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Phantom Lapboard On Sale August 15th

Posted by Zonk on Wed Jul 19, 2006 09:31 AM
from the been-waiting dept.
Entertainment Games
MBraynard writes "No idea when they are launching the actual console, Infinium Labs has announced that in under a month, they will start selling the Phantom Lapboard from their online store. They have even found a partner to help sell the Lapboard in Europe." From the article: "The Company has commissioned Touchwood, a solutions-oriented, technology- based strategic marketing communications firm based in St. Louis, to plan and implement major revisions to the design and content of the [Phantom] website. The website revisions will incorporate direct marketing capabilities including an online merchant store to support business to consumer and business to business transactions with credit card banking services."
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Related Stories

[+] Phantom Lapboard Delayed 39 comments
JamesO writes "The unique keyboard and mouse combo finds a manufacturer, but slips from its Q2 release date." From the article: "Infinium Labs' Phantom game service may never see the light of day, but at least something positive will come from the project in the shape of the system's keyboard and mouse combo. What makes the Lapboard interesting is that it features a keyboard that can be angled upwards to reveal a surface on which a mouse can operate. This means the device is perfect for use on your lap (hence the name) and ideal for those who no longer sit at a desk when using their PC."
[+] Infinium Tries 'Phantom' Name Change 83 comments
simoniker writes "Former Infinium Phantom 'console' developer and current Lapboard accessory creator Infinium Labs has revealed multiple new details in financial filings, including the fact that it's changing company name to Phantom Entertainment, as long as shareholders approve. But with the SEC prosecuting former CEO Timothy Roberts, 'accumulated losses since inception of $69,331,794', and _another_ former CEO, Kevin Bachus, now suing the company for back pay, will the company ever release a product?"
[+] Alienware Ordering Phantom Lapboards 21 comments
Gamasutra reports that Dell-owned Alienware is going to be offering Phantom lapboards with their media center PC line. The product, which against all odds does appear to be shipping, is intended to offer a mouse and keyboard experience to someone not sitting at a desk. From the article: "The Lapboard includes wireless technology, ergonomic design, one-touch features, and a wireless high definition 1200 dpi laser mouse. In addition, the device also rotates for left and right handed users and inclines on a 22 degree angle with a hard surface support for the Phantom mouse. Other features include an interchangeable key-face that is designed for game-specific and business software applications on PC and Mac platforms."
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  • No picture in either article (Score:4, Informative)

    by metasecure (946666) * on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:32AM (#15743176)
    From TFA: The Phantom Lapboard is an innovative peripheral that enables players to control games designed for keyboard and mouse usage with as much agility as they are used to in the office, from the comfort of the couch or easy chair. The Lapboard rotates for left- and right-handed users and also inclines on a 30-degree angle with a hard surface below for the Phantom Mouse. The device is wireless and provides USB and headphone/microphone ports. The Phantom Lapboard interchangeable key-face technology is designed for game-specific and business software applications.

    Neither article has a picture. Visit http://www.phantom.net/ [phantom.net] for that.

  • Heh... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bwcarty (660606) on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:34AM (#15743188)
    When I first tried to view this article, I got the famous "Nothing to see here. Please move along." message. Has this ever been more apropos?

  • Yeah, sure. (Score:3)

    by gentimjs (930934) on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:37AM (#15743218) Journal
    I'll believe that infiniumlabs actually produced a product when I see it in the store with a pricetag and a demo unit functional next to it... until then, its smoke and mirrors.
    • there appear to be photos of people using the device at E3 on the Phantom Website [phantom.net], buried in the "media" section.
      • I actually got to use it at that year's e3, and it was pretty nice. I don't know if I was just used to using crappy Dell keyboards and non-optical mice, but it did feel like a solid keyboard+mouse combo. It just plugged into the console with the big (usb?) plug in the front with a single cable (I remember it was *not* wireless). The aestetics were nice, the angles and whatnot were perfect the way that it sat on your lap. I am right handed however, I wonder how it would work for lefties.

        However, I wouldn't p
  • From their website: The Phantom Lapboard allows for easy use while seated in the living room.

