Buffalo adds common sense to new keyboard

Assuming you have a big enough monitor to see what’s going on, wireless keyboards and mice are pretty good for doing a spot of R&R-style computing while sitting on the sofa or even lying down. The problem is that they tend to be battery gobblers, which is where Buffalo’s charmlessly named BSKBW01SB comes in.

The keyboard does all the usual multimedia stuff through buttons for controlling iTunes and the like, and tops it off by drawing power from the sun through a four-inch solar panel just above the number keys. And, given a range of 10m, this thing’s just perfect for most Japanese apartments, of course. (J Mark Lytle/Metropolis)

External Link:http://www.tinyurl.com/solarkb

Additional Information:

13,775 yen

5 Comments

roughneck at 09:14 AM JST - 11th August

For a price tag of 13,775 yen, I would rather stick to my non-solar panel keyboard and 100 yen batteries. Specially, since in Tokyo, most of the houses do not get enough sunlight, this keyboard will need to be put in the balcony to get enough sunlight to charge its batteries.
Pozzy at 10:52 AM JST - 11th August

Roughneck is certainly not wrong. What with frosted windows and our rainy season... heh heh
Mark_McCracken at 01:28 PM JST - 11th August

A four pack of batteries costs 80, and I bought a similar keyboard for 3890 yen recently. That means I could have also bought my wireless keyboard and mouse plus 492 size 3 (AA) batteries for the same price as this product.
cwhite at 07:51 PM JST - 11th August

just buy rechargeable batteries like I do, I quit buying normal batteries for anything that doesn't last more than 6 months on one set.
DirtyOldJoe at 07:57 PM JST - 11th August

get it here for 7000 yen - hxxp://www.rakuten.co.jp/j-st/1439725/1508117/1560182/1560177/