Something on the Side: A keyboard made of light

In this week’s issue of Something on the Side, SEAN BACHER features the Celluon Magic Cube virtual keyboard, a Star Trek Bat’leth Letter Opener, a Seal LED Dynamo flashlight, Epson’s LabelWorks portable label printer and Sony’s SmartWatch.

Celluon Magic Cube

The Culluon Magic Cube is a projection keyboard and multi-touch mouse. It connects to most Bluetooth devices like iPhones, iPads and Android devices. It also works with Windows and Mac computers via a USB connection. The cube projects a red, illuminated, full-sized QWERTY keyboard onto just about any flat surface, taking the frustration out of tapping out e-mails or tweets on miniature keyboards offered by many smartphones. No additional drivers need to be installed and, after it is paired with a device, it’s a matter of switching it on and typing away.

Expect to pay: R1 500

Stockists: www.kalahari.net

Star Trek Bat’leth Letter Opener

A full-sized Bat’leth is just too much weapon for ordinary Star Trek fans, but the Star Trek Bat’leth Letter Opener will still get the job done. Its job is opening letters, though, not hacking Federation officers to pieces. It is made from stainless steel, features an 8‚” blade and comes with a resin display stand.

Expect to pay: R230

Stockists: www.thinkgeek.com

The Seal LED Dynamo flashlight

The Seal LED Dynamo Flashlight works on the cranking-for-power principle. (You have to push a lever up and down to create power). The flashlight is waterproof for up to 10m and operates off a single switch that toggles between the three light settings of the LEDs. The Seal LED Dynamo flashlight is shock-resistant and can even be used to charge a mobile phone.

Expect to pay: R179.95

Stockists: Visit www.lightingwarehouse.co.za to find a store closest to you.

Epson LabelWorks LW-400 portable label printer

The LW-400 sports a backlit screen and is designed for printing labels on the move. It has an integrated keyboard for standalone operation and dedicated buttons for quick access to cutting and printing functions. The LW-400 boasts on-board storage that lets users store up to 50 label designs. Besides printing elegant labels, the LW-400 can also be used as a serious business tool, as it will print barcodes too.

Expect to pay: R780

Stockists: Availble from selected Matrix Warehouse and Office National outlets.

Sony SmartWatch

The Sony SmartWatch can be described as an extension of a smartphone. Users can read text messages, e-mails and social media updates, all on the multi-touch 1.3-inch OLED display. The SmartWatch operates on the Android operating system and, as with smartphones, a variety of apps are available for download from Google Play. The watch pairs with a Sony Android smartphone via Bluetooth, giving it an operating range of 10m. The rechargeable battery will power it for 3 to 4 days.

Expect to pay: R2500

Stockists: www.wantitall.co.za

* Follow Sean Bacher on Twitter on @SeanBacher