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Clicks Technology announced upgrades to its upcoming Clicks Communicator keyboard phone ahead of its December launch, increasing RAM from 8GB to 12GB and battery capacity from 4,000 mAh to 4,350 mAh. Despite these enhancements, the company is holding the preorder price at $499, even as major manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, Google and Motorola raise prices on new devices due to rising memory costs.
Amazon is currently selling the Razer Huntsman Mini gaming keyboard for $69, a 47% discount off its list price. The 60% compact keyboard is now cheaper than it was during Amazon's Prime Day sale event.
A hardware tinkerer combined a cheap unlocked 4G wireless hotspot, a spare Clicks iPhone keyboard, and an Adafruit Sharp memory display to build a standalone texting device. The project relies on the open-source Openstick effort, which lets Linux replace the Android software running on these budget modems, exposing GPIO and other hardware features needed for the build.
A retrospective piece traces how early IBM and other PC-era keyboards, including the Selectric typewriter and IBM 1130 computer, used pictorial symbols for functions like space, backspace, and page navigation. Over time, as computing shifted toward American office use, most of these icons were phased out in favor of plain text labels, leaving only Shift, Enter, and Tab as widely recognized symbolic holdouts on modern PC keyboards.
A developer released txt, a lightweight, keyboard-driven text editor built to run directly in the terminal without configuration or a modal input system. It uses tree-sitter for syntax highlighting across many languages, supports code folding, and includes a fuzzy symbol picker for navigating functions and classes within a file.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first folding phone, at a recent event, drawing comparisons to both Microsoft's 2020 dual-screen Duo and Apple's own iPad Mini. The device supports Apple Pencil input and some split-screen app functionality reminiscent of iPad multitasking, though Apple describes it only as 'inspired by' the iPad rather than a replacement for it. Pricing is expected to start around $2,000.
A hobbyist attempted to upgrade a Compaq MX-11800 keyboard by desoldering its original switches and installing Gateron Milky Yellow Pro V2 switches, first via direct soldering and then using Mill-Max 3305 hotswap sockets. Both attempts resulted in only the same small subset of keys functioning, even across two separate keyboard units, pointing to a deeper issue with the board's internal wiring rather than a soldering mistake.
A new comparison lays out how modern iPads, especially M-series Pro and Air models, rival MacBooks in raw processing power and offer added flexibility through the Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil, and optional cellular connectivity. The tablets excel at media consumption, portability, and creative apps like Procreate and Lightroom, though they still lag behind traditional laptops in certain workflow areas.
Microsoft's free PowerToys suite includes a Keyboard Manager tool that lets Windows users reassign or disable keys like Caps Lock, turning them into shortcuts, media controls, or even text snippets. Users can also remap entire keyboard shortcuts either system-wide or within specific apps, using the Remap a key and Remap a shortcut panels.
Brydge has unveiled the Brydge 11.0, a new keyboard lineup designed to visually match the four colors of Apple's entry-level 11-inch iPad: silver, blue, pink, and yellow. The anodized aluminum keyboards feature a full-size backlit keyboard, a glass trackpad supporting iPadOS gestures, magnetic attachment, and up to 40 hours of battery life with backlighting. They're compatible with the iPad 10th generation and iPad A16, priced at $159, and launch on Brydge's website and Amazon around mid-month.
A widely discussed Hacker News post argued developers should favor GUIs over terminal user interfaces (TUIs), sparking pushback from commenters who claimed TUIs are superior because they're keyboard-driven. The author counters that keyboard-driven design isn't exclusive to TUIs, pointing to guidelines like GNOME's HIG that explicitly require GUIs to support full keyboard navigation.
Following Apple's announcement of refreshed Mac Studio and Mac mini lineups with M6 and M5 Pro/Max/Ultra chips, retailers Amazon and Best Buy began accepting pre-orders the same day. Pricing starts at $899 for the base Mac mini and $2,499 for the Mac Studio, alongside an updated Magic Keyboard and a cheaper $9 Polishing Cloth.