Last year Skatter Tech reviewed the Das Keyboard Professional. Today, I present a review of the latest iteration, the Das Keyboard Model S Professional. The new version is almost entirely the same as the previous model, but it now comes with a few additions, changes, and improvements. For starters, the keyboard is no longer as loud when typing, but it still sounds like a typewriter. Other improvements include multimedia controls, powered USB ports, and compatibility for PS/2 ports and KVM switches. Although we took a look at the Professional model, an ‘Ultimate’ version is also available which is a completely blank keyboard without any printed text.

Comfort and Quality
As with the earlier model, the new Das Keyboard S Professional maintains its advertised guarantee of quality with precision, speed, and comfort. When they say this is the best keyboard to use for long hours of typing, they aren’t kidding. This is hands down the smoothest keyboard I have ever used. After some getting used to, I found myself typing faster and faster. Due to high sensitivity, there were quite a few accidental entries at first, but my accuracy increased as I spent more time with it. The feel of the keys is unlike any other keyboard. Instead of the immediate snap or click, the keys feel as though they are on a cushion. It actually accepts key presses before it finishes being pressed. There’s a special kind of fluid flow you feel with this keyboard that you won’t find on others. Plus, it’s comfortable. The Model S also sports the n-key rollover feature which accepts up to 6 presses at once. Most generic keyboards jam with more than 3-4 simultaneous key presses. This allows fast typers to do what they do best. The Das Model S makes the entire typing experience enjoyable by adding an aesthetically pleasing sound to each click. Although not as loud, it reminded me of the sound a typewriter makes and the confident feedback you get which each click. Unfortunately it’s still a bit too loud and may annoy others nearby.

Design and Look
The Model S once again retains the minimalistic look. It doesn’t have any extra text, icons, or nonsense other than the company’s name. The only visual difference on the S Model versus the original is the addition of a “Fn” button in the previous location of the left Windows key. The Fn key offers access to media functions which are secondary commands of the F1-F12 keys. Other than that, the keyboard looks almost entirely the same. The unit won’t budge an inch once placed on your desk. That’s because it weighs nearly twice as much as any keyboard I’ve used. Since this won’t ever leave most people’s desks, the weight is a non-issue. The Model S has a glossy reflective black coating which looks sharp. That also means that it does attract some fingerprints just like every other expensive shiny gadget on the market. That’s however not too big of a deal. Plus, you can wipe smudges off with the included cleaning cloth. Das Keyboard claims that each key can handle about 50 million strokes before it wears out.

Setup and USB Hub
The Das Keyboard S Professional is ready to use right out of the box. There’s no installation required. The device has two USB cables, one enables the keyboard component and the other for the USB Hub. My Dell Inspiron laptop, running Windows 7, detected everything instantly. It should be the same case for Mac OS X users. There’s a two-port USB hub on the right side. Although I wouldn’t recommend using any USB hub for any data heavy devices such as external HDDs, the ports are easy to access and great for flash drives. For the most part I didn’t notice any performance degradation due to the use of a hub. Also since the keyboard portion is independent of the USB hub, any freeze ups won’t affect your typing.

Media Keys
The addition of media keys are a great addition to this keyboard. They are accessible by pressing the ‘Fn’ key in combination with the corresponding Function key. There are keys for lowering volume, increasing volume, mute, play/pause, stop, previous track, and next track. There’s also a key to put your computer to Sleep. The media keys worked perfectly with Windows 7. They also worked smoothly with pre-installed Windows Media Player 12 and 3rd party programs such as VLC and Foobar 2000. They were quite responsive as well. The fact that no additional software was required is a big plus. After some use, I truly feel as though the media keys should be placed in a different location. Reaching across the keyboard to press two keys for each operation seemed time consuming. Either adding dedicated media keys or placing them elsewhere might yield a more productive typing experience.

