Do you need to compute in the dark or low light environments? Has your mum told you to go to bed but you want to keep tapping away all night without her being able to see you've still got the light on, because its shining under your bedroom door? Then you need an illuminated keyboard.

Twenty-First Century Technologies has made one. It's talking up its product and providing a critique on rival efforts from the big name manufacturers.

He goes on. "IBM saw the need to use an LED to light their keys from the top in their Thinkpad Laptops. The problem with this is the added glare to the LCD screen making it a little harder to read, and the keys are not lit evenly."

And Compaq and Apple haven't got beyond thinking about it.

But into this lacklustre market comes Twenty-First Century's solution - the Nite-Surfer. Byrd says: "Put this in the center of a dark room filled with people and it will attract attention."

He doesn't explain why you might be in a dark room full of people and your computer.

But anyway, the Nite-Surfer concept "puts the light only where it is needed, on the keyboard, not the screen!!!!"

The company is seeking out OEMs and distributors and expects to retail the Nite-Surfer for $49. This is what it lookslike. ®

Related Link

Twenty-First Century Technologies home page