iKey's done this whole rugged keyboard thing a time or two before, so when it builds one meant to operate like a champ around environments laden with grease, you know it means business. The new line of Membrane keyboards -- which arrives in a trio of flavors -- boasts a stainless steel enclosure, or customers looking to integrate can snag the OEM edition and do as they please. The board possesses a "hard-coated, textured, polyester film that is more rugged than industrial silicone rubber keypads," and it's designed to withstand "directed hose water, disinfectants and environmental contaminants." Seems as though you'll have to phone up iKey to find out what this Apocalypse-approved device will run you, but it should get along quite well with that impenetrable Iron Drive of yours.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Considering that you've already spent way too much on that totally over-hyped Killer NIC, why not humor yourself further by snagging a sound card with Johnathan Wendel's prints on it. Proving once again that everyone does indeed have a price, famed gamer Fatal1ty has placed his highly respected seal of approval on a new duo of sound cards from Creative. The PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series and PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series devices boast the X-Fi enhancements you've come to expect, vivid new designs, unmistakable packaging and the assurance that the latter is the "official sound card of the CGS." As for pricing, the Pro edition is available to pre-order for $149.99, while the CGS model adds in an internal I/O drive and demands $199.99. Hit the read link for more detailed specifications and way too much gloating.

[Via CustomPC]

Brilliant, just brilliant. As if Rock Band wasn't living room clutter enough, Activision is busting out a drumset for Guitar Hero IV, and now Konami is getting in on the "pretending to play music" meme with its very own Rock Revolution title. If the oversaturation of incompatible music peripherals wasn't enough to make you take pause, the janky-ass nature of Konami's kit certainly might. Granted, there are more things to hit on Konami's set, Rock Revolution allows you to improvise in between the proscribed hits, and doesn't require that pesky kick drum until midway through its five difficulty levels, but MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek didn't have too easy of a time hitting on it, while his buddy did a lot of plastic smashing attempting to improvise -- not a promising start. Oh, what was that? We can play "Sk8er boi"? We take it all back, when can we buy?

[Via Joystiq]

We got to spend a little bit of time with Aliph's new Jawbone headset, and we'll confess we're a tad smitten. The headset is considerably smaller than its predecessor, and the improved earbud design gave us a comfortable fit right out of the box -- with other options waiting in the wings. That old overly-complicated ear hook is gone in favor of a simple, slightly flexible one, clad in leather with the intention of an eventual worn-in feel, but thanks to the new light design we're actually planning on going hook-less -- we haven't managed to shake it off yet, and have already probably caused considerable brain damage in the attempts. The interface is the same invisible one of its predecessor, but the first time you turn it on it's in pairing mode so we had no trouble there. We'd be hard pressed to notice a sound difference either way, but that was never the original's problem. The smaller design does mean a reduction in battery life, which could be a deal breaker for some, but if you're not going to be yapping away constantly the new Jawbone is a useful bit of "earwear," as Aliph would like to call it.

Don't call it Jawbone 2, Aliph's Jawbone sequel is the company's new flagship product, with the old Bluetooth headset being put out to pasture to make way for the new hotness. The new Jawbone is 50% smaller than the original, and includes "NoiseAssassin" technology, a followup on the noise canceling tech of the original. There's a faster processor on board to handle heavier signal processing duties for canceling out ambient noises better and faster, along with that Voice Activity Sensor which lets the Jawbone know when you're talking so the rest of the time can be noise free. A new fast charge battery can suck up 80% of its capacity in 30 minutes, but the overall battery life is lower than the original, with 4 hours of talk time and 8 days of standby. The whole unit weighs in at 10 grams, and is available now for $130 at AT&T retail stores and online at Jawbone's site. Initially it's being offered in black only, but silver and rose gold (pictured after the break) versions are coming soon.

A friendly tipster sent us over some shots of a demo unit of the Jawbone 2 -- which the FCC so kindly leaked for us last month -- that he says his store is getting in stock tomorrow. He also says the headset will sell for $129, that it "looks pretty sweet" and provided some shots that pit it quite favorably against the now clunky original. Enjoy!

Look, you never know when you'll be 820 feet away from your gorgeous duo of dual-link displays, audio inputs, six USB 2.0 ports and piping hot cup of joe, but Matrox is here to make sure that's never a concern you'll have to sweat. Upping the ante from last year's Extio F1220, the Dual-Link Extio F1240 now plays nice with those swank 30-inchers that are gracing your desk and extends of all the aforesaid parts some 250 meters via a single fiber-optic cable. Better still, the whole thing is fanless, and there's even a mini-Toslink audio port, VGA sockets and stereo audio in / out connectors to boot. Mum's the word on a price for the currently available unit, and just FYI, that whole transfer of coffee thing is totally not recommended.

