Apple has long set the bar when it comes to computer product design.  So it’s no huge surprise to see other companies follow suit.  What are we getting at? Today, Logitech announced a mouse very similar to Apple’s Magic Mouse, the Logitech Touch Mouse M600.

Effectively it’s the same mouse, at least as far as we can tell and at the same cost, $69.99.  That means the face of the mouse is touch sensitve allowing you to swip, scroll and sweep as if you’re using a touchpad or smartphone.  However, Logitech’s included software will let you assign a left or right handed profile.  They’re also included a mini-unifying receiver that fits inside the mouse during travel and means RF instead of Bluetooth, though they’re effectively the same.  While the Logitech M600 can use two AA batteries for 6 months of use, you can opt to use one.  It will cut your play time in half, but on the upside you’ll have a lighter, more portable mouse.

The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 is available for preorder and will ship any day now.

From the design team who bought you the elegant and functional Level 10 modular PC case, comes their latest release: the Level 10 M mouse concept that will be launched later this spring. DesignworksUSA and Thermaltake have their eyes set on gamers with the release of the new mouse and will be the first of many gaming products. Its standout feature is its hollowed-out design, which allows for height and angle adjustment of the mouse body. Users can adjust the size and shape of the mouse to their liking by simply turning a screw on the top side of the mouse. It also features a perforated palm surface so that sweaty hands during serious gaming sessions doesn’t become a problem.

While exact details and specs on the Level 10 M mouse concept haven’t been released it, a press release did state that the design team wanted the design language of the “expressive geometrical Level 10 chassis” fit into something that was still “pleasant and comfortable” for heavy use. While it may look good, many are hoping that it functions even better than its good looks.

When you sit down and you’re ready to work, the last thing you probably want to discover is that your wireless mouse has kicked the bucket.  And by kicked the bucket we mean the rechargeable batteries inside are dead and need juicing up. But who has time for that when you need to get to your next TPS report, or for some of you RedTube.

Genius’ DX-ECO Mouse ditches the hefty, NOT landfill friendly battery in favor of a gold capicitor. What does that mean to you?  In just 3-minutes time this mouse can be charged to full and last for what the company says is a complete work day – we’re not sure what that means in terms of hours, but we’re assuming 8.    That said, it can be recharged up to 100,000 times, which means that this mouse will be well outdated before its capacitor fizzles out.

And just because it doesn’t sport a traditional rechargeable battery, or at the very least a slot for one, that doesn’t mean Genius has forgone any of the standard features you’ve come to expect from your wireless mouse.  It can work at up to a distance of 15 meters, includes a tiny micro receiver,  4-way scrolling, adjustable dpi (800/1600 dpi), next/previous page hot keys and a blue optical mouse that is said to work on dusted glass and marble.

I’ve been gaming nearly my entire life, though the PC has almost always taken a backseat to consoles. Still, with the advent of Steam and a lot of great games being released almost weekly, I could no longer ignore the computer I decked out with parts for gaming as an excuse to spend more for a high-end rig yet never gamed with. Now that I’m up to my neck in fantastic PC games to rival the best my consoles have to offer, I needed something a little extra to give me more control and really solidify a solid gaming experience.

Enter the Razer DeathAdder Gaming Mouse and Razer Vespula Dual-Sided Gaming Mouse Mat. Separate, each of them would have been a massive step up from the generic mouse I was using and the (don’t laugh) cutting board I had on my desk as a makeshift mouse pad. In tandem, the two work fantastically. After installing the drivers and getting access to a full profile of customizable settings including sensitivity, scrolling speed, DPI, and polling rate, I was good to go in probably ten minutes or less.

The DeathAdder features a lot of clever features that become apparent once the drivers are up and running, including the ability to program macros to any of the mouse’s five buttons, change between five profiles using a button located under the mouse, or even map a button to change the mouse’s sensitivity without backing out to the device’s settings – A fantastic idea for anyone running to a vantage point with a sidearm, setting up camp, and beginning a long-lived sniping mission. The mouse feels great in my hand, and Razer even makes a flipped model for lefties, moves smoothly across all surfaces, and is extremely responsive.

