This week’s roundup has an assortment of goodies, including a couple of input devices, one case, and a new version of the AIDA64 system utility. Let’s get started.
- Chill Innovations announces KB-1BT Micro Keyboard. Looking for a diminutive keyboard for your home-theater PC? Chill Innovations has an interesting Bluetooth device that might do the trick. The KB-1BT combines a keyboard and touchpad in a device that looks no larger than a plus-sized smartphone. An LED backlight provides illumination for the keyboard, and there’s an integrated flashlight if you can’t find your bowl of popcorn in the dark. For those whose systems lack Bluetooth connectivity, the KB-1BT ships with a USB dongle that claims a 10-meter range.
- Tt eSports announces Azurues Mini gaming mouse. Although its name suggests that the Azurues Mini is designed for notebooks, it looks like a standard-sized affair to me. The mouse has an optical sensor that can be toggled between 400, 800, and 1600 DPI. A rubberized coating should prevent sweaty palms from slipping on its surface, while teflon feet on the underbelly ensure smooth movement on your tracking surface of choice. Oddly, neither the press release nor the product page reveals the number of buttons included on the Azurues Mini. Users will be able to tune the mouse’s feel by swapping in 20 grams worth of weights, though.
- Sharkoon expands case line with T5 Value enclosure. Budget cases pack all sorts of goodies these days, and the T5 Value is no exception. Sharkoon’s latest mid-tower comes with front-panel USB 3.0 ports, dual 120-mm LED fans, and an acrylic window on the side panel. Inside the blacked-out interior, you’ll find a large cut-out behind the CPU socket, a few more holes for cabling, and mounting brackets for 2.5" hard drives and SSDs. Sharkoon quotes an asking price of 55 Euros, which works out to about $77.
- AIDA64 1.8 unveiled by FinalWire. There’s something to be said for a good system utility, and AIDA64 has become pretty popular. The latest version supports Bulldozer and Llano APUs, and its integrated benchmarks have been optimized for AMD’s new hotness in addition to Via’s QuadCore CPU. There’s also a new SensorPanel feature that tracks numerous system variables in a single display window. Users can configure the SensorPanel to display temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, and other bits of useful information.
After years of controlling my home-theater PC with just an MCE remote, I recently added a wireless keyboard-and-trackball combo. What a difference. While the remote is still king, it’s great to have a proper input device within arm’s reach, making me particularly intrigued by that Chill Innovations KB-1BT.