    Aren't they supposed to be trying to capture the attention of their audience? Can't you easily use pretty much any gaming console, or a pc for that matter, while sitting in your living room? Tell me something a bit more interesting on the front page of your main site.
    • Okay, you can also use it while you're sitting in the den, or even the family room.
    • Tell me something a bit more interesting on the front page of your main site.
      "It's a freakin' expensive tray table" just didn't have that zing they were looking for.
    • I do PC gameing in the living room and it's not really that easy. Sure you can set it up on a lapboard, but you better have a long one, or a short keyboard. And don't forget that you now have three pieces of gear, possibly with cords, so when you get up to get a fresh beer or soda you have to move everything to the side careully or it will fall all over the place. That's not even counting the tripping potential of all the cords.

      I don't know if this will be a lot better, but at least someone is trying to

  • "The Producers" of the Console world (Score:3)

    by F_Scentura (250214) on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:39AM (#15743236)
    Dear god, they get a shitty idea/execution and charismatically push their way into countless millions of dollars in investment, but can't seem to even sell a rebadged product with any degree of skill.

  • Watch me still not care! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by sc0ttyb (833038) * on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:42AM (#15743252)
    Phantom Lapboard on sale? August 15th. Purchased by me? Never. I don't care how super nifty kewl Infinium makes their products out to be, they're still not getting any of my money.

    Thank you, drive through.
  • Did anyone else read "Torchwood" instead of "Touchwood" at first glance? No wonder they were being so secretive about the project. I thought for a second Infinium Labs was working with alien technology provided by the British government.

  • Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Overzeetop (214511) on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:47AM (#15743292) Journal
    Okay, so I did RTFA. This is a press release that they have a new web designer that's good at ecommerce. Oh, and they happen to need this new website because they've got this keyboard they want to sell. Yeah.

    I'm stuck between a healty WTF and a "who gives a shit?"

  • Pushed back again (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I thought this got pushed back to February 30th...

  • Not Precisely (Score:3, Insightful)

    by acvh (120205) <geek.mscigars@com> on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:53AM (#15743329) Homepage

    "the Company will launch its online merchant store on Tuesday, August 15 to support the marketing and sales of the Phantom® Lapboard"

    So, they announced that they are going to have a website that supports the marketing of the Lapboard. Nothing here actually tells us that they will sell the Lapboard on 8/15, just that they will show us their website.

    The whole press release reads like an ad for Touchwood, and certainly has the requisite number of buzzwords, but if you can buy a Lapboard from www.phantom.net on August 15, 2006 I will be very surprised.

    • In that very same quote, it says 'marketing and sales'. Besides, it wouldn't be a 'store' if there was nothing for sale.

      I think you're just trying to spin their comment to make them look bad. (Not that they need help. That thing is ugly and doesn't seem to be optimized for two-handed typing. I wouldn't put money on it selling well.)
      • The store could be for pre-ordering only. It's still possible that they have no actual product yet. With any other company, that would be a silly conspiracy theory, but with this particular company I think it's a very real possibility.
  • and I bet it has a motion sensitive lightgun controller or something crazy like that, too!

    Also, anyone care to tell me what a lapboard is?
    • If you're not going to read TFA at least read the comments ..... " by metasecure (946666) * on Wednesday July 19, @10:32AM (#15743176) From TFA: The Phantom Lapboard is an innovative peripheral..."

  • Don't worry! They can still delay it! (Score:4, Funny)

    by httpamphibio.us (579491) on Wednesday July 19 2006, @09:56AM (#15743357)
    They have almost a month to get their vaporizer working again and turn this thing back into another neverending promise.

    I strongly believe in this company... and I believe they can find a way to delay it, production problems, website problems. Please, Infinium Labs, don't disappoint me now!
  • I can't see how they think this Lapboard is more worthwhile than a standard keyboard. I've been perfectly fine with the keyboard on the coffee table when playing online console games, and see little reason to change this. Given that most console games that necessitate a keyboard to a degree try to avoid making too much use of the peripheral, with the exception of MMOs, it's difficult to justify paying for a specialized device like this. Maybe if people were surfing the web, but most people are just as ha
    • Well, my television has the same native resolution as my monitor (1280x1024) in DVI mode so it's not a stretch that I might want to move my PC the 10 feet over to the TV and play over there on a 32" screen as opposed to a 20" one.

      Every other wireless keyboard I've used sucks ass for playing games. The problem is that when you sit on a couch, you rarely sit in a position where you'd be able to lay the keyboard at a comfortable angle to type on. Forget about using a mouse. If they can solve even one of these
  • This "news" item is from June 6. If no one cared about it six weeks ago, why would they care now?
  • If Infinium Labs can actually produce a good product that makes them money, more power to them. If it's good enough (and reasonably priced) I might even buy it. Of course, those are some very big ifs for a company that hasn't produced anything yet but hot air.

