Month: July 2023

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We see a lot of gear at Ars Technica. Plenty of keyboards and mice have come across the desks of our reviewers and editors, from mechanical models to the slew of low-profile keys that are attached to the decks of laptops and notebooks. A few notable picks even get our stamp of approval. But do our editors put their money where their fingers are?

In the spirit of Chairs Technica, we asked our staff members what they rely on to stay productive, game, and create content. Through the clickety-clacks of their typing, this is the gear our editors told us they swear by.

Eric Bangeman: Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

It's subtle, but this Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad combo matches the green iMac. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Believe it or not, I love the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. And it’s not just because they match my Apple gear perfectly (they do) or because I care about aesthetics (I do).

Enlarge / Artist's concept of a fuel depot in space. (credit: Orbit Fab)

Imagine you purchased a vehicle that needed to last eight years on a single tank of gas. You would probably avoid sharp accelerations, keep a close eye on the fuel gauge, and wouldn’t leave the driveway unless it was a vitally important trip.

That was the analogy outlined Thursday by Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander of US Space Command, for how the Space Force operates its reconnaissance satellites.

“The way we've been doing space operations since the dawn of the Space Age—we’ve been doing it wrong,” Shaw said in an event hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Enlarge / Amazon had Rivian design and build it a custom electric delivery van, which started production in 2021. (credit: Amazon)

Depending on where you live, your Amazon order may have been delivered by one of the company's striking-looking Rivian electric delivery vans. Made by the same company that builds highly capable electric trucks and SUVs for the affluent tech crowd, Rivian has now built more than 5,000 delivery vans for the online retailing giant. The vans have delivered more than 150 million packages to date.

Amazon and Rivian made news together in 2019 when the former led a $700 million investment round into the EV startup. A few months later, Amazon announced an order of 100,000 electric vans from Rivian. At the time, Amazon's then-CEO Jeff Bezos said all 100,000 vehicles would be deployed by 2024—a timeline that even pre-pandemic appeared extremely optimistic; the official press release gave a more circumspect 2030 deadline. The vans began delivering packages in 2021.

No, I don't think it has Apple CarPlay. (credit: Amazon)

Like the BrightDrop Zevo 600, the Rivian van is a clean-sheet design, optimized specifically for Amazon's logistics workflow. It's equipped with a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, and the cab design minimizes blind spots. It even has a charming appearance, much like Rivian's R1 series, thanks to friendly round daytime running lights.