mice

LAS VEGAS--Not mentioned at today's CES keynote address from Microsoft was something new--a multitouch mouse that's been designed to bring special gesture features to Windows 7 users.

Readers with a good memory might take one look at what Microsoft is calling Touch Mouse, and recognize it as the "Cap Mouse" from October of 2009, which the company unveiled as one of five mousing prototypes. Since then the mouse has cut the cord, tapered out in front, been given a completely different finish (black and red instead of gray and dark gray), and a $79.95 price … Read more

Seems like hot trends of the '80s and '90s are coming full circle and hitting a new generation of fans. From "Transformers" to "Star Wars," the latest fad to hit the silver screen is science fiction movie "Tron." Gaming peripheral maker Razer is riding the wave with its latest device--the Tron Gaming Mouse.

Decked out with LED-lit lines and inspired by the famous light cycle motorbike from the movie, the Tron mouse also comes with sound effects activated by movement. Using the company's 3.5G laser sensor, the device has an impressive 5,… Read more

The classic trackball is admittedly a niche device amid the Magic Trackpad and Arc Touch mice, but Logitech's latest Wireless Trackball M570 has something alittle extra to compete. It adds its Unifying Receiver, which lets you connect it to all the other devices under the Logitech Unifying umbrella using a single USB port, including keyboards and other mice products.

The receiver is also capable of sending a signal from up to 30 feet away from the host computer, a 20-plus-foot improvement from the previous mode.l

And whereas people who use traditional mice worry about the negative effects of … Read more

Sure, Apple has the Magic Trackpad, but Canon looks like it's got a one-up all its own: the calculator-mouse. Coming in November 2010 to U.K./European markets (and hopefully to the U.S. as well), this funky little wireless Bluetooth mouse is an old-fashioned calculator from the waist down. Called the X Mark 1 Mouse, it aims to replicate most of the features from Canon's X Mark 1 business calculator.

Armed with a scroll wheel and 1,200dpi resolution, the Mac/PC compatible device comes in black or white and boasts its own LCD display. It may … Read more

Apple seems to be in the later phases of a touch revolution as of late--or, at least, it seems to be trying to complete the loop. In a movement started by the iPhone and continued in MacBook multitouch trackpads, the Apple Magic Trackpad extends multitouch to non-laptop Mac owners who might feel left out of the pinch-to-zoom/multi-finger swipe party.

Touch is hardly an Apple-only trend--in fact, many desktop Windows all-in-ones already incorporate touch-screen environments. Apple does, however, seem to be keen on possibly phasing out the mouse from its plans and working a common language of touch gestures across all Apple products. Could this portend iOS creeping its way into OSX? That's still unclear, but the Magic Trackpad does offer some possibilities all its own, whether or not iOS makes a Mac debut.

As a compact square slab, the Trackpad could ideally do things that a regular mouse just can't, including be a lap device for living-room use. While we found the Magic Trackpad to work well and do what it advertises, it really could go a lot more places in the future. Right now, the Magic Trackpad isn't really "magic." But it could be, in the future. Here's what we'd like next: … Read more

UPDATE: Post-software update multitouch impressions below.

Not too long ago, one of us at CNET foretold a future without mice where touch peripherals would dominate. We may not be there yet, but Apple's Magic Trackpad certainly takes us one step closer to fulfilling that prediction.

Announced and available Tuesday, Apple's $69 Bluetooth device is minimalist and not particularly cheap. It is what it seems to be at first glance: a large aluminum square mounted on a slight riser, just like Apple's Bluetooth keyboard. In fact, it's the same depth and height as the keyboard, which lets … Read more

Mouseless is a project by Pranav Mistry of the MIT Fluid Interfaces Group. He calls it an "invisible computer mouse" that creates the feeling of using a mouse without actually having a physical device. This is achieved via an infrared beam and sensor, which will help detect the hand's position. So all that's left for the user to do is move a cupped hand as if it were holding a mouse and the system will detect its movement and clicks.

This is a research project, so we won't get to try it out unless it … Read more

Many times people will read our articles and write in with tips, comments, and suggestions for their approach or solution to the issue at hand, some of which are quite practical approaches that should work for others. We welcome these comments, and hope to include them in future similar articles such as this and our MacFixIt Answers column, to bring you some points in our discussions that our readers might find useful.… Read more

For those with upper-body disabilities, using a computer can be quite challenging. While voice recognition software has advanced to a stage where you can orate an essay and see it typed out, in some cases cursor control may involve a touch screen and a straw held in the mouth.

Designer Liu Yi has come up with the Toe Mouse, which, as its name suggests, is made for the feet. Gripped between the big toe and the second toe (as with a pair of flip-flops), this wireless peripheral uses an optical sensor and two buttons to give physically challenged users full … Read more