I Surprisingly Can't Get Enough of the Space-Age Looks of This Asus Gaming Keyboard
A lot of mechanical keyboards struggle with aesthetics. It's hard to get right! If the styling is overdone, you might inhibit functionality or just have too much going on visually. If you stick to the basics, you might end up with a bland keyboard. Whichever way you go, there's still a chance you'll get it wrong and have something that doesn't look good.
But there's been an influx of really well-designed keyboards of late: Keychron's K2 HE Special Edition is a great example, along with the Mchose GX87 Ultra, not to mention the countless high-end custom keyboard kits available today. With most of these keyboards, keycaps take a backseat—even if they look good, they're usually fairly standard and minimal.
Asus takes the opposite approach with the ROG Azoth X: A simple white case, but colorful and stylized keycaps. It's not the most conventional design, but they look really good and manage to liven up a desk without taking over your setup. This keyboard manages to look good without sacrificing substance—the Azoth X has 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connectivity, 1,000-Hz polling, and an internal assembly that makes it both fun to type on and easy to modify. It's available in white with either click or linear NX switches, and includes a silicone wrist rest. All that costs a pretty penny, though, at $300. Deep and Snappy Typing
Photograph: Henri Robbins
This keyboard is most comparable to Razer's BlackWidow V4 75% in typing experience. Both use a metal top case and a plastic bottom case with a gasket mount system and a plastic plate. The stiffness is similar, as are the sound profiles. The biggest difference is the switch options: Razer's 75% keyboard is only available with tactile switches, while Asus offers linear and clicky switches.
The unit I received came with Asus's Snow linear switches. These are a fairly light linear switch with a deeper typing sound and a consistent smoothness throughout the entire keypress. They aren't the smoothest switches I've tested, but the friction felt when typing is both minimal and consistent, resulting in a typing experience that's still enjoyable. These switches also have minimal stem wobble, meaning keypresses feel stable and confident when typing. They require less force than a Cherry MX Red switch, requiring 53 grams of force to fully bottom out compared to the MX Red's 60 grams. This difference is noticeable and makes the switches feel more responsive without as much risk of mis-inputs compared to a truly lightweight (sub-50g) spring.
The gasket-mounting system that holds the keyboard in place feels like a mix between a gasket mount and an o-ring mount, since the rubber gaskets are pressed tightly into the inside of the case. This means the typing feel is consistent across the entire keyboard, and feels more connected to the case compared to a standard foam gasket. It still has some of the bounce and softness expected from a gasket mount, but it is less than many comparable keyboards.
The stabilizers in the Azoth X are standard plate-mounted, lubed from the factory. While plate-mount stabilizers are typically going to feel less stable than PCB-mount, the ones used here still feel good and have no rattle out of the box. Space-Age Aesthetics
Photograph: Henri Robbins
There are a lot of things I like about the design. The keycaps are slightly flatter than the average keycap and have a two-piece assembly with a transparent back for RGB diffusion. The case has a sleek and angular design that looks stylish and space-age without taking up a lot of room.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
We Love the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, and It's Back Down to $200 for a Limited Time
Working out of your phone is great for quick tasks, but tablets provide a larger screen that can be especially helpful. Need something with a bigger screen so you can get through the day? A top-rated laptop can be an excellent choice, but having one of the best tablets can provide you with more options and take up less space. We've spotted the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite for $60 off at Amazon right now. The retailer offering savings of 23% in three different colors, and with either 64GB or 128GB of memory. That means you can get it for just $200. It's a limited-time deal though, as Amazon prices tend to change quickly. While plenty of people love Apple's iPad tablets, Samsung holds its own in comparison. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite sports a 10.4-inch display at 2K resolution, uses Dolby Atmos surround sound and even comes with the S Pen stylus included. If the 64GB option isn't enough storage for you, you can instead opt for the 128GB version for $270. You can order the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite in one of three colors: mint, chiffon pink or Oxford gray. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. This tablet, of course, runs Samsung's flavor of Android, but you can also turn it into a computer of sorts thanks to Samsung DeX. Plug it into a monitor and you'll be able to multitask like a pro. Who needs a laptop, anyway? Not the right fit? Check out more tablet deals to compare before you buy. Why this deal matters This deal brings the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite back down to its lowest price ever and makes it more competitive with the iPad deals going on at the moment. So when price is taken out of the equation, you can get down to the specs and see which tablet is really best for you.
