Crave

(Credit: Eigenlabs)

It looks like something the Star Wars Cantina band might have forgotten while gigging on Earth, but the Eigenharp might just become something unforgettable for electronic musicians.

Developed by British start-up Eigenlabs, the gorgeously designed, unusual device combines the dynamic physicality of a guitar or saxophone with the versatility of a modern digital synthesizer and sequencer.

The $6,400 professional-grade Eigenharp Alpha, seen here, is a 4-foot-long cylinder of circuitry studded with rows of rectangular keys, two strip controllers, a breath pipe, and pedal controllers. It also seems to have several rows of sexy LED lights. It weighs nearly 6 pounds.

Billed as "the most expressive electronic musical instrument ever made," the Alpha has 132 playing keys that allow the user to change pressure, pitch, filter settings and a host of other parameters, all while playing live, as seen in this demo.

Sounds and drum loops can be imported from other instruments through the Eigenharp base station. The system requires a Mac computer to operate, though Windows software support is expected in January 2010.

The simpler, 18-key Eigenharp Pico is designed for beginners and is currently priced at about $570.

The Eigenharp was conceived by musician John Lambert in the 1990s. He tired of the time-consuming preparation needed for concerts with electronic instruments, and wanted something that could be deployed in only a few minutes like a guitar.

A decade later, the Eigenharp was born. But how does it sound? Check out these two 'Harp players jamming to the James Bond theme in the video below. Eigenlabs will show it off at the 2010 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim next month.

At the least, the Eigenharp may bring a new physical, dynamic presence to musicians performing electronic music live. If only Eigenlabs would include Bith alien masks in the box.

Musicians are a paradox when it comes to technology. They have voracious appetites for the latest, greatest gear, but unlike the average tech consumer, they also have a near-religious reverence for all things vintage.

Looking back on what I consider the year's coolest gear for musicians, the thread that ties it all together (well, most of it) is this balance of new and antique. From a guitar pedal that sounds like a tube amplifier from 1959, to USB interfaces that return the look and feel of a pre-Pro Tools era--music tech has a unique way of pushing forward while always acknowledging the past.

To see my completely subjective roundup of 2009's most interesting music gear, click though to our Crave slideshow. If you have some other 2009 music gear you'd like to champion, feel free to add it in the comments section.

Musician tech roundup, 2009

Gmail has long had keyboard shortcuts, though learning them can be difficult. Enter the Gboard, a specialized mini-keyboard for Google's e-mail service. It debuts this Friday at an asking price of $19.99.

The Gboard consists of 19 colored keys set in a standard size numpad-only keyboard. Clicking on any one of these performs that particular keyboard shortcut. Included are Gmail-specific features such as starring messages, starting a search, and jumping between message threads. Outside of Gmail they simply act as normal keyboard buttons, and will type in whatever letter or number corresponds with that shortcut.

The device is powered by USB and requires no special software or drivers, however users need to first enable keyboard shortcuts within Gmail's settings before using it. Also worth noting is that it was created not by Google, but by Charlie Mason, a film producer from Venice, Calif. This is his first foray into the computer hardware business.

The Gboard consists of 19 keys, all of which act as shortcuts within Google's Gmail Web mail service.

(Credit: James Martin / CNET)

This really is a product that users will either love or hate. Those who have mastered Gmail's shortcuts will see little need to buy special hardware and find a spare USB port to plug it into. Meanwhile, newbie users may be unwilling to take the plunge on such a specific peripheral for a program that works only within another program (the browser). The Gboard runs the risk of being an unappealing prospect to both parties.

It's also not the first attempt at easing the process of learning and remembering shortcuts. This time last year Google offered users a free pack of color-coded shortcut stickers that could be tacked onto any keyboard. There have also long been specialized keyboards for video and audio editing as well as graphical design--all of which provide similar, color-coded keys. Users who don't want to commit, or tack stickers on their keyboard, also have the option of buying a silicone keyboard mat, though no such thing has been created for Gmail.

Considering there are a total of 69 Gmail shortcuts (with more on the way if Google graduates some of its experimental features from its labs section) the Gboard could just be the first step toward creating a full-size (100 plus key) version. In the meantime, its early December release and low price tag make for a good stocking stuffer if you've got a Gmail lover in your family.

The good:
• No setup required
• Color coding is logical and makes it easy to learn the keys
• Good build quality and feel; keys are flat like on a laptop
• At $19.99 it's not that expensive. Most numeric-only keyboards cost about the same.

The bad:
• Does not come close to including all of Gmail's shortcuts
• Could be rendered less useful if Gmail's shortcuts change
• Only comes in one color (black)

Molly's out of the office with the swine flu. In her honor, we cover the tech that allows you to keep yourself germ free. Don't worry. Even if you end up with the flu, we also cover the tech that will keep you entertained while you recover.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Want to steer clear of N1H1? Stay off the couch

Self Sanitizing Keyboard (thanks David!)

Keep your arms dry while you wash dishes (or while you wash everything in your house.)

Designer hand sanitizer

Ericsson’s Spider PC projects the keyboard, screen

Driverless car takes you to the doctor

Time-lapse photography on your iphone

Make your iphone photos look like miniatures with tiltshift

If you’re tooly, pass the time with sports:
Football

or baseball

or even basketball

Adesso WKB-3100UB wireless keyboard

(Credit: Adesso)

Are you looking for a great, mini wireless keyboard? According to Adesso's Web site, its WKB-3100UB is the "perfect" fit for your living room. And for nearly $80, you may think Adesso is right. With the WKB-3100UB's snazzy features such as a broad wireless range, built-in trackball, and softwareless installation, it would be a great fit for surfing the Web from your sofa, right? Think again.

