The Escapist Holiday Buyers' Guide: Gadgeteer

Anton P. Nym:

^* For those unfortunate enough not to have seen the original, that's from one of my all-time favourite Calvin and Hobbes comic strips.

It almost saddens me that it would need explanation. To think that someone, somewhere, grew up without Calvin and Hobbes?! The madness! The sadness! Almost enough to make me tear up.

6) 6 Dec 2008 17:19

sv93

I want the Razer Lycosa Keyboard it looks sweet, either that or the LED umbrella.

7) 6 Dec 2008 17:32

Toner

The Toaster.

I need it.

Being a gentleman who likes toast and an insane variety of toppings for said toast, a Darth Vader toaster would make my life complete.
Darth Vader toast + Star-Wars spaghetti shapes = Win.

8) 6 Dec 2008 20:29

super_smash_jesus

toaster and the "light saber" umbrella. It wouldn't work for me though, because I would always be swinging the umbrella around for crazy light effects and get drenched in the mean time.

9) 7 Dec 2008 02:40

Virgil

As one of the staff members involved in that mana potion experiment, let me encourage that you get it as a gift for someone else. It smells like a perfume counter, has the texture of dishsoap, and ... well, the taste was pretty well described, but you'll continue to taste it for hours afterward.

It will, on the other hand, wake you up. My suggested use for it is as a quick replacement for smelling salts.

10) 7 Dec 2008 03:26

TsunamiWombat

I want that helmet.

EXTER-MIN-NATE! EX TEER MINN NAATTEE!

11) 7 Dec 2008 13:53

Playbahnosh

Keyboard! WANT!

Also, that mana potion looks cool.

12) 7 Dec 2008 18:13

RAKtheUndead

I'm not actually a particular fan of that keyboard. I'd much rather have an old IBM Model M - the buckling spring model, with durability that makes today's keyboards look disposable, and the sort of authoritative feel which makes today's keyboards look like toys.

13) 7 Dec 2008 18:48

Geoffrey42

RAKtheUndead:
I'm not actually a particular fan of that keyboard. I'd much rather have an old IBM Model M - the buckling spring model, with durability that makes today's keyboards look disposable, and the sort of authoritative feel which makes today's keyboards look like toys.

Then YOU sir, are in need of one of these.

14) 7 Dec 2008 19:23

Indigo_Dingo

So is that it for the Escapist Holiday Buyers Guide?

15) 8 Dec 2008 01:49

Radelaide

Toner:
The Toaster.
I need it.
Darth Vader toast + Star-Wars spaghetti shapes = Win.

Ideal mothers day present - For the mother who has everything

16) 8 Dec 2008 05:02

Indigo_Dingo

Radelaide:

Toner:
The Toaster.
I need it.
Darth Vader toast + Star-Wars spaghetti shapes = Win.

Ideal mothers day present - For the mother who has everything

Except hope for her children ever moving out of the house....

17) 8 Dec 2008 06:36

Alex_P

Razer bills its Lycosa Keyboard as being ideal for gamers, but you'll appreciate it no matter how you spend your time at the computer. The low-profile rubberized keys make typing easier and more comfortable than other keyboards - perfect for you master bloggers out there. At a touch, you can turn on the keyboard's built-in LED backlighting to illuminate all the keys, or just the standard WASD foursome, meaning you'll never have to guess where the buttons are in the midst of a heated gaming session, even in the dead of night. Light? Psh. Who needs light?

The LED thing is kinda cool but, well, I just kinda know where keys are rather than "guessing" them, even in darkness. That's what those two little bumps on F and J are for.

How do the keys themselves compare to other high-priced behemoths like Das Keyboard?

-- Alex

18) 8 Dec 2008 17:37

Spinwhiz

I have tried the keyboard...and let me assure you...it is UBER!

19) 9 Dec 2008 00:36

Alex_P

Spinwhiz:
I have tried the keyboard...and let me assure you...it is UBER!

How would you rate it in terms of softness vs. clickiness?

-- Alex

20) 9 Dec 2008 00:54

RAKtheUndead

Alex_P:

Spinwhiz:
I have tried the keyboard...and let me assure you...it is UBER!

How would you rate it in terms of softness vs. clickiness?

-- Alex

I was asking myself the same question. The low-profile keys don't seem like they'd support the sort of mechanical key mechanism that I'd want from a top-quality keyboard, like Das Keyboard or the re-creations of the IBM Model M. It seems like all you'd be able to fit in there are the same old dome mechanisms that you see in just about every other desktop keyboard - none of the authoritative clicking that you'd get from a proper, high-profile key.

