Microsoft Blue Track Says Goodbye to Laser

Although Microsoft is not breathing a single word in relation to an event it has cooking for September 9, 2008, under the slogan “Say Goodbye to Laser,” leaks from its partners are managing to paint a more complete picture. As it has been speculated, the new technology, which will be unveiled in the second week of the coming month, has been incorporated in a mouse. The Microsoft Blue Track mouse, featured in the adjacent images, reportedly sports a LED in combination with wide angle lenses, instead of a laser diode. In this context, despite the attempt to build anticipation with consumers, the Blue Track mouse is by no means reinventing the wheel. Read More »

Microsoft Unveils New Gaming Peripherals

SideWinder X6 Keyboard and the SideWinder X5 Mouse are the new pair of gaming peripherals unveiled by Microsoft at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. According to the Redmond company, both products will hit the market as early as September 2008. The SideWinder X6 Keyboard will come with a price tag of $79.95 while the SideWinder X5 Mouse will be lowered to $59.95. While the SideWinder line of peripherals is not new to Microsoft, this is the first time when a keyboard is released under the label.

However, the release of the SideWinder X6 Keyboard marks yet another first for Microsoft, and for the entire industry for that matter. SideWinder X6 is the first keyboard with a switchable key pad. This means that end users can switch the key pad from on side of the keyboard to the other to get increased flexibility. Read More »

Microsoft Reinvents the Mouse

It’s not often that Microsoft comes up with an interesting looking peripheral, and it has been responsible for its fair share of horrors in the past but that might all be about to change with the Arc Mouse. The curved, crescent shape doesn’t look very promising but by all accounts it is very comfortable to use. The best bit is that it folds up, reducing its size by around a half, making it idea for notebook users and those with limited desktop space. Arc Mouse will be available in red or black and it goes on sale in the US in a couple of months for around £30. That’s a bit steep when you can get a perfectly decent standard mouse for a tenner but if it turns out to be as comfortable and easy to use as some early testers claim then it could well be featuring on many Christmas pressy lists.

Mold Your Mouse Into Any Shape You Want

Is your mouse not ergonomic enough? If you answered yes then here’s the mouse for you. The Lite-On Technology Moldable Mouse is made from lightweight moldable clay covered by a nylon and polyurethane fabric. You mold it into the shape you want, slap on the buttons and scroll pad (which communicate with the device via radio) and you’re good to go. The design was even good enough to win a Red Dot Design Award. I know I really need one — I think I’m getting crappy tunnel from my non-ergonomic mouse. This would be great for people like me or anyone that was born with a lobster claw instead of an arm. And if you were born with a lobster claw instead of an arm I want to eat it. Read More »

Phone + Mouse = Skype Travel Mouse

The Skype Travel Mouse is a mouse with an integrated phone. It features a 128 x 64 pixel LCD display for caller ID, etc. and a sliding numeric keypad. I don’t use Skype myself, because I live in a tree house and make all my calls with a rusty soup can and a long piece of string. But if you are big into Skype, maybe you want one. If so it’ll set you back $42.50. Read More »