To find out why we think you can find a better, cheaper solution, read the full review of the Adesso WKB-3100UB wireless keyboard.

(Credit: Logitech)

Years ago, we reviewed the Logitech Gaming Keyboard G11 and found that it was pretty great, except for being unfortunately large and lacking USB 2.0. The company's newest update, the Gaming Keyboard G110, certainly looks to have addressed those issues with a much slimmer base and a more efficiently compact key layout.

Backlit LED keys can be set to red, blue, or "any shade between," meaning a veritable spectrum of purples are yours to savor. Twelve programmable G keys can store macros up to 36 characters long, and an MR button allows adding macros spontaneously, in case any new ones come to you midgame.

On the back is a USB 2.0 hub port, along with dedicated headphone and mic jacks so gamers can also plug in their headset of choice and any other mouse, control pad, or other peripheral that comes to mind when fragging.

The G110 comes out in November for $79.99.

Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110

Winners of the student contest nabbed the above trophy, plus a $2,000 prize, bragging rights, and special consideration for a spot at Siggraph's 2010's Emerging Technology demos.

(Credit: Flickr user psychopsyclist)

I can tell you my computer password, but unless you type it in exactly the way I do, you won't be allowed entry. That's the idea behind Safelock, one of the just-announced winning entries in the UIST 2009 Student Innovation Competition, a Microsoft-sponsored contest aimed at inspiring keyboard innovation. About a month ago, the company sent out prototypes of pressure-sensitive keyboards to 40 international teams, which had four weeks to cobble together their creations. Here are just a few of the cool ideas they came up with:

First place, most useful: Safelock
Safelock, by Jeff Allen and John Howard of Southern Methodist University, biometrically authenticates a user with just eight characters entered. The key (forgive the pun) is that the user has to enter that relatively short password just right. To create a machine-learning algorithm that discovers the unique way each person types, the team measured four keystroke attributes: flight time (the interval between each keystroke); hold time (the amount of time the key was held); maximum pressure; and a curve fit to the pressure over time as a user pressed each key.

The team conducted extensive tests of their system and say it's "extremely robust." Says Howard: "99.4 percent of the time, if you're not me, you're not able to log into my account."

First place, most creative: Hidden Forces
This innovation lets users control multiple cursors by waving magnets above the keyboard but not touching it. A four-person team from Carnegie Mellon University accomplished this by placing one small magnet underneath each of the keyboard keys, with the north side facing up.

Julia Schwarz, Brian Lim, Stephen Oney, and Kevin Huang then used a larger magnet (north side facing down) as a cursor. The larger magnet repelled nearby magnets, pushing them against the pressure-sensitive pads and allowing the computer to know where the magnet was located above the keyboard. The innovators were able to control multiple cursors with this technique, turning the keyboard into a multipoint, in-air interaction device.

Oh, those smart rascals at Microsoft are on a roll. I love their Courier tablet concept, and now they may have found the way to make on-screen multitouch keyboards actually work great--even for touch typists like me.

The problem with screen keyboards is that you actually have to look at the screen to hit the keys correctly. With real keyboards, touch typists have a physical reference to position their hands. That's why they type blind. With a flat screen keyboard, however, you lose the physical reference frame.

The patent for this screen keyboard, however, uses multitouch technology to automatically align the keys to the position of the hand. Since the keys are always in the same relative position to your fingers, you will always have a physical point of reference: Your own hand. That way, you can blindingly hammer your keys against the screen, knowing that your fingers will always hit the keys they are aiming for.

The patent also details the way this virtual keyboard would appear anywhere on the screen: Just place your hands as you would normally do while typing, and the keyboard will pop up. [USPTO via WMPowerUser]

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

(Credit: Mobile Mechatronics)

If you're an iPhone owner who just hates typing on the device's virtual keyboard, Mobile Mechatronics has something for you: the iTwinge, a $30 BlackBerry-style, slide-on keyboard that mounts right on the iPhone.

Now iPhone purists are probably thinking this should be called the iCringe, but if you're heavy into texting and e-mailing and aren't proficient with the virtual keyboard, I can see some merit to using this device. However, it obviously covers up a good 40 percent of the iPhone's screen, which would seem problematic.

According to Mobile Mechatronics, the iTwinge Keyboard is a typing "Skin" for the iPhone that "enables faster and more accurate typing through the use of our patent pending Twinge Technology." Also, according to the company, studies show that an average user will improve their typing speed by 30 percent to 40 percent and reduce typing errors by 70 percent to 80 percent.

The lightweight keyboard sleeve--it weighs an ounce--attaches to the bottom of the iPhone and mimics the iPhone's virtual keyboard (it appears that touching the keys simply transfers the touch to the virtual keys below). According to the company's FAQ section, it slips on and off in a second and is durable (see a video of iTwinge in action here). It's also worth noting that it apparently draws some power from your iPhone, but only a tiny amount.

Mobile Mechatronics indicates that the iTwinge is also a training tool for those transitioning from a phone with a physical keyboard to the iPhone's virtual keyboard and that it has an iPhone app in development that helps "users build muscle memory & improve typing skills."

The iTwinge is scheduled to ship on November 17 and the company is taking preorders now. We assume Mobile Mechatronics has Apple's blessing to sell this, but it's worth noting that Apple has refused so far to approve or create Bluetooth drivers that would let you use a wireless keyboard to type on the iPhone. I've written about the whole iPhone Bluetooth keyboard fiasco in the past, and I still can't understand why Apple wouldn't give its users the option of using a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPhone.

Anyway, what do you guys think of the iTwinge? Is it intriguing and innovative or a waste of money?

(Source: Engadget via ChipChick)

(Credit: Mobile Mechatronics)