21) 9 Dec 2008 01:18

Alex_P

I'm not strongly devoted to clickiness, though. I kinda wobble back and forth between it and softness, really.

-- Alex

22) 9 Dec 2008 03:03

Susan Arendt

I've been using the keyboard for some time now, and as someone who spends the majority of her day typing, I'd have to say it's a winner.

23) 9 Dec 2008 03:37

Alex_P

Y'all are very convincing.

Last keyboard question, I swear:

Do you truly need Windows? Or is that just for the fancy macro feature? Can you just use generic plug-n-play instead of their special driver?

-- Alex

24) 9 Dec 2008 15:31

Spinwhiz

Alex_P:

Spinwhiz:
I have tried the keyboard...and let me assure you...it is UBER!

How would you rate it in terms of softness vs. clickiness?

-- Alex

I would say the reason I liked it was due to the softness of the keyboard. It was very easy to type on and quick key. I think my hands are a bit bigger and on most keyboards I can sometimes hit different keys than I wanted to. On this keyboard, I never really had that problem. It was a very smooth ride :)

Alex_P:
Y'all are very convincing.

Last keyboard question, I swear:

Do you truly need Windows? Or is that just for the fancy macro feature? Can you just use generic plug-n-play instead of their special driver?

-- Alex

It did work just as a keyboard when I plugged it in, yes. I never got a chance to try it on a MAC, but I don't see why it would work any different.

25) 9 Dec 2008 18:30

RAKtheUndead

Spinwhiz:

Alex_P:

Spinwhiz:
I have tried the keyboard...and let me assure you...it is UBER!

How would you rate it in terms of softness vs. clickiness?

-- Alex

I would say the reason I liked it was due to the softness of the keyboard. It was very easy to type on and quick key. I think my hands are a bit bigger and on most keyboards I can sometimes hit different keys than I wanted to. On this keyboard, I never really had that problem. It was a very smooth ride :)

Precisely why I wouldn't buy it. Low-profile keys are an anaethema to me, and even my wireless Microsoft keyboard with high-profile keys feels cheap to me. I've only used an IBM Model M a couple of times, but it was so much more solid and authoritative than any other keyboard that I've ever used.

The Model M was said by some people to be half the reason to buy an original IBM PC; many of the keyboards from the 1980s still exist and are still working perfectly.

26) 11 Dec 2008 03:10

Tenmar

Thank you guys for this thread, I was able to find out what perfect gift to get my sister this year. She freaked out couple days ago when my parents returned the Iron Man DVD so getting her the Roku Netflix player is the perfect match.

Thanks again guys because I had no idea what to get her until I checked out the article. All that is left is to get my father the limited edition of Fable 2 and I will be done with immediate family.

27) 11 Dec 2008 23:20

corky842

Geoffrey42:

RAKtheUndead:
I'm not actually a particular fan of that keyboard. I'd much rather have an old IBM Model M - the buckling spring model, with durability that makes today's keyboards look disposable, and the sort of authoritative feel which makes today's keyboards look like toys.

Then YOU sir, are in need of one of these.

Insist on the genuine article! (Cheaper than the Das Keyboard too.)
I'm typing this on a model M5-2 from 1993, and it's great.

28) 11 Dec 2008 23:42

RAKtheUndead

corky842:

Geoffrey42:

RAKtheUndead:
I'm not actually a particular fan of that keyboard. I'd much rather have an old IBM Model M - the buckling spring model, with durability that makes today's keyboards look disposable, and the sort of authoritative feel which makes today's keyboards look like toys.

Then YOU sir, are in need of one of these.

Insist on the genuine article! (Cheaper than the Das Keyboard too.)
I'm typing this on a model M5-2 from 1993, and it's great.

Precisely what I was looking for when I replace this cheap Microsoft keyboard with my next computer. Solid, reliable, with perfect aural and tactile feedback.

I had a look at a video review of the Razer Lycosa, and once I heard the sounds that the keys made, it immediately confirmed what I was thinking. Not a keyboard for me.

29) 20 Dec 2008 21:28

kaiZie

I want that umbrella!! How SWEET is that!? plus, I think the mana potion would be funny if for some reason you were wasted and wanted a vodka/mana drink...

30) 26 Dec 2008 18:27

pyromcr

almost all of those had no point at all...

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