As for the Vespula mat, there isn’t a whole lot to say, but all of it is positive. Using a very traditional mouse pad material, the Vespula doesn’t slide around the desk at all. On top of the soft, floppy material, a hard plastic plate rests comfortably, wrapping around the built in wrist rest, giving a wide effective surface to move the mouse around. The plastic plate doesn’t bend or shift while using it, offering stability and an ideal space to move around on. With two sides, the plate can be flipped to the user’s liking. One side offers a slick surface ideal for quick, violent movements that need to be made in a split second, while the other offers a slightly larger amount of resistance for more controlled movements.

The difference, believe it or not, is noticeable almost immediately. Whether it’s flipping between the sides of the Vespula mat, changing mouse sensitivity on the fly, or the step up from standard mouse and odd kitchen equipment to professional-grade gaming peripherals, once you’re mid-game with the Razer in your hand, the transition is seamless. Everything you want to be doing with your mouse happens without snags, without having to pick up the mouse and continue moving in the same direction. Even on my dual-monitor display, I have all the space I need to navigate my full desktop smoothly. The change might be something you think of as being a massive upgrade, but the feeling of solid control is unmistakably there.

Editor’s Rating

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Bottom Line: The Razer DeathAdder offers a simple yet effective entryway into getting your computer rigged for optimum gaming. The product itself has no real shortcomings whatsoever, the only potential turnoff is that if you are the kind of person with more macros than actual commands, the DeathAdder only features five mouse buttons like a standard gaming mouse. It does, however, have a profile changing button located on the bottom to help you switch out settings as you like through progammed settings. For the price, and for the features, the Razer DeathAdder, especially combined with the effective, large surface of the Razer Vespula are going to be ideal fits for all but the most specialized of gamers.

Pros:

• Smooth movement ensures no hiccups whether you’re charging headfirst into a battle or carefully sniping your opponents
• The dual surfaces of the Vespula mat provide slightly different textures, offering a preference on how the mouse moves and how your hand feels on the surface
• Completely adjustable sensitivity, even on-the-fly, means that you can adapt to any situation without having to tab out of your window to make changes

Cons:

• Not many mappable buttons can be a downside for gamers used to intensely customizable mice
• A decent amount of desk space needs to be dedicated to fit the Vespula down
• Some of the settings like polling rate require a reboot to take effect, not a massive downside, but something to consider when fine-tuning the mouse before gaming rather than during

The Razer DeathAdder Gaming Mouse is available from Amazon for $45.23. The Razer Vespula Dual-Sided Gaming Mouse Mat is available from Amazon for $27.93.

Walking clients through a power point presentation can be a daunting task.  The last thing you need to deal with is manipulating that awkwardly corded mouse while you guide them through last year’s sales figures.  Fear not, because Logitech feels your anguish.

Today, the company announced the Cube.  It’s form factor says anything but mouse, but that’s exactly what it is.  In terms of functionality, the Cube can work like any other cordless mouse, with the added benefit of a touch sensitive main panel that you can swipe your finger across to scroll through the page – Logitech says this experience is analogous to that of a touchscreen phone, large in part thanks to their Flow Scroll software.  Pick up the mouse and it automatically converts it into presenter mode and a click of its cues up the next slide.  Reversing is as simple as turning your hand over and clicking the very same button, where upon the presentation will return to the previous page.  Like many of Logitech’s other wireless mouse, the Cube includes their unifying receiver, which works with up to 6 of their devices simulatanouesly, and is so damn small you’ll probably forget that it’s there.  While battery life should be pretty stellar, Logitech has also included a power switch for powering down the Cube, further extending its life span between charges.

The Logitech Cube will arrive in store sometime this January for $69.99.

Upgrade your mouse with today’s Deal of the Day that comes to us from Amazon with the Logitech Wireless Anywhere Mouse MX for PC and Mac. You’ll save $26 (43%) off the originally listed price of $69.99 and score the mouse for only $33.99 (it also ships for Free with Super Saver Shipping).

The Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX provides complete freedom so that you can work anywhere without needing a mouse pad and works on virtually any surface! The compact wireless mouse will help make working on the go easier and faster. With the first track-on-glass technology to a tiny USB receiver that never needs to leave your notebook, you’ll never want to use another mouse ever again!

The reason it works on any surface is Logitech’s new Darkfield Laser Tracking that tracks mouse movements by producing a detailed micro-roadmap of the work surface. This allows for easy movement on surfaces like clear glass, lacquered wood, marble and even carpet.

Thanks to its Unifying receiver that’s so small you just plug it in and forget about it since it stays in your notebook and connects up to six compatible devices in different places. This means you can add accessories like a Unifying wireless keyboard without the hassle of multiple receivers. And you’ll love its compact, ergonomic design that comfortably fits into your hand and can easily travel anywhere with you (it can fit into a small side pocket and comes with a protective carry pouch).

