tech:

taffy

Microsoft Launches Shiny New Windows 8 Hardware

[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

Windows 8 is going to hit the stands soon, and with the dawn of this new avatar of Windows, comes a few sleek hardware launches from the Redmond giant.

In the coming weeks and months, the company will introduce two new Bluetooth-enabled keyboards and mice to the market – the Wedge Touch Mouse, the Wedge Mobile Keyboard, the Sculpt Touch Mouse, and the Sculpt Mobile Keyboard. Microsoft will also release updated Windows 8 gestures for the Microsoft Touch Mouse, to hit the shelves along with Windows 8 and Surface tablets this October.

The Microsoft Touch Mouse  ($79.95) has also been updated  for use with Windows 8 to incorporate finger swipes and movements that allow for navigation, switching through apps, and zooming in and out.

Here’s a sneak preview of the new devices:

 

Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse: This is a pocket-sized $69.95 mouse with four-way touch scrolling and navigation. It’s Bluetooth-enabled, and features BlueTrack Technology, which lets it work on almost any surface. The mouse also has ‘backpack mode,’ which means it will power down and sleep along with the computer it’s paired to, saving battery life.

 

Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard: Is a full-sized keyboard designed to be used with tablets. The keyboard features Windows 8 Hot Key, media keys, and Bluetooth. It comes with a cover  for protection, which also doubles up as a a tablet stand. The keyboard will cost $79.95.

 

Microsoft Sculpt Touch Mouse: A $49.95 mouse for use with Windows 8, this one includes a four-way touch scroll strip for navigating up and down, left and right, and swiping through windows and documents. It also looks a lot like Apple’s magic mouse.

 

Microsoft Sculpt Mobile Keyboard:  This keyboard is just over one pound and ideal for travel. It has a curved design to better position hands and wrists, and a battery saving sleep mode. This keyboard also costs $49.95.

 

Just in

Tembo raises $14M

Cincinnati, Ohio-based Tembo, a Postgres managed service provider, has raised $14 million in a Series A funding round.

Raspberry Pi is now a public company — TC

Raspberry Pi priced its IPO on the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning at £2.80 per share, valuing it at £542 million, or $690 million at today’s exchange rate, writes Romain Dillet. 

AlphaSense raises $650M

AlphaSense, a market intelligence and search platform, has raised $650 million in funding, co-led by Viking Global Investors and BDT & MSD Partners.

Elon Musk’s xAI raises $6B to take on OpenAI — VentureBeat

Confirming reports from April, the series B investment comes from the participation of multiple known venture capital firms and investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (A16z), Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and Kingdom Holding, writes Shubham Sharma. 

Capgemini partners with DARPA to explore quantum computing for carbon capture

Capgemini Government Solutions has launched a new initiative with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to investigate quantum computing's potential in carbon capture.