Newsletter Archives

• Incase, redux

  Posted on January 3, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  A few weeks ago, I noted that Incase had not seemed to make much progress towards its stated goal of having “Designed by Microsoft” products available in 2024. Beating that goal by mere days, the company added a Designed by Microsoft section to its website listing 17 products, with 11 “coming soon” and the rest available for shipping.

  On Thursday, Incase announced a new addition to the lineup, the Ergonomic Compact Keyboard (left). The keyboard will be displayed at the 2025 Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas starting next Tuesday. A notable feature is the inclusion of a Copilot key next to the righthand Alt key, replacing the longstanding, righthand Windows key.

  Incase also announced that its products would be available through Amazon and BestBuy.com. Incase already has an Amazon page, but the Designed by Microsoft products are not yet displayed there. Some of them can be found by searching.

  I’m glad to see some of these products on the market again. It remains to be seen whether they match the quality of their Microsoft predecessors.

  Hardware Designed by Microsoft, Incase, Keyboards, Mice, Peripherals

• Mouse quest – Incase edition

  Posted on December 17, 2024 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  In my article Mouse quest (AskWoody, 2024-04-22), I opined about Microsoft getting out of the hardware business, at least with respect to its long-running line of mice, keyboards, and webcams. It announced that Incase would carry the devices forward under the banner “Designed by Microsoft.”

  At the time of the announcement, Incase said it would introduce this line in 2024, without providing any specifics. The company also added a section to its website describing its planned products.

  Two weeks ago, noticing that absolutely nothing had happened, I initiated queries with both Microsoft and Incase. A Microsoft spokesperson replied that Microsoft had nothing to add. Incase replied that it would meet the 2024 goal, even though there was nothing on the site at that moment. Late last week, there was still nothing on the site.

  That just changed. Two products, the Wireless Mobile Mouse 1850 (above) and the Modern Mobile Mouse, are now available for purchase at the Incase site. If you examine those two links carefully, you’ll notice that they are “new arrivals.” The Designed by Microsoft section shows these products among all the anticipated products in the line, but you can’t click anything there to find the product details.

  Twenty products in the line are shown at the site but just two have become available. Worse, both mice are slated to come in five colors, but only black is available. It’s a weak showing.

  But I guess Incase made its deadline.

  Hardware Incase, Mice, News

• Mouse quest

  Posted on April 22, 2024 at 02:42 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Will Fastie

  I’m filled with angst about Microsoft getting out of the PC accessories business.

  PC peripherals of any kind are a very personal matter. But those with which we interact the most can have an enormous impact on our productivity. I know this intellectually, of course, but recently it’s become reality.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.17.0, 2024-04-22).

  Hardware Logitech, Mice, Microsoft, Newsletters, Touch Pad, Touch screen

• The hardware baton passes, sort of

  Posted on March 25, 2024 at 02:41 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT

  

  By Will Fastie

  I try to follow Microsoft news carefully, but it can be hard when the news about Microsoft comes from an unexpected third party.

  In January, Onward Brands published a press release stating that its Incase brand would be introducing a series of “Designed by Microsoft” products. These comprise a significant portion of the hardware accessories sold by Microsoft.

  The discovery of this news came as a surprise.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.13.0, 2024-03-25).

  Microsoft Accessories, Incase, Keyboards, Mice, Microsoft News, Newsletters, Onward Brands, Webcams