I don't know who's designing Microsoft's gaming hardware after their brief hiatus from the market, but they're insane, in the best possible way—they've actually got some inspired, unique form factors, besides a huge Vader hard-on. The first Sidewinder keyboard ever, the X6, has a macro/numberpad that'll dock on either side and takes the number of macros up to 90, plus it has gaming usuals like adjustable backlighting. The X5 mouse is a slightly less swank version of the previous Sidewinder.
Overall, a pretty impressive showing of gaming hardware, especially the keyboard—the dials for volume and lighting add to the whole Death Star control panel quality. I'm definitely planning on getting my hands on it. The X6 and X5 will hit next month for $80 and $60 respectively, and will be up for pre-order on Amazon shortly.
Tip: You can buy the original Sidewinder mouse now for just $38, and it has adjustable weights and an LCD that the X5 doesn't.
Transform With Microsoft’s New SideWinder X6 Keyboard; Industry’s First Switchable Key Pad Moves From Work to Play
SideWinder line expands with first-ever keyboard and new SideWinder X5 Mouse.
LEIPZIG, Germany ─ Aug. 20, 2008 ─ Today at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft Hardware debuted the SideWinder X6 Keyboard — the most versatile gaming keyboard on the market with the first-ever switchable key pad that can be attached to the left or right side of the keyboard for ultimate flexibility. To round out the SideWinder line, the Hardware team is also announcing the SideWinder X5 Mouse, a fast, powerful gaming mouse designed to give mainstream gamers a competitive edge.
The switchable key pad makes the SideWinder X6 Keyboard ideal for gaming as well as productivity, as the key pad functions as a standard num pad in normal keyboard mode, but becomes a programmable macro pad in game mode. Complementing the unique versatility of the keyboard are features specifically designed for gaming, including the capacity to store up to 90 macros per game and backlighting that helps users get immersed in the game.
“We know that consumers don’t want to pull out and set up a second keyboard for a gaming session, so we created a device that was perfect for both gaming and regular computer use,” said Kevin Flick, user researcher for Microsoft Hardware. “With the switchable key pad, gamers will have a fantastic, customizable experience whether they’re playing their favorite game or creating Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentations.”
Powerful Versatility
The SideWinder X6 Keyboard’s switchable key pad allows gamers to program up to 90 macros per game with the help of a set of dedicated macro keys as well as a fully programmable key pad. With mode switching, gamers can instantly go from Microsoft Office Excel to their favorite game — and place the macro pad on whichever side they prefer for gaming. The X6 also offers the following features to take advantage of its adaptability:
o Mode switching lets gamers manually toggle the keyboard from standard mode to either of two gaming modes. LEDs show the selected mode.
o Automatic profile switching detects the application that is running and applies the custom profile.Designed for Gaming
The SideWinder X6 Keyboard is more than a standard keyboard with a few extra bells and whistles — it was built from the ground up with gamers in mind, to give them an edge up on their competition. To complement its versatility, the keyboard has the following additional features to produce the ultimate gaming package:
o New Cruise Control feature continues an action without having to hold down the key or keys assigned to the action. Gamers can use Cruise Control with up to four keys at a time.1
o In-game macro record button lets gamers record any sequence of keystrokes — even standard chat messages. Macros are stored on the PC hard drive and can be easily shared.
o WASD gaming keys, the most commonly used keys for gamers, have front-face lighting for enhanced visibility.
o Quick-Launch key gives one-touch access to Windows Vista Games Explorer, allowing gamers to quickly see the games in their PC’s game library.2Get Immersed
Gamers enjoy a heightened experience when adsorbed in the gaming world. Research shows many gamers like to dim the lights, and the X6’s two-color adjustable backlighting helps set the mood to achieve total immersion. The red backlighting indicates standard keys that are not programmable, while the amber color indicates custom-programmable macro keys in game mode that can be tuned to the gamers’ preference. The X6 also includes full media keys and volume and backlighting control dials to fine-tune the gaming experience.
SideWinder X5 Mouse
Today, Microsoft also announced the SideWinder X5 Mouse, a fast, powerful gaming mouse designed to give mainstream gamers a competitive edge. The nine-button gaming mouse is designed for handling with vertical side buttons, adjustable sensitivity switching up to 2,000 DPI, five customizable buttons, and a Quick-Launch button that instantly launches the Windows Vista Games Explorer.