ROCCAT ain’t messing around when it comes to gaming.  The company is set to introduce the Isku Gaming Keyboard and Kone+ Gaming Mouse at CES 2012.

So what makes them special? They can communicate wirelessly to one and other, allowing gamers to hit a key on the keyboard and change the settings of the mouse instantly mid gameplay.  But that’s not all these gaming peripherals have to offer.

The Isku keyboard is built for the true gamer. It has a a whopping 36 macro keys – 8 dedicated – 3 of which are located just below the space bar for ultra quick access during heated gameplay. Furthermore, they can all be double programmed in up to 5 profiles, providing up to 180 macros on a single keyboard.  And to make sure you know what profile you’ve selected, they’ve outfitted the keyboard with a set of LED lights along with extreme Ice Blue back lighting in 6 adjustable brightness levels.

ROCCAT’s Kone[+] mouse is one of the wired ilk, as it should be, and includes a 6000dpi Pro-Aim laser sensor that achieves a 10.5 megapixel resolution and 1000Hz polling rate – that means it won’t lag or lose connection even during the most furious of frag sessions.  The outside of the mouse is outfitted with a Soft-Touch Surface, though keep in mind it’s built for right handers only.  And like the Isku, this mouse can be programmed with up to 22 functions that can be changed at the press of a button and are affirmed by voice feedback.

Expect ROCCAT’s latest mouse and keyboard to launch sometime early next year.

Whether you just prefer to do your web browsing from the bed or if you want some inputs to get used to no matter where you are, the Verbatim Mini Wireless Slim Keyboard and Mouse is a nice, compact solution that is incredibly easy to set up, comfortable to use, and effective for just about any purpose shy of gaming. With a roughly laptop-sized keyboard and a small mouse that also houses the wireless receiver when not in use, this set comes with pretty much everything you could need from a wireless keyboard and mouse.

The keyboard itself is fairly standard, complete with function keys and even selectable number pad keys and volume controls. The keyboard runs off of 2 AAA batteries and just stays on, waiting for inputs. The keys are push in comfortably, and it’s very easy to adapt to for anybody who spends any amount of time using a laptop. The letter keys are spaced more like a traditional desktop computer, which is great for typing, though the other keys tend to be more bunched up and in different places, which means looking around a bit if you’re trying to insert or delete.

In order to save on battery life, the mouse features an on/off switch on the bottom. More responsive than other optical mice I’ve tried, the Verbatim Mini Wireless Mouse is a comfortable yet small size, works great on almost every surface I tried (including my white desk), and the scroll wheel is smooth but responsive. The fact that the mouse can be used anywhere is a serious perk to consider when you imagine that you might be taking these out to use on a conference room table or a couch arm or anywhere you can think of, really. Knowing that the mouse is going to be responsive on a wide array of surfaces increases the potential uses for a wireless combo like this.

As nice as the Verbatim Mini Wireless Slim Keyboard and Mouse are, however, there is still room for improvement. The lack of a power button on the keyboard means that battery life is always draining, albeit slowly, though if you’re carrying the keyboard with you, every time a key is pressed it’s pecking away at the battery. The tiny wireless USB receiver, while convenient in its size, is pretty easy to lose track of if you don’t want to keep removing and replacing the mouse’s battery case to store it. While I’m sure they would make the battery life drop a little faster, some lights on the keyboard to let you know if Num Lock or Caps Lock are activated would go a long way. I also would like to see some kind of USB compatibility so that if your batteries run out and you don’t have a spare set on you, you could still use the keyboard at least.

With a solid wireless distance and decent battery life, the Verbatim Mini Wireless Slim Keyboard and Mouse make for a very good temporary solution for presentations or the odd situation where you don’t want to stretch cables. However, because of the reliance strictly on AAA batteries that do wear down after about 15-20 hours, I don’t recommend getting these for use in making your home a bit more mobile or wireless. The products themselves work to specifications and the fact that all it typically takes to get going is plugging them in and putting batteries in goes a long way in my opinion of any wireless device. Finding a regular use for them that makes sense in terms of not constantly buying batteries, on the other hand, is a little harder to do.

