the room darkens the keyboard lights up. As a power saving feature the keyboard has a sensor that determines when it's no longer in use so that it can go to sleep and save battery life. Included in this wireless desktop set is a mouse that chargeson its pad via inductionwhen not in use. Since the keyboard will be using Bluetooth you can get a 30 foot range -- meaning your notebook can be controlled quite easily from across the room. More and more notebooks come standard with built-in Bluetooth and so would be compatible with this new keyboard.

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The upcoming Microsoft wireless desktop set will feature metal accents for a stylish look and various multimedia features. Microsoft has announced no release date for this wireless desktop system, but is teasing it on their hardware website via a flash demonstration:

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/ultimatekeyboard/default.mspx

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Microsoft Office 2007 Delayed

Microsoft currently has a beta 2 version of Office 2007 available for public download that can be found here: Office 2007 Beta 2 download. And apparently based on feedback the company has been receiving on this beta version of Office theyhave decided that their quoted release of October is no longer going to happen. The new release date is for "end of year" to business customers and "early 2007" for consumers to purchase it from retail stores. Both dates are vague and would seem to indicate that realistically it won't be until the 1st quarter of 2007 that anyone will be using a final version of Office 2007. That would coincide with the Microsoft Vista OS release. Unlessthe Vista release is pushed back again that is. Windows Vista and Office 2007 just keep leap frogging over each other down the calendar year -- it will be interesting to see which actually gets pressed to adiscand sold first.

 

Looks quite interesting, it has a simple look about it, but sleek, and functional as it seems. Maybe something I'll have to look into getting when it comes out.

 

don't think that keyboard is for professional use - maybe for occasional typing and/or media center control. just look at those tiny function keys...

but overall design is not bad (for home user). idea of curved keyboard taken from acer, eh?

p.s. where is home/end/delete/pgdn/pgup ?

 

Home and End are at the top right hand corner. Page Up/Down are next to the Enter key... Can't really tell which one is Delete though. Me thinks it's either the humongous button above the Page Up/Down buttons or the mini-button next to the Home button (after the space to the left of the Home button to be accurate).
Either way, I'd never actually use it. Function buttons are too small, and the all important buttons which martynas could hardly find are in all the wrong places/too small. I prefer desktop keyboards to be as standard as they can possibly be, the less extra buttons they have, the better.

 

I don't like the irregular placement of the Home/End/etc keys, but other than that looks like an attractive keyboard.

 

There's alot about that keyboard that is seriously hot. However, because it's bluetooth, anyone who uses a bootloader will be unable to select an OS or get into BIOS for that matter. And what's up with the curvature? It's not quite as bad as the ergo keyboard my dad uses, but it's curved just enough that it's gonna have a learning curve to it.

 

It does look kind of hot for a keyboard... I wonder how much a fancy one like that will cost. x.O;

 

it looks good, but why would i want to get a curved keyboard? how is it better?

 

It might come in my possession. Looks great.

Ivan

 

The keyboard is okay, but I like the one with the lcd screen on each and every key that is customizable much better..

Curved keyboards are made for ergonomics. My dad has one and honestly it is very comfortable to type on.