Blank keys key for new keyboard

With every hot new gadget – from iPods to PSPs – gaining instant mass appeal, what’s a true geek to do to stand out?

A software company in Austin, Texas, believes that it has the answer. Metadot Corp. recently released a standard keyboard with blank keys.

Daniel Guermeur, the company’s president, designed the minimalist device two years ago to improve his typing.

“I thought if I could not look at the keys, my brain would adapt and I would type faster,” Guermeur said. Two weeks later, he saw an improvement in his typing speed, he said.

The company dubbed the product Das Keyboard. It can help anyone type faster, Guermeur said, but the target buyers are übergeeks – those for whom geekiness is a source of pride.

“Shouldn’t your keyboard reflect your status as one of the elite?” reads the pitch for the product on www.DasKeyboard.com. The keyboard sells for $79.95.

Advice

Insurance firm offers checklist for moving

Summer is the season of the relocation: new jobs, new apartments, new housemates, school hiatus, etc.

Getting your stuff from one spot to another requires far more than grunt labor or dialing the moving company, advises the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos., based in Warren, N.J.

Planning is crucial, especially as many Americans now have an array of expensive electronics, art and other gadgets around their homes these days. Thus, some tips:

¢ Assess and repair. Examine your items and repair any damage before the move.

¢ Record all possessions. A videotape is even better than photos, allowing you to document everything and its condition.

¢ Decide who packs what. You should pack important documents and jewelry, for example, and leave fragile items to the professional movers.

¢ Check your coverage. Movers’ liability is often limited. Before your move, check with your insurance agent to determine if your homeowner’s or other policy covers “goods in transit.”

Motley Fool

Name that company

Born in 1946 and based in Houston, I’m the largest marketer and distributor of food-service products in North America. I deliver fruits and vegetables, prepared packaged meals, fresh and frozen meats, seafood, poultry, canned and dry products, paper and disposables, and more. I serve more than 400,000 customers, including restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals and retirement homes. I rake in nearly $30 billion per year, and my stock has advanced more than 1,400 percent over the past 15 years. I’m not a telecommunications equipment giant, but I sound like one. My name is an acronym for Systems and Services Co. Who am I?