Hammacher Schlemmer outs a $200 laser-generated virtual keyboard for smartphones and tablets

We've seen laser-generated virtual keyboard ideas here and there, but there has been silence on this front for a while. Now Hammacher Schlemmer, everyone's favorite overpriced catalog and retail gift shop, has one in store for smartphone and tablet owners in flesh and blood.

The Magic Cube (yep, that's what's written on it), projects a virtual keyboard with red lasers from a slit at its top to any surface, connects to your gizmo via Bluetooth, and lets you type the futuristic way, using your whole screen real estate, like the popular iPhone concept we saw not long ago. In fact, the maker has a dedicated case for the iPhone 4 or 4S, with the Magic Cube and additional battery pack integrated, which is demoed in the video below.

It is 3" tall, can detect up to 400 characters per minute, and has two and a half hours of battery life,which is the sad part. There are a number of colors for it on the manufacturer's website, but HS seems to be selling only the silver one for now.


The device will be on sale at the end of the month, and is called simply The Virtual Keyboard at HS, although on it we have the words Magic Cube stamped, which a quick Google search revealed to be the Prodigy Laser Projected Keyboard made by Celluon.

The manufacturer says it will be available in the summer for $169.99, while the Hammacher Schlemmer units will be on sale starting January 27 for $199.95, but you always overpay to be early adopter, plus think about the coolness factor you will introduce to your corner Starbucks.

source: HS & Celluon