The Recall
While using this keyboard, the space bar randomly decided to stop working. After a couple rapid clicks, it still ceased to function. I decided to unplug the device and reboot my computer. It then started working again. Over the course of about two weeks of use, it never happened again. I just assumed it was a random bug and never bothered to look into it. However, I was soon informed that the Model S was being recalled shortly prior to publishing this review. There’s apparently a faulty component which causes random keys to stop functioning. It shouldn’t cause any harm to your computer, but when you pay for something it should work flawlessly. If a unit you own does have this issue, unplugging and plugging it should apparently solve the problem temporarily. I’m also glad to see that Das Keyboards is handling this issue quite appropriately. They are offering all the customers who already purchased one the option to receive a free replacement or a full refund. They are no longer shipping out the Model S, but are taking pre-orders for the working model with some minor revisions. It will be available in mid-December.

Bottom Line
Overall, the Das Keyboard S Professional is much of what it used to be, a great keyboard. The minor improvements probably aren’t worth an upgrade from last years model, but is a great complement for new buyers. The slightly more silent keys will annoy your co-workers or roommates less. For the user, the aesthetics and the fast typing experience is great. It’s great for typing long papers or reviews such as this one. While the recall may turn off some potential buyers, keep in mind that Das Keyboards makes reliable products. Last years model worked perfectly and there was only one occurrence of the bug during my two weeks of use. Das Keyboards is taking responsibility and is addressing the issue properly. I’ll update this article when we get a hold of the working unit next month, but for now I’ll trust that they’ll fix it. The Model S is a great keyboard and is definitely worth a look at if you’re a serious writer, programmer, or just type a lot. It’s a quite pricey and will run you about $129. It’s a lot for a keyboard, but it’s a quality product and you’ll only appreciate it once you use it.

Pre-Order: Model S (ships mid-December)
Links: Das Keyboard Model S | Recall Information

Last week Sprint announced the availability of LG Muziq (LX-570), the successor to last year’s Fusic. To begin with, the main feature that sets this phone apart from others is the built-in FM transmitter, which allows broadcasting music muziq to your car stereo wirelessly! We’ve been messing with the phone for about a week and we have been pleased with its overall performance.

LG LX-570 Specifications:

• Provider: Sprint (1.9GHz/800MHz CDMA)
• Form Factor: Flip Phone w/ external controls
• Dimensions: 3.80H x 1.94W x 0.61D (inches)
• Weight / Battery: 3.14 oz / 4hrs talk-time
• Screens: Internal 176×220 | External 128×160
• Camera: 1.3 mega pixel camera w/ flash
• Storage: microSD up to 4GB (64MB included)
• Others: Bluetooth v1.1 | Multitasking Capable
• Special: FM Transmitter (88.1-107.9 MHz)
• Price: $80 via Sprint w/ New Plan

LG Muziq Body: 3.5/5 stars
The Muziq is a major improvement, when compared to its bulky predecessor the Fusic. The LX-570 is slim, compact, easy to hold, shiny, and lightweight. The Muziq shares a similar appearance with the LG VX8600 Chocolate flip-phone. Now for the drawback, the phone’s glossy finish attracts TONs of fingerprints and dust. The keypad’s buttons are nice and large for easy typing, however since they are flat typing without looking at the device becomes difficult. We also hated the fact that the volume toggle and camera buttons (side keys) were awkwardly placed on the upper portion of the phone, besides the screen, making them hard to reach. Finally the power port (also the data port) can be found on the left, while the microSD slot and the 2.5mm headphone jack are on the right.

Music Playback: 4/5 stars
You’d expect a phone called the “Muziq” to have a set of stereo speakers, but for some reason it doesn’t. After formatting the microSD card and loading about a 100 songs, the phone was able to get right into playing songs within a few seconds. The external display didn’t display album art, but showed the song name and artist. The main problem we found was that the UI for browsing through your songs was not exactly well developed. All songs are lined up in one long alphabetical list. (no search function) Since I had a 100 songs, it would take a 100 clicks to get to the last one. Although the phone allows sorting by albums, it’s still a mess. Sprint seriously needs to develop a new UI which is something like the ones available on most Verizon phones today. This means a decent search function as well as the ability to browse by albums, artists, genres, and songs neatly. The online music store has a large selection of music and songs can be purchased over the air for just $.99!

Displays: 4/5 stars
Both the inner and outer displays are decent. The inner screen’s resolution (176×220 pixels) could have been higher, but doesn’t look bad. The outer screen is excellent mainly because it is much larger than the external displays found on most flip-phones. One thing we didn’t like was that we couldn’t find a way to reduce or increase the screen’s brightness.