[Via BIOS]

Game Informer is at it once more: after securing the first snapshots of Rock Band's prototype drum set and microphone last summer, the gaming mag has now produced the first image of Guitar Hero IV's kit. Apparently designers wanted this one to resemble an actual electric kit a bit more than the one bundled with RB, most evidenced by the pair of "cymbals" perched atop the trio of circular pads. Upon banging on a "first-run prototype" in the Neversoft offices, Game Informer was fairly impressed with the layout, but we're still left to wonder if these will be compatible with Rock Band (or vice-versa). Another faux drum kit in the den and we'll be struggling to maintain sanity (and a functional relationship).

[Via Joystiq]

Microsoft really wants you to do some video conferencing, okay? Why else would they release the LifeCam VX-5000 and VX-500 webcams? Apparently gunning for some of that juicy video-chat market, the boys and girls in Redmond have introduced two models sure to find a home perched atop any monitor. Both cams sport VGA resolution and play nice with Windows Live Messenger -- we assume they're USB 2.0 devices, but Microsoft doesn't seem to want to tell us. The company is also releasing a headset, the LifeChat LX-2000. The VX-5000 will be available in June for $49.95, while the VX-500 and LX-2000 hit shelves this month for $16.95 and $29.95, respectively.

Creative is stretching that X-Fi family once more, this time with its external Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1. The USB-powered device is apparently geared towards laptops (well, ones without ExpressCard slots) itching for surround sound, and aside from the unicorn-like 24-bit Crystalizer and CMSS-3D technologies, you'll find RCA outputs, an optical digital audio output, headphone out / microphone in jacks and all those X-Fi enhancements you're sure to end up overlooking. It's available now for the halfway respectable price of $59.99.

[Via CNET]

We love exit signs in Japan. They frame just about every door and hallway: guy with briefcase freaking out and bolting out an open door. This is clearly not the first USB hub in an unusual form factor, but Donya has fed our love for the panicky icon. Complete with ports on the little guy's feet and briefcase, he's available for about $10 or ¥999.

Eye-Fi's expanding from a single card to a family of three tonight. All are the same 2GB as before, but now we've got the new flagship Eye-Fi Explore ($129), which includes geotagging courtesy of Skyhook (the same WiFi-based location system that helps the iPod touch and iPhone find their way) and on-the-go WiFi via Wayport. Then you've got the Eye-Fi Share ($99) -- basically the same card we used to know simply as the Eye-Fi -- and finally the Eye-Fi Home ($79), which appears to only be able to upload photos through desktop software using your home network. Expect 'em all on sale come June 6th.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

The best and most popular portable electronics products don't work for long without them, but the general consumer sentiment toward AC adapters is evident in the terms of endearment such as "bricks" and "wall warts" given to them. They're referred to with even more colorful language when they're accidentally left behind on a trip or are otherwise unavailable when needed.

But if a startup GreenPlug has its way, future portable electronics products may not come with an AC adapter, much like many printers today don't come with a USB cable. With engineering talent that ran design for Apple's DC power systems for the iPod and the MagSafe connector, GreenPlug is taking on one of gadetry's holy grails – a universal connector that can work on practically any portable electronics device. GreenPlug would turn the frequently forgotten and mismatched AC adapter into an accessory ecosystem. The company envisions DC charging hubs that would be available in conference tables at the workplace and in tables and walls at coffee shops.

Since about 20,000 people -- the overwhelming majority of voters in yesterday's poll -- apparently want to see me in pain trying to get in shape with Wii Fit, it looks like it's time to suck it up and do this thing. Although I'd like to start by disclaiming that I've never really worked out with any regularity, I'm not exactly known for my physical coordination, and in school I always came pretty close to flunking PE -- so really, I'm kind of Nintendo's ideal customer.

Methodology

• I'll be working with Wii Fit out about 20 game-minutes a day, 7 days a week.
• My program will consist of five minutes each of routines and games from the four fitness categories: strength training, aerobics, yoga, and balance games.
• As a control, I won't be dramatically changing up my eating habits. I'm already a reasonably healthy eater, so any physical changes will be more easily attributable to the Wii Fit regimen.
• I have about a week of travel scheduled this month, so for whatever days I miss on Wii Fit I'll be extending the trial.
• I'll chart my changes in weight, BMI, coordination, etc. and thoughts on the experience in a weekly update for the next five weeks.

Current stats
Height: 6-feet
Weight: 174.5 pounds
Frame: small-to-medium
BMI according to Wii Fit: 23.65 (upper cusp of normal)
Wii Fit "Body age": 36

Wii Fit goal (you have to set a goal for yourself)
Target weight: 169.5 pounds
Target BMI: 22.96
Target date: 6/12