WIRED
an hour ago
- WIRED
Tesla's Robotaxi Service Hits the Road in Texas
The company debuted its autonomous ride-hailing service Sunday. The limited program is invite-only and uses around 20 cars—signs that Tesla has a long way to go to catch up to its robotaxi rivals. Photograph: DavidAfter nearly a decade of waiting, Tesla has launched a limited self-driving car service in the Austin, Texas, area. Company executives, including Musk, have said the autonomous vehicle technology debuting today is critical to Tesla's future. The limited service, which for now is only open to early users invited by Tesla, includes some 20 2025 Model Y sedans available for rides through a Tesla-made app between 6 and 12 am. Terms of service posted on X by invited riders indicate that the service will be paused or limited for bad weather. Rides during this invite-only phase are available for a flat $4.20 fee, Musk posted on X Sunday. People who scored one of the limited invitations—several of whom traveled to Texas this weekend to participate in the launch—were able to start taking rides around 2 pm local time on Sunday. The company has said that its purpose-built Cybercab will go into production next year; for now, Model Ys will be the only Teslas driving autonomously as part of the program. According to screenshots posted on X, the service appears to only pick up and drop off in an area of Austin limited to part of the south side of the city, just across the Colorado River from downtown. The service area appears to include the bustling thoroughfares of South Congress Avenue and South Lamar Boulevard. The service cannot go to the local airport, Austin-Bergstrom International, which is about five miles from downtown. Those invited to try the service can bring one guest on the ride, as long as they are 18 or older. In an email to invitees posted on X this week, Tesla said that a company employee would sit in the front passenger seat of each robotaxi. Launching an autonomous vehicle service with a 'safety driver' is not unusual. Alphabet subsidiary Waymo launched its service with a safety driver in 2018, as did General Motors' Cruise in 2020. The Michigan company May Mobility says it will do the same when it starts service in Atlanta this year. But a Tesla safety monitor in the passenger seat—not the driver's seat—likely won't be able to grab the steering wheel or hit the brakes in the case of a road incident. Tesla's robotaxi service will also likely be augmented by teleoperators: drivers who can, when needed, advise or perhaps even pilot the car remotely to get it around an unorthodox obstacle or out of a sticky situation. Musk has been promising Tesla robotaxi technology since October 2016, when he told investors every vehicle his company produced from then on had all the hardware needed to become self-driving. That wasn't true; Tesla has since updated the hardware on its vehicles. In 2019, Musk said Tesla would have 1 million robotaxis on the road by the next year. (It didn't.) Musk said earlier this year that the company will have hundreds of thousands of robotaxis on public roads next year. The company has said that Tesla owners will eventually be able to transform their own cars into self-driving taxis that can collect fares while they're not being used. But the company released no timeline Sunday for that plan. Tesla's driver assistance technology has been the subject of federal safety probes, two recalls, and customer complaints related to reports that the vehicles suddenly brake for no apparent reason and can collide with stationary objects—including emergency vehicles. That tech, which includes the older Autopilot feature and the newer Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature, is distinct from Tesla's autonomous features. With the assistance features, the drivers are required to stay behind the wheel and keep their eyes on the road at all times. Autonomous features don't require any driver action or attention. Issues with those older technologies raise questions about the safety of Tesla's new autonomous tech, says Sam Abuelsamid, an auto analyst who focuses on autonomous technology at Telemetry Insight. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) 'will work fine for perhaps hours at a time and then randomly make very serious mistakes in ways that are not necessarily repeatable,' he says. Unlike other autonomous technology developers, which use a number of pricier sensors to detect obstacles around their vehicles, Tesla depends only on cameras. Some experts have cast doubt on that choice, which could potentially lead to issues with sun glare and has been blamed for previous Tesla collisions with emergency vehicles. But financial experts say the approach could give Tesla an advantage in getting its less expensive tech in the hands of consumers more quickly. Tesla did not respond to questions about robotaxi safety. Musk said earlier this month that the company is 'being super paranoid about safety.' Heavy Traffic Tesla enters a suddenly busy American autonomous vehicle space. Waymo first launched a driverless service in metro Phoenix, Arizona in 2020, and now operates in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Austin. It is slated to soon open service in Atlanta, Georgia, and Miami, Florida, where customers can order a Waymo using the Uber app. Amazon-owned Zoox says it will launch its own autonomous service in Las Vegas later this year. May Mobility is aiming to offer rides around Atlanta through the Lyft app this year. VW's Moia subsidiary announced this spring that it would launch a self-driving service in Los Angeles in 2026, also on the Uber app. The experiences of those companies show that Tesla has several logistical hurdles to jump before its robotaxi service expands widely. There are the human roles: Remote assistance workers might be on hand to help confused riders remotely; maintenance workers might repair cars during their downtime; cleaners might clear away trash, lost items, or anything worse left behind by riders. There are infrastructure needs, too. VW's Moia has operated an electric ride-sharing service in Hamburg, Germany since 2019, using that experience to prep for eventual driverless cars. The firm has determined that it will need a well-developed and decentralized footprint across any city it services. Scattered depots will 'host the vehicles and provide charging and maintenance infrastructure, and also the opportunity to do constant safety checks for the vehicle,' says Sascha Meyer, the company's CEO. In other words: There's a big difference between a handful of self-driving cars and a self-driving service.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Will Quantum Computing Stocks Soar in the Second Half?