Editor’s Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars

Very Good

Bottom Line: The Verbatim Mini Wireless Slim Keyboard and Mouse isn’t perfect, but has enough going for it that it should be considered for anybody looking to add some wireless functionality to any computer around. The compatibility across multiple operating systems means that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, getting started is often just as easy as plugging in the wireless USB receiver to the system and going. For a product designed for portability and ease of use, something as pivotal as that simply can not be overlooked. Anyone looking for a replacement for their current keyboard and mouse aren’t going to like shelling out battery money frequently, however.

Pros:

• Full number pad via a function key is a rarity for portable keyboards
• Works with a variety of operating systems simply by plug and play
• Mouse works great on virtually every surface and has a full, clickable scroll wheel

Cons:

• 2 AAA batteries for the keyboard, another 2 for the mouse, if you use these devices with any degree of long-term frequency, you’ll need to keep a lot of batteries stocked
• Lack of LEDs for Num Lock, Caps Lock, or Scroll Lock means relying on the installable toolbar that comes with the keyboard on a CD to know if you have any enabled
• With no shutoff switch for the keyboard, batteries need to be removed to make sure life isn’t being drained while it stows in your bag or briefcase

The Verbatim Mini Wireless Slim Keyboard and Mouse is available from Amazon for $29.24.

Logitech’s M525 looks like your garden variety mouse, but what makes this peripheral worth a closer look is its unbelievable battery life. But before we tell you what that is, we’ll go ahead and torture you with some benign specs.

The M525 is of the laser tracking ilk and sports a micro-precise wheel that Logitech says “packs more grooves per millimetre, giving you a smoother navigation experience.”  In fact, they’re sort of hoping this scroll wheel, which also includes some sort of “built-in tilt wheel”, is analogous to swiping…on a touchscreen.  A bit of a stretch, but we applaud they’re marketing verbage nonetheless.

Now for the juicy deet: the battery life.  Assuming the moon, the sun and the stars are all aligned – there is an on/off switch to boot – you can achieve up to 3 years on a single pair of AAs.  That’s right, you’ll be able to go almost 1100 days without replacing the M525′s batteries.  And like all of Logitech’s wireless mouse, they’re including their ultra tiny Unifying receiver, which can connect up to 6 compatible devices at the same time.

No word on a US release date, but the Logitech 525 will hit retail shelves this month for £34.99 ($55 US).

Logitech Unveils New Wireless Mouse

Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 Offers Perfect Mix of Precision, Performance and Comfort

LONDON, UK – Oct. 17, 2011 – Today Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) introduced the Logitech® Wireless Mouse M525, the ideal solution for anyone who wants to scroll quickly and easily through the Web.

The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 features an innovative micro-precise wheel that packs more grooves per millimetre, giving you a smoother navigation experience. It makes scrolling through long Web pages faster and easier. Plus on most computer systems, the built-in tilt wheel lets you move backward and forward on the Web just like with a swipe.

“The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 features faster scrolling, tilt wheel navigation and laser grade precision so you can surf the Web with ease,” said Marcus Harvey, UK Country Manager of Logitech. “It offers a perfect mix of precision, performance and comfort – letting you freely interact with the digital world, a place where we spend an ever-increasing amount of time.”

The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525′s sculpted design and soft rubber grips conform to your hand for natural comfort, and the compact size makes it easy to take with you wherever you use your computer – at home, at work, or anywhere else. And with up to three years of battery life, smart sleep mode and an On/Off switch, you can almost forget about changing batteries.

The tiny Logitech Unifying receiver connects up to six Unifying-compatible devices with a single nano receiver, so your space is free of clutter and your USB port stays free for other devices. And Logitech Advanced Optical Technology delivers laser-grade precision over the most challenging surfaces, while using less power so you get up to three years of battery life.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 is expected to be available in the UK in October 2011, for a suggested retail price of £34.99. For more information please visit www.logitech.com.