Speakers: 3/5 stars
Once again for a phone that’s called the Muziq, you’d expect it to have a set of built-in stereo speakers (it doesn’t) . The quality is decent, however it begins to crack at loud levels. The speaker preformed pretty well during voice calls. The speakers aren’t the greatest for music, but if you use a set of bluetooth stereo headsets or even a wired one using the included stereo headset adapter, quality isn’t a problem.

Digital Camera: 4/5 stars
Although most phones will have a 2.0 megapixel camera by the end of this year, the Muziq still has a 1.3MP one. The photo quality was mediocre since the image was a bit blurry and colors were washed out. The camcorder allows recording clips of unlimited length (limited by the storage space), however only clips under 20 second can be mailed. The phone also has a neat little LED light which can be enabled while recording video clips. (same light flashes for photos) The camera and camcorder have a set common set of light filters, color tones. Self portraits can be taken via the external screen.

Interface: 5/5 stars
Ignoring the music playback portion of the UI, the rest works smoothly. Although the original “Sprint” theme enabled when the phone is first turned on looks horrendously ugly, the included “LG” theme is a lifesaver. The colors, fonts, text size, and icons all look great. The menus load up smoothly and quickly without any delay. The interfaces for the browser, call history, messaging, contacts, and settings are neatly laid out as well.

MicroSD and Sync: 5/5 stars
The microSD storage works like a charm and access to the card is easy. In addition as a BONUS the LX-570 supports the use of 4GB microSD cards, while most phones on the market still are limited to 2GB. When the included USB data cable is plugged in a menu pops up on the Muziq prompting to either Sync Music, become a Mass Storage device (a thumbdrive!), or function as a Modem. Sprint also bundles a CD with some software and drivers for Windows in case the phone isn’t recognized by your computer when connected. Syncing music with Windows Media Player 11 worked perfectly. Mac OS X users will need to directly transfer music to the microSD card using a SD card reader. Deals: 2GB microSD just $20

Bluetooth: 3/5 stars
While most phones being released today are now using Bluetooth v2.0, the Muziq is still using v1.1. (not even v1.2) Despite this it successfully paired with the Samsung WEP200, a Lexus IS250’s built-in handsfree system, and a HP dv6500t laptop. In addition it also supports the use of wireless stereo headsets. The only problem we had was that getting the devices to pair was a bit confusing. Unlike normal bluetooth phones and devices the Muziq first requires adding a found device to a “trusted list.” Then only after this can the two devices be paired by entering a pin.

FM Transmitter: 4/5 stars
To clarify for those who didn’t read the “FM” portion, the LG Muziq has a FM transmitter not a FM tuner. This means that you can broadcast the music on your phone to radios, however you will NOT have the ability to tune into your favorite stations. The most common use of this feature is to play your phone’s music through your car’s stereo. If you plan to do this a lot, you should probably purchase a car charger since battery life will drop drastically. The transmission feature works as advertised. Only annoyance we found was trying to find a clear frequency to broadcast on because it required us to go through multiple menus to try each station. (Once it’s set there won’t be any more hassle.) Transmission quality was clear and it worked best when within 5ft range of the radio.

External Controls: 5/5 stars
The touch sensitive buttons work as well. To activate the controls the keypad lock must be deactivated by holding down the camera button. Once activated, when a touch-sensitive button is pressed the phone vibrates providing feedback to the user. When playing music The red backlight is bright and the buttons are clearly visible. Only problem is that it takes a bit of getting used to since you keep hitting the wrong button when trying to navigate.

Email Client: 5/5 stars
We added this new category because this was one of the first phones we’ve seen of this price range to include a built-in push email client. Setup is extremely easy for average users since the phone already knows all the mail servers for AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo!, and Gmail, therefore only requiring a username and password. POP and IMAP users may enter their server information and login. The simple email client loads only a small amount of text/links. You will still need to get to a computer to view any images or other media. Accounts can be setup to push new messages to your phone as they reach your inbox or to be manually checked. The client also supports replying and sending new messages consisting of only plain text.

