New Keyboard Modernizes Today’s Mobile Police Officer

Costa Mesa, CA, March 28, 2007 --(PR.com)-- StacoSwitch unveiled an early prototype of its new rugged QWERTY keyboard with a built-in touchpad and USB port, the M779, at the Cops West Show in Ontario, CA and the International Association of Chief Police Conference in Boston, MA.  The M779 is StacoSwitch’s new rugged duty keyboard designed in response to the enormous popularity of their M777 keyboard.

The M779 was designed with style and functionality in mind—with a sealed touchpad, an external USB Port, and adjustable backlighting.  Similar to laptops, the touchpad feature makes it easier than ever to control a PC without an external mouse in limited-space areas.

The watertight sealed surface allows for easy removal of dust, dirt, chemicals, and other foreign matter while maintaining the soft-touch feel of a standard keyboard.  The keyboard’s ability to withstand prolonged vibration, shock, severe jolts and spilled liquids makes it the perfect solution for police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and other rugged environments. 

The keyboard’s USB host port not only allows for easy data transfer but other USB devices can be plugged into it. “The new M779 facilitates mobile report writing by allowing officers to transfer data from their vehicles to their office with a removable flash memory stick.” says Kevin Judd, VP of Marketing and Sales at StacoSwitch. “The keyboard acts as a base that can be used to plug in other portable USB devices as well.”

The adjustable LED feature allows users to modify the backlighting and is ideal for typing at night in mobile applications.  The keyboard includes 5 brightness levels plus off, and users can adjust the intensity from a starburst key directly on the keyboard. 

This small footprint keyboard, with available custom legends, will perform all typical desktop PC keyboard functions.  The units also include an “Emergency” key (outputs a Shift-F1 to the host computer) in a protected area that helps prevent accidental activation.  With 88 keys and built-in touchpad, it meets the requirements of users who need optimum product performance under severe environmental conditions in a small package.  This high value keyboard is priced 20 -30% less than competitive units.  Samples will be widely distributed at the end of this month and production will be complete in April.

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