  • wow thats it? (Score:4, Funny)

    by grapeape (137008) <mpope7@nosPam.kc.rr.com> on Wednesday July 19 2006, @10:08AM (#15743441) Homepage
    what no "I blew through 25 million dollars and all I got was this lousy keyboard tray" t-hirts??
    • To be fair, they did hand out a fuckload of tshirts at e3 one year. A friend and I also hassled their developers about their "so I buy a $800 console, pay you $40 a month and get some crappy games, at which point I can buy other games for more than they cost for other consoles, download the dvd sized images and a letter from my isp for excess bandwidth usage and I don't even get a damn box" business model. That was fun.

  • It's a plank. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Rob T Firefly (844560) on Wednesday July 19 2006, @10:16AM (#15743496) Homepage Journal
    Ladies and gentlemen, it's a plank.

    It's a plank, that's bent in half.

    .... It doesn't even have a face drawn on it. [jrj-socrates.com]

  • Scoff all you may... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Ryan Amos (16972) on Wednesday July 19 2006, @10:16AM (#15743498)
    Yes, the company's main product may be beaten to the punch by XBox live arcade at best and vaporware at worst, but they found a real problem and attempted to create a real solution. Every wireless keyboard/mouse combo I've ever used is totally unsuitable for gaming while sitting on a couch.

    If this thing ever comes out, and it's priced right (under $100,) I'll think about picking one up only because there are no good alternatives. Erm, the lapboard, not the Phantom.
    • I've always just put the keyboard on my lap and had the mouse on the speaker next to my couch, but an end table would be just as suitable. Then again, I don't do a lot of PC gaming from my couch these days.

      I admit they had a nice idea, but I wouldn't pay more than 20 bucks for the clamshell device, maybe $50 if it came with the keyboard. But it still looks extremely uncofortable for mousing. You could probably use one third to a half of the board for the mouse (reasable use). And the keyboard would be f

    • Yes, the company's main product may be beaten to the punch by XBox live arcade at best and vaporware at worst

      I do believe that the worst could be "defrauding investors in order to get funding to buy beer, hookers and aeron chairs(plus a rather decent salary for the founders of the company)", but hey, the jurys still out on that one. I do know that at e3 2003, they had exactly 2 keyboards and one died while I was there.
  • ...Touchwood marketing a lapboard?
    Makes me titter sophomorically.
  • How they have any money left to spend, I have no idea. But if they are actually going to sell it, then great!

    I mean, the one thing I've heard that's positive about the Phantom is that the lapboard is actually a good idea that people might buy.

    I think I remember the Penny Arcade people saying this.

    Of course, there's a chance that they're using this as a method to scare up more investment dollars for the Phantom, so they might not be selling it. Even so, taking everything this company says with a few thousand
  • I was almost about to whip out the credit card ready for the event when I realized this wasn't the keyboard I thought it was. I got it confused with the Optimus keyboard [artlebedev.com], the one with a color TFT in every single key for key redefinition :) This one looks kinda dull. Bah :(
  • Anybody else in the least bit concerned about buying anything from this company with their track record? I can see it now, Average User sends this company their credit card info, gets nothing in return except their identity stolen. COme to think of it, I just might do that, if my identity was stolen it would be an improvement.
  • ...the lapboard will be some sort of specialty hardware only supported by Duke Nukem Forever running under Windows Vista.
  • The phantom website has little more than some blurry pictures of an E-3 event and some obscure pictures of their Lapboard. Heck their stock quote link doesn't even work properly. Why do people still care?
  • The Company has commissioned Touchwood, a solutions-oriented, technology- based strategic marketing communications firm based in St. Louis, to plan and implement major revisions to the design and content of the [Phantom] website. The website revisions will incorporate direct marketing capabilities including an online merchant store to support business to consumer and business to business transactions with credit card banking services.

    Let's dissect this...

    "...solutions-oriented, technology-based strategic marketing communications firm..." Translation: A high-tech advertising firm.

    "...to plan and implement major revisions to the design and content of the website." Translation: redesign their website.

    "...incorporate direct marketing capabilities including an online merchant store to support business to consumer and business to business transactions with credit card banking services." Translation: Add a web store.

    Wow. That is one of the most marketing-driven statements I have seen in a long time. Hurrah to Phantom! They're finally going to release.... Uh... Something.

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