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| Author: |
James Sams |
| Date: |
2003.06.28 |
| Topic: |
Peripherals |
| Provider: |
Crazy PC |
| Manufacturer: |
Multiple |
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Eluminx:
Estimated Retail Value: $99.00
Estimated Street Price: $84.00
Zippy EL-610:
Estimated Retail Value: $65.00
Estimated Street Price: $50.00
Introduction
As technology continues to evolve, so does everything around it. For a variety
of reasons, designers have decided that the keyboard just isn't made properly
in its standard configuration. A quick search on the web will present a dozen
of aggressive redesigns of keyboard layouts. Today, Techwarelab wants to preview
two of the more simplistic redesigns.
Zippy and Auravision bring to market the EL-610 and the cleverly
named eluminX, respectively. While most keyboard redesigns are made
from a perspective of improving the terrible ergonomics of human input
devices in general, these two designs are aimed at consumers with young
joints, searching for more desktop space and a bit of [flash, zip-bang,
any cool word that I wouldn't ever use, and hence don't know].
Company Overviews
The eluminX keyboard has been brought to market by auravision.
auravision has not been in the techmarket for long. The only products listed
on their websites are several varients of the eluminX keyboard. They seem to
hype their product more than is really necessary by attempting to claim that
their keyboard has "the potential to reduce the symptoms of computer vision
sydrome (CVS)." For the same reason they say "potential," I cannot
say this claim is patently false, but it is certainly dubious. Users spend very
little time looking at the keyboard and lots of time looking into their monitor.
Looking at beige plastic has, almost positively, never hurt someone's eyes.
Sitting 15-30" away from a radiation emitting device has quite a bit of
potential. The point of all this is simply that the buyer should beware on claims
such as these. In all, auravision is a small company--though possibly a subsidiary
of a larger corporation--who has made a unique innovation and is exploiting
it to the greatest extent possible.
Founded in April 1983, ZIPPY
Technology Corporation started out with the design and development of Switches,
specializing in mold tooling and material engineering. After substantial success
in a variety of tech sectors, Zippy opened their keyboard division in 1997.
Zippy's provided financial data shows that their net capital is approximately
US$28,500,000. Zippy is a well-founded company that seems to have survived the
tech crash with some strength left over to continue to bring new innovations
to the market.
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