SideWinder: It’s Only the Beginning
The SideWinder X6 Keyboard is the first keyboard to join the popular SideWinder family of gaming products. Established in 1995 and revived in 2007, the SideWinder line is known for its top-notch PC gaming peripherals, including mice, game pads, joysticks and steering wheels.
Pricing and Availability
The SideWinder X6 Keyboard and SideWinder X5 Mouse will be widely available in September 2008 for an estimated retail price of $79.95 (U.S.) and $59.95 (U.S.), respectively.3 The products are available now for pre-sale on Amazon.com and will ship in September when they are widely released. The SideWinder X6 Keyboard and SideWinder X5 Mouse will be backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty from Microsoft Corp. More information about these and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.
It's one thing to tinker in your garage to restore that old gas-guzzling muscle car that you think will get you some action. It's something entirely different to invent an electricity-generating wind turbine out of scrap parts that could revolutionize personal power in developing nations, especially if you're in college. Max Robinson has done just that, designing a turbine out of spare parts that costs less than $40 to build out of readily available parts and can power a home's lighting for up to two and a half days or a radio for over a day. No word on how long an OLPC would last. [
Exit Games has a multiplayer gaming platform, called Neutron, on PCs, mobile devices, game consoles, and BREW phones. It works across devices and hardware, so you can play someone on their PC via your handset. And now it's ready for the iPhone. Today it was announced that the Neutron system of social network-like gaming now has iPhone support, or will as soon as developers code for it. The iPhone, with its svelte shape and always-on connectivity, makes for a lust-worthy multiplayer gaming device, so this is really just the next logical step in being able to play games with your friend on the train from across the world. [
We just got word from Microsoft that the Xbox 360 is totally sold out in Japan, and that's just how they like it. Microsoft's console has been outselling Sony's Playstation 3 lately at a rate of almost 3 to 1, with the Xbox selling 28,116 last at the start of August while Sony sold only 10,705 PS3s. Nintendo beat both with over 41,000 Wiis, yet still has stock available. So we have to question, did Microsoft short Japanese stock on purpose just to claim "sold out" status? [Translation at 
The Inmarsat-4, or I4-F3 broadband satellite to its friends, is a big satellite. Almost as big as a double decker bus and with an unfurled solar wingspan as wide as a football field, it needed an appropriately big ride into space. And so it hitched onto a Proton Rocket, a 58m-high, 700-ton monster used for sat positioning since 1996, but before that, used in the 1960's to visit planets for scientific research and deliver parts of the International Space Station and Mir Space Station. The flight was perfect. [
The Motorola Q is finally getting the Windows Mobile 6.1 treatment through AT&T, who's stores are said to be taking in shipments of a new silver version of the handset. This is good news for enterprise customers who are tied into the WinMo world. No word yet on when these will hit the shelves, or if there will be an upgrade available for current AT&T Q9h owners, but it's likely we'll hear something soon. [
It seems a random app crash bug plaguing the iPhone 2.0 software has concerned El Jobso enough to make him personally reply to a user email. According to 
Steven Sinofsky, Senior VP in charge of Windows 7 development, has just posted some details on the Microsoft's Windows 7 Engineering blog on what the internal structure looks like for the upcoming OS. It sounds (at least to us) equal parts logistical nightmare and brute force "1000 monkeys at 1000 typewriters", with 25 teams divided up to an average of 40 developers per team.
Microsoft hasn't released its own Xbox Live iPhone app (and we're kinda thinking they won't), but it's definitely cool letting developers fill the gap, on one condition: They can't charge for the app. Of the three Live apps in the App Store, two are free right now, though 
Lucid's HYDRA GPU pairing technology could soon allow PC builders to incorporate multiple video cards that - hear this, ATI and Nvidia - don't have to be identical. What this potentially means, among other things, is that gamers could leverage old hardware instead of just sadly setting it aside, though paired cards must be of the same brand. HYDRA differs functionally from Nvidia's SLI and ATI's Crossfire solutions, which split rendering by sectioning off the screen and alternating frames between cards, respectively, by intelligently distributing highly specific rendering tasks between the GPUs. Instead of divvying up all the tasks equally, HYDRA will only send as many polygons or shader calls as each constituent card can handle (see right of the above pic for an example of what one of two cards might be rendering).