Some quantum computing stocks delivered gains of more than 1,000% last year. The technology has game-changing potential, and quantum companies may thrive if the economic backdrop is supportive. 10 stocks we like better than D-Wave Quantum › Quantum computing stocks skyrocketed in 2024, with names such as Quantum Computing and Rigetti Computing surging by more than 1,000%. Investors were eager to get in on what could become the next game-changing technology, and revenue growth as well as scientific progress from some of these quantum specialists boosted optimism. Even after those gains, it's very possible that quantum stocks will climb in the second half of this year, and here's why. So, first, a quick note about why investors see so much potential in quantum computing. This is because this type of computing, based on quantum mechanics, makes it possible to solve problems that today's classic computers can't handle. Quantum computing can do this by using qubits -- instead of the bits used by today's computers -- to store data. And while bits store and process data as zeros or 1s, qubits can represent a zero, a one, or both at the same time. This allows for tremendous scaling, and as a result, a problem that would take a classic computer 1,000 years to solve may take a quantum machine about five minutes. Right now, quantum companies offer hardware and services to customers, but we're still in the early stages of development. Experts have said that truly useful quantum computers are several years away. The good news is that this means these companies have plenty of room to run when it comes to revenue growth and share price performance. It's clear that if quantum companies reach their development goals, these computers could revolutionize many industries. All of this helped quantum computing pure-play companies climb last year. The bull market and optimism about the economy ahead offered the perfect environment for growth stocks to excel. But in recent months, concerns about President Donald Trump's import tariff plan weighed on these players. The idea was that tariffs could lead to higher prices at home, prompting customers of quantum companies to rein in their spending. But over the past few weeks, progress in trade talks and even initial deals with the U.K. and China have made investors more optimistic about the future. And corporate earnings haven't suggested any slowdown in spending on technology -- in fact, companies continue to reiterate their commitments to such projects. This backdrop supports the idea of more gains for quantum companies in the second half, especially for certain players such as Rigetti and IonQ, which haven't yet fully recovered -- they're down 25% and 5%, respectively, year to date. And if they show some growth in revenue in the coming quarters, this could act as a positive catalyst for share performance, too. But this doesn't mean that stocks that have continued to advance, such as D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS), which is heading for an increase of more than 80%, won't keep on rising. For example, D-Wave just recently released its Advantage2 quantum computer, which is accessible both on the cloud and on-premises. More than 20 million customer problems have been run through the prototype, and the company says the computer is now ready for use in areas such as materials simulation and artificial intelligence (AI). Uptake of this new platform and further revenue gains -- D-Wave's revenue last quarter soared 500% to a record $15 million -- could offer this highflier an additional boost. Of course, it's important to keep in mind that these pure-play quantum companies aren't yet profitable and are involved in a relatively new, cutting-edge technology, and that involves some risk. Any economic headwinds could hurt investors' appetite for these sorts of players. These companies depend on a strong economy, as this increases the likelihood that potential customers will spend on their products and services. And investors generally feel more comfortable getting in on growth stocks when the economy is thriving. So, the economic situation in the second half could determine the near-term direction of these players. But right now, there's reason to be optimistic that the U.S. trade talks, along with some better-than-expected economic data, signal better days ahead -- and that the worst-case scenario of a recession and tough times for corporate earnings will be averted. With this in mind, quantum computing stocks could be set to soar in the second half as investors look to get in on the next big technology that could deliver explosive returns. Before you buy stock in D-Wave Quantum, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and D-Wave Quantum wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $664,089!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $881,731!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Adria Cimino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Will Quantum Computing Stocks Soar in the Second Half? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
