Logitech has today announced expanded support for their tactile-focused Craft keyboard. The keyboard’s standout feature is its creative input dial dubbed the Crown. By twisting, turning, and clicking the Crown, users can quickly adjust and use different tools in a set number of apps. Today’s announcement introduces support for Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and unveils an official SDK opening the door for third-party application developers.
Regular readers will know that I’m a sucker for wooden products. I’ll take hardwood flooring over any other surface, a real wood desk over glass, metal or anything else you can offer me. Decking over a lawn. And so on.
Over the years, I’ve tested quite a few wooden products, including a Mac dock, a number of iPhone cases, Watch charger, Airplay speaker, USB charger and even an iPad sleeve. So when I was offered the chance to try out a wooden keyboard and trackpad, no surprise that I accepted …
We’ve been hearing reports that Apple is planning to adopt hardware keyboard with e-ink displays in future MacBooks, the most recent of which suggested that the technology will be incorporated into 2018 models.
A new patent application suggests that the company may also be looking to make future keyboard even higher-tech by allowing the feel of the keyboard to work for both shallow and deeper keypresses …
I’ve been using Apple’s extended wired keyboard for something like a decade – since it came out in 2007 – mostly because it feels the same as my MacBook Pro’s keys and it’s more reliable than Bluetooth – it just works for me.
Logitech makes some pretty good keyboards in their own right. I love their solar offerings for instance. But because the ol’ Apple extended is there and it feels like my MacBook’s keyboard, I usually end up going back to what I’m used to after trialling other keyboards.
I’ve been using Final Cut Pro X on a regular basis since it debuted back in June of 2011. With five years under my belt, I feel pretty comfortable navigating around the interface, utilizing custom keyboard shortcuts, and all of the other benefits that come with being intimately familiar with a piece of software.
If you’ve read any of my previous posts about Final Cut Pro X, you’ve probably concluded that I have a strong affinity for the app, despite some of the hate that it receives.
I’m also someone who likes to recommend Final Cut Pro X to new editors. I think that it’s easier to grasp and much more friendlier to work with on a Mac than competing apps like Adobe Premiere Pro.
So when EditorsKeys, a company that produces a keyboard specifically designed for Final Cut Pro X, asked me to do a review, I was intrigued. Expand Expanding Close
I’m not a major believer that Apple’s iOS devices can quite fully replace the PC and Mac in most scenarios, at least not for me, and not quite yet. I’m a keyboard fiend, using shortcuts on the keyboard almost more often than I use my mouse. These doubts were ready to be tested when I saw the progress that iOS 9 brought for third-party developers within the iOS ecosystem. With the new SDK, developers were getting the chance to integrate keyboard shortcuts into their iOS apps just like a Mac app. It was then that I knew it was time to start looking for a portable keyboard to take around with me.
This presented a new problem for me. There’s a vast amount of Bluetooth keyboards out there, and I didn’t want to just carry Apple’s bulky Bluetooth Keyboard around. I needed something with a full keyboard size, good battery life, and durability. After a few months of searching, and reluctance on spending money on what I considered an unknown, I gave up my hunt.
I nearly forgot about my keyboard journey until a few months when iClever reached out to me asking if I wanted to take a look at their iOS compatible Bluetooth accessories. I gladly accepted the offer, and began by taking a look at their Tri-Folding Bluetooth Keyboard. Everything I read online from the listing on Amazon made it seem like it could fit neatly into everything I had been previously searching for, so I was excited to get my hands on it.
Microsoft is bringing its predictive Windows Phone keyboard, called Word Flow, to the iPhone. The third-party keyboard is now available for free in the US App Store. The keyboard features traditional keycap input as well as the popular swiping-between-letters gesture input method popularized by Swype.
Last week, we reviewed the SteelSeries Apex M800 Mechanical Keyboard. The review was largely positive, citing the keyboard’s Mac-centric keycaps, individual LED lights and tactile key switches.
The SteelSeries Apex M800 is one of the more unique keyboards that we’ve tried, as each individual key can be customized with key bindings and LEDs. With SteelSeries’ Engine 3 software, customization is only a few clicks away.
