Justin Ko's Blog

My gaming session ended abruptly when my old keyboard gave its last breath and died peacefully that summer evening. And hence, I was thrust on a journey many have taken before: the Consumer Decision Process.

1. Having dug up my 10 year old keyboard from my closet as a replacement, I first realized that my need wasn’t a functional need (the old keyboard just didn’t feel right) but rather a psychological need. Not only did I need a keyboard, I needed the best.

2. Having been exposed to only membrane keyboards, my internal knowledge was limited. So I consulted the World Wide Web and gathered opinions from typists around the world with regards to mechanical keyboards. I learned that Cherry Brown Switches were amongst the best for modern keyboards, so my search for the best keyboard became the search for the best Cherry keyboard.

3. Thanks to all the research, my retrieval set was vast. In fact, I needed to create a set of evaluative criteria to narrow it down to my evoked set. My main criteria were build quality and switch type, with weights 0.4 and 0.6 respectively. The Filco was known for its solid construction and low performance risk, so it was an obvious choice for me over other manufacturers with inferior build quality such as Ducky and Das.

4. By now, I was going through any means to get the Filco FKB104/EB. After a search for suppliers, I was forced to buy from Taiwan (a small inconvenience in hindsight).

5. Although my expectations were set high, I am happy to say that my hopes were exceeded. Accurate reviews and diagrams built a superior yet realistic expectation. After adjusting to the tactile click, I must say that writing essays have never been so much fun.

A new year brings a mass of new gear and devices to put on our Wish List for 2011. The wait isn’t long this year as January 6th marked the start of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, where the newest technological gadgets are showcased to the world. Among the new phones, laptops and cameras rises what might be the next biggest thing in gaming: the Razer Switchblade. This new toy brings hardcore computer gaming onto a mobile portable gaming device. The Switchblade is no lethal knife, but without a doubt will cut out a healthy portion of the mobile gaming market for the leading manufacturer of gamer gear. Although this brand new concept device is in its infancy, it is off to a promising start by winning CNET’s People’s Voice Award. But will this new concept make it out of its display case and into the hands of gamers? As we learned in marketing, the journey from idea to product starts with understanding the environment.

With regards to the immediate environment, Razer has it all figured out. Razer is already known for its stylish and cutting edge gaming peripherals, but with the recent acquisition of a highly specialized team of engineers, Razer can leverage its core strengths to develop this product. A quick look at the competition reveals vast amount of gaming laptops, handhelds and the popular iPad. Fortunately this new kid on the block, has positioned itself quite nicely in the market, giving consumers what will hopefully be a the middle ground between a laptop and a handheld. Making up Razer’s corporate partners are Intel by supplying the Atom processor, and game developers by providing popular games such as DotA and WoW. As for the macro environment…that will have to wait until another time.

Interested? Find out more at: http://www2.razerzone.com/switchblade