This isn't the first time we have seen a 
What is the best way for IE to gain market share back from Firefox? Porn. That's right—when it comes to the internet, the answer is always porn. You know it, I know it, and apparently Microsoft knows it because there are 
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies have launched the the Bio Energy Discovery Kit, a product that they are calling "the fuel cell industry’s first direct ethanol product." The kit directly converts alcohol into electricity and can run non-stop for days on end. The purpose of the kit is to introduce fuel cell technology to students, scientists, teachers and engineers using a simple gadget that is easy to understand.
At the end of an 
Sarah Varney of NPR's "All Things Considered" 
Firefly might have been the best thing Joss Whedon has ever done in our opinion, but it's also one of the shortest things he's ever done. In just 14 episodes, the space western was able to surpass both Buffy and Angel (and all of his smaller creations) in our minds as his work, which is why we cannot wait to get this thing on Blu-ray. If you're rating this box set on an purely dollar-to-hour ratio, the $90 price tag ($62 on Amazon) would be absurd. But you know you're going to watch and re-watch this thing many times over, if only for the scenes with Inara and the other companion. We'll be in our bunk. [
In our anecdotal experience, Apple has been pretty good about replacing clearly faulty MagSafe power adapters—the ones that split or fray from faulty manufacture. But now they are making their replacement policy official and offering free MagSafe replacements for the MacBook (13-inch Late 2006), MacBook (13-inch), MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy), MacBook Pro (17-inch). (We read that as all models that use the MagSafe power adapter). Bring in your bad MagSafes to any Apple retailer and they'll take care of you. [
It's not yet ready for your download, but according to a now-pulled post on a company blog, Microsoft is accepting internal applications to be part of their technology adoption program (TAP) for Office 14. The new touted feature is Office's PerformancePoint Server, a boring-for-most-of-us business performance analysis system. Other details are scant and Microsoft has no official announcements to make, but an alpha of Office this year should beckon a new release next year. No word yet on whether or not Microsoft will allow Pam and Jim to finally get married. [
The idea of making public spaces more playful is the brainchild of artist Bruno Taylor. In this project, he modified several London bus stops with swings to brighten the day of busy commuters. Never mind the smell, the noise, or that dude rubbing up against you—a swing set at the bus stop would melt away all of the stress associated with public transportation. That is until you get a little too carried away with the swinging motion and knock out someone walking behind the bus stop with your ass. On the playground that's detention—in the adult world it's called assault. Haha...(ass)ault. [
Visas and eight banks ("PNC Bank, SunTrust Bank, U.S. Bank, Wachovia, and Wells Fargo in the United States, and Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank Financial Group, and Vancity in Canada") are testing real-time SMS notifications whenever your card makes one of a few types of transactions. The 2000 pilot beta customers can pick alerts for ATM cash withdrawals, internet or telephone charge, an out-of-country charge or a charge that's over a pre-defined amount. You can choose to have these alerts go to your phone or your email (if you're cheap like us and don't want to burn up all your messages), which you can then immediately use to alert Visa to any fraudulent activity. Great idea or greatest idea? You be the judge. [
Thanks largely to 
The police around Cedar Hill, DeSoto and Duncanville Texas have a fancy new communications system that broadcasts their 10-4s and 187s up to 30 miles, which coincidentally enough is screwing up a fancy radio-controlled networked sprinkler system in that general area. Turning off the sprinklers may not sound like it does anything except for making the grass die, but that's exactly what local residents are pissed off about—pissed off enough to get the FCC involved. Too bad for residents that the precedent for FCC decisions on cases where two frequencies overlap is to award use to public safety. If they don't, those same residents would be enjoying that fresh, green lawn when they're burning to death. [
Cox communications, one of the top three cable companies in the US, is planning on making a foray into the wireless business with an offering that integrates all of their services into one device. Cox president Patrick Esser explained saying: "I won't divulge too many secrets here, but we'll focus on providing simple calling plans, integrating all our services into one device with a consistent cross-platform interface; and making our content and applications mobile."
We're not having any problems, but Ars has found many people complaining about the iPhone 
While most of us have acquired too many responsibilities to waste the day away with a good, marathon Etch-A-Sketch session, every time we pull out the laptop to get more work done we can at least dream of less productive times with this Etch-A-Sketch laptop case.
[bertz white via 
After investigating the 
Jay-Z's upcoming Bluetooth headphones don't look nearly as good as 
A knife, some rope and a decent flashlight. When it comes right down to it, these are tools that a guy can really use. As for the latter of the three, a good choice may be these new "Daylite" superbright torches from Duracell. Besides a sturdy all-weather design, the Daylites feature TrueBeam technology that uses "both a lens and a reflector to capture and project up to 100 percent of the light," which they claim significantly enhances brightness. Plus, a 3:1 zoom eliminates the annoying dark spot typical of most flashlights.