According to a report from The Verge, Google is building its own third-party keyboard for iOS and has been doing so for “months.” While it’s unclear when or if the keyboard will be released, the report notes of several features Google has been working to implement as employees test it.
Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is the same dimensions as the iPad Air 2 on paper, but the device’s new 12-megapixel camera means your old iPad case probably won’t cut it. That is unless you cut it yourself to accommodate the new larger camera and flash that will make a larger opening on cases necessary for the new device. So your iPad Air 2 case won’t be a perfect fit, but there is already a long list of notable case makers with products available to order. The only exceptions to that maybe are sleeve style cases that don’t have any camera openings.
But if you want a case that was truly made to fit your new 9.7-inch iPad Pro without any compromises, below we’ve put together a running list of the best new cases available now and coming soon.
Apple was today granted a patent for detecting touch-free gestures at close range, the patent language suggesting that the approach could build on the capabilities of multi-touch and 3D touch to respond to fingers hovering close to an iPhone or iPad display, as well as use on keyboards and trackpads.
The patent describes using sensors similar to the proximity detectors used to disable accidental touch input on the iPhone screen when you’re holding the phone to your face during a call. Unlike longer-range gesture technologies like Kinect, the system would detect ‘hover events’ just above the surface of the screen …
The Verge has obtained a sneak peak image into what Microsoft’s Word Flow keyboard for iOS may look like once it is officially released. The keyboard will include a one-handed mode that places the keys out in a fan-style layout. The user can still access emoji and word suggestions and even use swipe gestures to type. This differs from the Word Flow keyboard on Windows 10 Mobile where the keys simply shift to one side. The Verge explains that other than that one-handed mode, the rest of Word Flow for iOS is similar to the Windows Phone version.
Accessory maker Brydge has today announced a pair of new keyboard accessories for the iPad mini 4 and iPad Pro. The BrydgeMini and BrydgePro are on display at CES this week in Las Vegas and feature a variety of unique capabilities that the company hopes will make them standout from the growing number of keyboard accessories on the market.
SwiftKey, the popular third-party keyboard app for iOS, has today been updated with a few changes and tweaks that users of the app will certainly welcome. First off, the update adds a new dynamic theme for the keyboard. Called “Bubble Gum,” this new keyboard design offers light blue keys with pink keys. Every time you tap on it, pick, blue, and yellow bubbles float behind the keyboard.
Bubble Gum is the second “dynamic theme” SwiftKey has introduced on iOS, following “Shooting Stars” earlier this year. “Bubble Gum” is available under the “Design” tab in the app for $1.99.
Today’s SwiftKey update also refreshes the settings screen interface with a completely new design. The company says it’s now “easier than ever” to find information like usage stats and change your keyboard theme.
See your typos float away with SwiftKey Keyboard for iPhone’s new Bubble Gum theme (plus more!)
Today’s update for SwiftKey for iPhone brings two new exciting changes to our iOS app: a new ‘Bubble Gum’ dynamic theme, and a big makeover to the settings menu within the SwiftKey app on your homescreen.
Bubble Gum is a light and airy theme with pale blue and pink keys. With each tap, pink, blue and yellow bubbles float behind the keyboard, and fall with real gravity depending on how the phone is tilted – give it a try! Bubble Gum joins Shooting Stars as our second dynamic theme on SwiftKey for iOS, you can grab it for $1.99 now under “Design” in the container app.
The settings menu, found in the SwiftKey app on your homescreen, has been completely redesigned with an updated new look. It’s now easier than ever before to find the setting you want and tune SwiftKey to exactly how you like it. You’ll find that your usage stats – showing you just how productive and quick SwiftKey is making you, also for bragging rights – are now on the home screen you can get your data fix faster than ever before.
The latest version of SwiftKey for iOS is available now on the .
Yesterday I mentioned a useful tip for using physical keyboards with iPads in my guide to unlocking the full potential of the iPad Pro. The tip actually works with all iOS 9 iPads connected to external keyboards over Bluetooth, Lightning, or the Smart Connector: hold Command (⌘) to see a list of supported keyboard shortcuts for the Home screen or app you’re in.
