Insert Coin: $250 Casetop turns your smartphone into a laptop

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Insert Coin $250 Casetop turns your smartphone into a laptop video" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/05/casetop-05-03-13-01-1367589219.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">We keep hearing about how handheld devices are replacing laptops, so how about doing it literally? Casetop just launched a laptop-style dock on Kickstarter that you can plug your smartphone into, turning it into the processor, graphics engine and trackpad of a "laptop." In return, the dock will give you an 11.1-inch 720p display, full-sized keyboard, stereo speakers, HDMI input, MHL video input, dual-mode MicroUSB, audio output and "always-powered" USB for charging other devices. Unlike similar offerings such as the still-unshipped Clambook (or Motorola's ill-fated Lapdock) the Casebook uses the handset as a trackpad, and the creators say that it won't be device-specific, working instead with a large number of smartphones from Apple, Blackberry, Samsung and others. Of course, it needs to meet the lofty $300,000 funding goal for all that to happen, but if you're optimistic, hit the source to plop down your $250 minimum pledge.</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sVFrD9_5fZ8?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>

Insert Coin: $250 Casetop turns your smartphone into a laptop

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a p...

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NEC Terrain for AT&T spied in leaked press photos, packs a QWERTY keyboard

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" itemprop="text" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="NEC Terrain for AT&T spied in leaked press photos, packs a QWERTY keyboard" data-src-height="390" data-src-width="501" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/nec-terrain.jpg" /></div>Memory of a time where an NEC phone graced US shores escapes us,<span> but the prolific -- and often accurate -- </span>@evleaks<span> has tweeted a press shot that signals a handset from the Japanese firm might soon arrive stateside. E</span><span>mblazoned with AT&T's logo and</span><span> r</span><span>eportedly dubbed the NEC Terrain, the Android-toting smartphone shares its front real estate with a screen, a camera <em>and</em> a QWERTY keyboard. No other details were spilled with the image, but with a name like Terrain and what looks like a rubberized border, we wouldn't be surprised if it could withstand a fair amount of rough and tumble.</span><br /> </div></div>

NEC Terrain for AT&T spied in leaked press photos, packs a QWERTY keyboard

Memory of a time where an NEC phone graced US shores escapes us, but the prolific -- and often accurate -- @evleaks has tweeted a press ...

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Razer promises sneakier sneak attacks with $130 Orbweaver Stealth Edition mechanical keypad

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" itemprop="text" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Razer promises sneakier sneak attacks with $130 Orbweaver Stealth Edition mechanical keypad" data-src-height="383" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/razer-stealth.jpg" /></div>That guard you just stealth-killed in <em>Dishonored</em> never heard you coming. But everyone else did. Which is why you might want to consider a noise-dampened mechanical keyboard of some sort. There are a few of 'em out there, not least the Matias Quiet Pro we reviewed last year, and now Razer has a keypad option solely for gamers: a new Stealth Edition of the original Orbweaver that came out in January. The price is unchanged at $130, as are the main specs and adjustable design, but Razer promises "silent tactile feedback" that provides an "entirely new feel," alongside a slightly reduced actuation force of 45g (instead of 50g). Perhaps your long-suffering colleagues will throw in a decent headset to go with it.<br /> </div></div>

Razer promises sneakier sneak attacks with $130 Orbweaver Stealth Edition mechanical keypad

That guard you just stealth-killed in Dishonored never heard you coming. But everyone else did. Which is why you might want to consider...

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Samsung Galaxy S 4 drafts in Swiftkey to power its keyboard

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Samsung's Galaxy S 4 taps into Swiftkey knowhow for its builtin keyboard" data-src-height="282" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/swiftkey.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">We'd heard rumors that Swiftkey might have assisted Blackberry on its well-received (and often prescient) BB10 keyboard, but the app maker has now confirmed that its software is behind the Galaxy S 4's native keyboard. It's the first time that the company's publicly admitted to powering a handset manufacturer's keys<strike> and will sidestep the need for S 4 users to download its standalone app</strike>. Though, there's still plenty of reasons to download the app from Google play if you dig the customization options and themes of the original. Swiftkey's CTO Ben <span>Medlock</span><span> said that the keyboard is "at the heart of [Samsung's] flagship smartphone" and is hopefully just the first of many </span><span>Android devices arriving with the company's voodoo already built in. We've added Ben's full statement after the break.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <strong>Update</strong>: The company reached out to us to clarify that while its prediction engine is at the heart of Samsung's keyboard it is not <em>Swiftkey</em> in the purest sense. The natural comparison it reached for? Android and TouchWiz.</div><div class="open" dir="ltr" id="pr_box" style="text-align: left;"> <div id="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div id="pr_text"> Dr. Ben Medlock, co-founder and CTO of SwiftKey, said from the New York launch: "Following our great success with the SwiftKey 4 launch last month, we are excited to confirm that Samsung has chosen SwiftKey's innovative keyboard technology to be at the heart of its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4. This is fantastic progress for our vision of bringing the best touchscreen typing experience to as many people as possible."<br /> </div></div></div>

Samsung Galaxy S 4 drafts in Swiftkey to power its keyboard

  We'd heard rumors that Swiftkey might have assisted Blackberry on its well-received (and often prescient) BB10 keyboard, but the app m...

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