Logitech Unveils New Wireless Mouse
Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 Offers Perfect Mix of Precision, Performance and Comfort
LONDON, UK – Oct. 17, 2011 – Today Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) introduced the Logitech® Wireless Mouse M525, the ideal solution for anyone who wants to scroll quickly and easily through the Web.
The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 features an innovative micro-precise wheel that packs more grooves per millimetre, giving you a smoother navigation experience. It makes scrolling through long Web pages faster and easier. Plus on most computer systems, the built-in tilt wheel lets you move backward and forward on the Web just like with a swipe.
“The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 features faster scrolling, tilt wheel navigation and laser grade precision so you can surf the Web with ease,” said Marcus Harvey, UK Country Manager of Logitech. “It offers a perfect mix of precision, performance and comfort – letting you freely interact with the digital world, a place where we spend an ever-increasing amount of time.”The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525′s sculpted design and soft rubber grips conform to your hand for natural comfort, and the compact size makes it easy to take with you wherever you use your computer – at home, at work, or anywhere else. And with up to three years of battery life, smart sleep mode and an On/Off switch, you can almost forget about changing batteries.
The tiny Logitech Unifying receiver connects up to six Unifying-compatible devices with a single nano receiver, so your space is free of clutter and your USB port stays free for other devices. And Logitech Advanced Optical Technology delivers laser-grade precision over the most challenging surfaces, while using less power so you get up to three years of battery life.
Pricing and AvailabilityThe Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 is expected to be available in the UK in October 2011, for a suggested retail price of £34.99. For more information please visit www.logitech.com.

In just under a month’s time COD: Modern Warfare 3 will hit store shelves.  No doubt we’ll see productivity drop across the globe as fans of the game call in sick to work so they can prolong their weekend frag session.  Here to celebrate the arrival of this disgustingly captivating game is Logitech, who earlier this week introduced a Modern Warfare 3 inspired keyboard and mouse for those that will take to the battlefield on a PC.

Now, don’t get too excited, since they’re pretty much just rebranded versions of their G105 gaming keyboard and G9X gaming mouse.  But that’s not all.  They’ve outfitted both peripherals with green lighting to complement the MW3′s logo.  So the keyboard has green backlighting while the mouse sports a set of green LED lights.

In terms of the actual hardware, the G105 keyboard sports 6 keys which can each be programmed with 3 different macros.  They’re customizable to however you see fit, provided you’ve downloaded Logitech’s software.  It also rocks anti-ghosting tech which lets players mash up to 5 keys simultaneously without any interruption in game play and some media shortcut keys.

The mouse on the other hand (pun intended), can keep pace at up to 165-inches per second.  So suffice to say, the G9X is fast.  Its sensitivity can can be adjusted anywhere from 200dpi to 5700dpi depending on your gaming tastes.  There is also a dual-mode scroll wheel that Logitech says is ideal for selecting weapons, thanks to the precise click-to-click function or if you’re not digging that you can switch to frictionless hyper-fast scrolling to fly through web pages.  Five profiles allow you to effortlessly switch between settings and you can even customize the weight of the device with up to 28 grams of extra mass.

Both the MW3 Keyboard and MW3 Mouse should be available now for $79.99 and $99.99, respectively.  We’re not saying replace your current gaming keyboard and mouse, but if you’re in the market, here’s a way to pledge your undieing devotion to COD.

4 out of 5 stars

Before reviewing the MacBook Air, I hated trackpads. It’s just a technology that I feel never really cemented itself with us, as human beings, because it requires touch, and every touch is different. A very dry finger glides well, but a moist one may not. Mushy fingertips don’t work particularly well, and stubby ones don’t always read on the surface. Touch interfaces are quickly becoming the preferred method of digital communication through smartphones and tablets, but the trackpad remains mostly unchanged. They come in many shapes and sizes and textures, with nearly all the same highlights and limitations. Frankly, I’m far more partial to what IBM dubbed Trackpoint.

That said, it’s hard to use a laptop these days without using a trackpad, so like everyone I adjusted. There are good and bad trackpads, and frankly too many reasons not to use them. Logitech’s Wireless Touchpad is, with exception to Apple products, the first trackpad I actually enjoy using.

Like Apple’s own Magic Trackpad, the Touchpad is a wireless trackpad built specifically with touch-features in mind. That means two-finger scrolling, three- and four-finger gestures, and the simplicity of a long-lasting wireless user interface device. In this respect Logitech has hit the metaphorical nail on the head. The Wireless Touchpad is large and comfortable to use, all of its features and functions work exactly as expected. The Touchpad is a good, solid product, through and through.

That being said, Windows 7 isn’t suited for good trackpad use. OS X is. The difference between them is monumental. There is no smooth scrolling, few gestures, and minimal support for multitouch devices. This, coming from a company who three years ago revealed the Surface touch-only table computer. Yet there are still around ten touch gestures for the OS. It’s disheartening, to say the least.