Other Info:
Sprint bundles a good amount of accessories along with the phone and the charger. They include a USB data cable for syncing music and other files, A adapter with a microphone for use with standard headsets, and a 64MB microSD card and SD adapter. The phone’s signal strength was also impressive and was one of the better ones we’ve had in a while (It maintained at least 2 bars in places where we usually get disconnected). The phone has a contact backup feature which is now becoming quite common for new phones. We were instantly able to retrieve all the contacts from a previous Sprint phone we had instantly from their network (Only downside is the $2/month). Another bonus with this phone is the ability to use J2ME apps. This allows access to a ton of free applications such as Google Earth, Gmail, GPS Navigators, Pandora, and thousands more!

Overall in a sentence this phone is pretty good for the price you pay, but isn’t exactly the best music player. Even cheaper phones from other service providers like Verizon have better playback interfaces. Also unless you really need a phone that’s got a built in FM transmitter, there are plenty of better phones available. I’d personally purchase a better phone and then buy a cheap FM transmitter to go along with it. This phone is now available from Sprint.com for $79 with a new 2 year contract and after a $50 Mail in Rebate. It’s a good deal considering the included a microSD card, USB cable, and headset adapter.

DEAL ALERT: LG Muziq for FREE! (w/ new Sprint Contract)
Links: Sprint.com | LG LX-570 Fact Card
Offical Product Shot: Front Side | Flipped Open
Help & Support: fourms.skattertech.com

As announced last week at Comic Con, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has officially released Firmware v2.80 for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). This update comes with a variety of new features making the PSP easier to use and giving it more functionality. The updates main features include the ability to download videos through the RSS Channel and place media into new easy-to-access folders.

PSP Firmware v2.80 Features:

• Download video and image content under [RSS Channel].
• Register devices via a wireless LAN access point under [LocationFree Player].
• Play AAC files with file extension .3gp under [Music].
• Play content saved in [MUSIC], [PICTURE], and [VIDEO] folders on a Memory Stick.

The RSS Channel was originally introduced in v2.60, but was limited to only audio files. With this update, video and photo files will be recognized and displayed in the RSS Channel. Although new functionality has been offered, this update unfortunately does not offer streaming video content through the RSS Channel similarly to how the audio works. However it does allows saving videos and pictures to your Memory Stick.

The other important implementation is the new folder layout. The PSP no longer requires media files with special names if they are placed into the “MUSIC”, “PICTURE”, or “VIDEO” folders respectively. These folders are to be placed in the main directory of the PSP. Also note that previous arrangements of files will still function as usual. This feature will make it easier for newbie as well as all PSP users to organize their media.

Download: Sony PSP Update Page [or via PSP WIFI: Settings -> Network Update]
Related: PSP Firmare v2.70 Information
Links: How To Transfer Videos To PSP via WIFI

Currently only iPods function with Apple’s iTunes media player. Anyone with a non-iPod who wanted to use iTunes were out of luck until now! A new Source Forge project called iTunes Agent allows using other mp3 players with iTunes. Items such as Sony’s PSP or other Mobile Phones that have mp3 capabilities can now work with iTunes. When the program is running it will automatically add a playlist in iTunes for any device that is attached to the machine. Adding music into that playlist will automatically transfer music into the selected device. The program is 100% opensource and is currently at v1.0. It also requires Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 to function properly. (runs on windows machines only!)

Link: iTunes Agent (download) | Source Forge Page
Recent: Sprint Ambassador | Google News Goes Mobile

Tried of the boring old Windows XP theme? Want something new? You can now make any Windows XP Home or Pro machine look like the Windows Media Center Edition’s glossy theme. (called “Royale”) Microsoft has created a small shell file extension. The download and installation files are only about 2mb. The theme may take up slightly more memory than the standard XP theme, but is probably un-noticeable.

To install, download the .exe provided below and when it asks you where to install the files make sure “C:\WINDOWS” is selected. If you choose “C:\WINDOWS” the files will automatically be placed in the “Resources” Folder in you computer. To activate the theme just right-click on you desktop -> Properties -> Appearance -> Windows and Buttons -> select [Media Center Style]. Hit apply and wait a momment it to fully load.

Download: RoyaleThemeForXP.exe
Related: Microsoft PowerToys

Update: Black Royale Theme Now Available