The Real Phantom Menace

Obi-Wan wouldn't bet on this one.

Oh the Phantom, how I love thee!  Not because of your constant teasing or the lovely transformation into the slimmed down beauty that you are today.  My love for thee springs from your dedication to function over form and your never ending fight to create hardware from vapor.  Phantom, you will always be my true love.

If you have no idea what I'm oozing about, it's the Phantom, the name of the console peripheral keyboard and mouse in design for the last 4 years by Infinium Labs Phantom Entertainment.  It started out as a console but eventually evolved into a "lapboard".  Phantom Entertainment announced this week that this beautiful and totally functional device will be shipped before the year's end as reported by Gizmodo.  The lapboard was on display at CES this yearand a few of the attendees were able to play with it.  The consensus was that it was a keyboard that could rotate.  WOW!  You can find some links to the more favorable reviews from the Phantom site.

Phantom is a classic example of vaporware.  Which mob family is funding this outfit is beyond me but 4 years to develop a console and only have it transform into a keyboard and mouse has to be some feat of engineering and design.  Phantom, if you are reading this, I'll take one for review, but only because I love you so much!