This works in most of Apple’s built-in apps and plenty of popular third-party apps as well, but it can be monotonous prompting that sheet in each app to get a sense of what keyboard shortcuts work. Instead, I’ve compiled a cheat sheet of which keyboard shortcuts work in all the system apps and several popular third-party apps. Whether you’re using Apple’s Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard, Logitech’s excellent K811, or any other physical keyboard, these will make you more efficient when working on your iPad.
If you have a new iPad Pro and have had issues using the new software keyboard, you’re probably not alone. Aside from following the iPhone 6/Plus lead and adding new keys in the space around the QWERTY keyboard, iPad Pro includes a full sized shift key and half-height number keys which in theory require fewer taps to access more characters.
In practice, the new layout requires an adjustment period, to put it mildly, as the keys most frequently accessed are surrounded by targets that you have to avoid tapping accidentally. I’m on day four and getting better, but there’s one embarrassing keyboard bug that had me convinced I was crazy. Turns out I may not be. Here’s the deal: Expand Expanding Close
Will iPad Pro replace your MacBook? With the iPad Pro officially going on sale today, there is lots of discussion about what this means for the iPad category. Can it be a true Microsoft Surface competitor? Does the addition of official keyboard and stylus companion accessories from Apple mean the company has finally changed its stance on so-called hybrid laptop/tablet devices?
While the majority of reviews praised the bigger form factor, pen input with the new Apple Pencil, and benchmarks on par with some MacBook models, many reviewers pointed out iOS as the limiting factor in making the iPad Pro a PC replacement or hybrid competitor. But does it need to be?
Apple’s marketing message for the new iPad Pro is unmistakably clear. The company is romancing pro users (like Disney and Pixar animators) for the launch of the new device with most of its ads and marketing material focusing on content creation possibilities with the larger display and new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. And companies like Adobe are taking full advantage by making sure there is a lot of pro software available at launch.
But how will YOU be using the new iPad Pro? Will you attempt to replace your MacBook or other device in one way or another? Or will the larger iPad Pro simply complement your current lineup of devices and add new possibilities to your workflow? That’s the question we’re asking in today’s poll, and we’ll be continuing the discussion in the comments below. Expand Expanding Close
Ahead of the highly anticipated release of Fallout 4 on November 10th, Bethesda, the company behind the game, has released a new app called Fallout C.H.A.T. While it’s not an actual messaging app, or even an actual keyboard, it’s a neat way for fans of the popular Fallout series to communicate with one another.
Apple was the first company to create a touchscreen keyboard I considered usable. Nothing prior to the iPhone even came close, which is why in those days I stuck to phones with physical keyboards.
Even today, though, I still have a strong preference for the real thing. My iPad is usually accompanied by my Brydge keyboard, but what about those whose iPhone is their primary device when out and about?
Cam reviewed one option – the Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard – and now there’s an even smaller and cheaper option on the way: the Flyshark 2. The company first launched a version of this a year ago, and currently has a Kickstarter campaign running for an improved version. It’s fully-funded, with 10 days to go, and I’ve been testing a prototype version with my iPhone 6s … Expand Expanding Close
In this week’s episode of The Logic Pros, we are looking at one of LPX’s most over-looked features, the MIDI FX Arpeggiator. A somewhat new option for Logic users, these FX offer a number of interesting ways to create patterns, sounds and more on any Audio Instrument in your library: Expand Expanding Close
Just hours after Apple officially unveiled the iPad Pro, Logitech this evening has announced its first accessory for the device. Dubbed CREATE, Logitech touts that the accessory is the best keyboard it has ever designed for an iPad. Logitech explains that it worked closely with Apple to ensure that CREATE works seamlessly with all of the unique features of the iPad Pro.
Nuance, the voice recognition and productivity software company behind the iOS keyboard’s Dictation feature, today has revealed a series of updates to its applications and a new cloud-based synchronization service at the core. Nuance provided us with a demonstration last week of the new iOS and Mac apps, and we came away impressed with the accuracy, speed, and capabilities of the upgraded platform.
