TOP TECHNOLOGY NEWS

This is the Miniguru, from Guru Board, and it’s the smartest keyboard we have seen in years. We’re stuck with the keyboard, probably forever, so the Guru Board folks have stripped it to its basics and tried to make it faster and easier to use.

The premise is that you keep your hands in one place, with your fingers always on the home row.

Cannondale has pulled out the old-fashioned mechanical suspension inside its famous Lefty front-fork and stuffed in some electronics. The internal skunkworks project, called Simon, uses accelerometers and electromagnets to give a fast-responding, almost infinitely adjustable suspension.

Still a prototype, Simon essentially computerizes the ride of your bike. You can dial in various stiffnesses using a joystick and small computer up top on the handlebars — a softer ride for downhills and a rock-hard, stiff ride when on the smooth asphalt.

LAS VEGAS — Microsoft detailed plans for XBox 360 enhancements, a new gesture-driven interface for the XBox and a tablet-style Windows PC tonight at a keynote presentation kicking off the Consumer Electronics Show here.

It was the second year as CES headliner for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who took over the keynote spot from his former boss, Bill Gates, last year.

After a power outage briefly plunged the stage into darkness and delayed the start of the keynote by over 20 minutes, Ballmer ambled onstage in his trademark V-neck sweater.

LAS VEGAS — Manufacturers market lightweight, miniature netbooks as the ideal product for “road warriors.” But what do you call customers who buy beefy notebooks for gaming? Geek warriors?

Whatever you call them, Asus R.O.G. G73Jh is a serious portable gaming machine. Unveiled at CES, the notebook is equipped with the quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (like the one seen in Apple’s awesome new 27-inch iMac) and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 chipset.

Scant decades ago, a ball drop in Times Square was more likely to take place in one of its infamous adult theaters than in the square itself. These days, when there is not even traffic in the iconic plaza, even the historic crystal ball which sees in the New Year is clean.

The new energy efficient LED ball, and the glowing “2010” numerals, will this year be powered by bunnies. Duracell has set up stationary bikes in the square which use leg power to generate electricity and then store it, ready for midnight tonight.

If there’s anything better than a holiday gift, it’s a late holiday gift, one that you can thank the FedEx guy for, open up and play happily with, away from the derisive stares and interruptions of family members (“Huh! Aren’t you a bit old for __?”).

So today brings extra joy for Palm Pre owners, wherever you may be, in the form of a wireless update to your phone’s firmware.

Apple is planning to offer television subscriptions over the internet, according to multiple industry sources, and so far CBS and Walt Disney are considering the idea.

The subscription service would involve allowing customers access to some TV shows from participating networks for a monthly fee, anonymous sources have told The Wall Street Journal. The subscription content would presumably be integrated into the iTunes Store and iTunes-compatible hardware.

A small, often forgotten, but significant advantage of digital cameras is that they can be fed through countless airport X-ray machines and the pictures feel no ill effects. Try that with a film camera (or even the bag of film you plan to use on your vacation) and things quickly start to get cloudy. Literally.

That’s because X-rays expose film just like light does, although the X-rays don’t get blocked by the camera body quite so well as the visible spectrum does. This is the trick that PopSci’s Theodore Gray used to make a DIY X-ray camera.

What does Microsoft have up its sleeve to reverse Windows Mobile’s declining market share? We won’t find out until late next year.

Windows Mobile 7 has “been put back until late next year but it is definitely coming,” according to Phil Moore, UK head of mobility of Microsoft.

“You’re going to see a lot more on Windows Mobile 7,” Moore was quoted in an article by NetworkWorld. “Giving the enterprise users and consumers what they want will be part of Windows Mobile 7. You’ll get flexibility on a much easier touch UI.”

Little is known about Windows Mobile 7, although previous leaks indicate the OS will incorporate iPhone-like touch gestures. The OS was originally slated for a 2009 release, but it was delayed, and Windows Mobile 6.5, a minor upgrade, was released as a placeholder.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been surprisingly honest when speaking about Windows Mobile.

Staying loyal to his roots, Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak said he would purchase an Apple tablet next year, assuming it ever ships.

Wozniak, who is now a chief scientist of storage company Fusion-io, said during a conference he’d buy an Apple tablet no matter what.

“If there is such a thing,” he said of the rumored Apple tablet. “I buy everything Apple comes out with.”

Attention, Segway: Here’s a prime opportunity for you to get started on a remote control app for the Segway.