Kite surfing is a fun sport that involves using a large kite and a surfboard to get a lot of speed up on the water. It's like wakeboarding without a boat. Naturally, you need a decent amount of wind for it to work properly. There's a limit to how much wind you should use, however, as a dimwitted kite surfer discovered when he tried to unleash his kite during a tropical storm in Fort Lauderdale and ended up getting flung across the beach and into the side of a building right in front of local news cameras.
We were fine with 
RIM, why have you forsaken us? With no date or price yet for the US, Rogers has just confirmed that the BlackBerry Bold will launch in RIM's backyard on Thursday. They didn't release pricing info, but a leaked flyer on Friday that looked pretty damn legit 
The UK government has decided to spend hundreds of millions of pounds (gajillions of dollars in US currency) on a huge central silo for all of the country's communications data. What'll that entail? Well, apparently "the one-stop-shop database will retain details of all calls, texts, emails, instant messenger conversations and websites accessed in the UK for up to two years." Oh my.
Hammacher Schlemmer's Digital Camera Swim Mask integrates an underwater digital camera into a swim mask—two things that have belonged together ever since Man decided that Woman should wear little to no clothing when they're in the water. The on-board 5-megapixel camera goes down to 15 feet and can take up to 30 pictures in its 16MB memory. You can expand that with a microSD card (no size limitation specified) in order to record more than 52 seconds of video as well. There's an LED inside the mask that tells you which mode you're in, but the whole thing requires two AAA batteries to operate. It's only $99, and can be used in snorkeling or just at the pool. You can bet your ass we're testing one soon. [
I only read two sections of the WSJ, partly because it's behind a pay wall, though there are 
For this week's contest, we took a little break from the Photoshopping. Instead, I asked you to submit photos of gadgets being used in ways other than originally intended. Below the jump, you'll find a bunch of photos of people getting pretty creative with their toys (and breaking some warranties along the way). Hit the jump for the top three winners and then check out the best of the rest in our Gallery of Champions. (Warning: one of the winners is relatively NSFW.)
Second Place — Jared Griffiths
Third Place — Jacky Radivoy
A smaller Gallery of Champions than usual this week for some reason. Don't worry, I'll bring back your precious Photoshop for next week's contest.
The ultimate Microsoft fanboy concept, Fenêtres 3.1 (or the Windows Window as we're insisting on calling it) is a normal house window decorated with all of the accouterments of the classic Windows 3.1 OS (along with the placeholder background from Windows XP). And yes, pulling down the blinds even brings up the dreaded BSoD. The designer truly thought of everything, except it's missing the boot disk you'll need to actually open the window or anything in it. [
PlayOn, a program that allows Hulu, ESPN, YouTube and CBS streaming from a Windows PC to a PS3, Xbox 360 or HP MediaSmart TV, has just been released as a free beta to the public (well, the first 60 days are free, after that it'll cost $30). And to make things even better, the software should expand to support Netflix streaming and the Nintendo Wii within the year. Finally, that whole console becoming as complicated as a PC trend is paying off. [
Archos just revealed what that 
OK, so the new TV-B-Gone SHP (super high power) is designed to look like an iPhone. It appears to be designed just for us here at Gizmodo, embodying two things that, for better or for worse, we're known for. But no matter what this thing looks like, there ain't no way we're getting within 10 feet of a TV-B-Gone again. Even if it is an upgraded model with eight powerful infrared emitters that can turn off 90% of the world's TVs. No. No, ma'am. [
We've long known that Nike+ has been 
We don't know just how robust the Nike+ maps support will be, but mapping routes directly on the iPhone could make for more organized training sessions. If only we had the coordination to use the iPhone's touch interface while running. Hell, if only we had the coordination to run. Hit the link for a lot more shots. [
Apple's been slowly dropping the price of refurb 8GB iPod Touches on its website, and now it's cheaper than ever at $199. That's $100 off the regular price of $299, not to mention it's a 33% discount. If you've been wanting one of the awesome media players and Internet tablets, this is about as good a deal as you're going to find. Also the 16GB version has been dropped to $299, also $100 off the original price. It's not as good a discount percentage-wise, but it's still very tempting to those looking to buy. [