Which is why it’s surprising Logitech has made the Touchpad for Windows 7 only. $20 cheaper than Apple’s Magic Trackpad, the Wireless Touchpad could easily compete on OS X based solely on features, let alone price. Even without Bluetooth compliance, lord knows how many Mac users have available USB slots that they are willing to spare, and it’s not hard to imagine a Bluetooth version selling for $5-$10 more. Limiting the Wireless Touchpad to Windows 7, and undoubtedly Windows 8 when it releases, is a significant limitation.

Logitech’s use of the USB radio – part of their “Unifying receiver” dongle, which works with about two dozen Logitech keyboards and mice – will simplify your current or future wireless Logitech products by sending data through a single dongle, though I myself am still stuck with the G700 and G930 on separate dongles because gaming hardware requires more bandwidth and faster rates. Still, the dongle is tiny and is more than adequate for any desktop or laptop.

The only real problem I’ve faced with the Wireless Touchpad has been the area of the touch-sensitive surface. The 5″ area is large, but the edges aren’t pronounced and impossible to feel. Especially when using multi-touch gestures, it’s far too easy to have one finger out of bounds and accidentally do a three-finger ‘back’ command instead of a four-finger ‘screen left’ command. It’s an easy fix as we’ve seen on plenty of laptops: make the physical area for the actual trackpad lower than the rest of the surface. That way, users have a tactile feeling for the edges.

Logitech’s Wireless Touchpad is a fine piece of hardware. The trackpad is sensitive and accurate, the two mouse buttons large and tactile, though the pad itself is easy to slip out of. The Touchpad is comfortable at a distance or up close, and especially from the couch where plenty are expected to use it. Windows, however, has little love for touch-sensitive devices and frankly that severely limits what you can do with the Touchpad. It is the new de-facto mouse when not at a table or flat surface, but besides that, a mouse is a mouse is a mouse. I like it and recommend it, but it’s not magic.

You can buy the Logitech Wireless Touchpad from Amazon for $50.

Pros:

• Solid design, tactile buttons, comfortable to use for long periods on the couch or at a table
• It works just right! Wireless signal is strong at a distance of 20′

Cons:

• Windows 7 isn’t suited for touch-sensitive gestures; no OS X support
• Trackpad square has no tactile bounds, its too easy to slide a finger off the sensitive portion

If you own a laptop and a desktop computer, the experience can be frustrating when you transition from a trackpad to an external mouse. Suddenly the multigesture commands you’ve come to love and know are now relegated to a a scroll wheel and a set of macro buttons, that’s assuming you’ve invested in a decent desktop mouse. Now Logitech has the product to quell your frustration and it comes in the form of the their Wireless Touchpad.
Okay, so it’s not a ground breaking device by any account, but it costs just $50 and enables the same multigesture controls found on any Macbook to be enjoyed right on your desktop. As it happens it’s about the same size as Apple Magic Trackpad, but costs $19 less. And much like Apple’s offering, Logitech has provided the same multigesture commands, which we assume arrives in the form of a Logitech developed driver and is only compatible with Windows.
Battery life caps out at 4 months, though it will vary with use. An LED light indicates when the juice is running low, where upon you’ll need to plug it in to recharge the built-in battery. Included is one of Logitech’s Unifying receivers, connecting it wirelessly and leaving you to choose where to place the handy device.
The Logitech Wireless Touchpad can be preordered now with shipping commencing sometime later this month.

Where there is smoke…there is probably a weed smoker and perhaps even a dealer.  You’ll probably also find a laptop or some sort of computer laying around their crib playing Sienfeld reruns.  And it’s not like this mouse will prevent the PoPo from deeming them a drug wielding and dealing suspect, it will perhaps add a certain level of bewildered amustment when the cops perform their drug raid.

The USB Optical Mouse with Pocket Digital Scale is not just your regular optical mouse.  In fact, it doubles as a digital scale that can measure objects weighing 0.1g to 500g.  Just pop off the cover, insert two AAA batteries and what was once a one trick pony will become a multifaceted device.  It even has a backlit LCD display.

Brando – who else – sells it for just $22.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I’ve been using an old Microsoft mouse with my desktop – I’ve had the same mouse for three years, and while I know I need to replace it, I love the feel of it.  So it’s just my luck that while I was looking around for a new ergonomic mouse, the Smartfish Whirl Desktop Laser Mouse fell right into my lap.

The Smartfish Whirl Desktop Laser Mouse is a very oddly shaped mouse – let’s just get that right out of the way.  This comes from it’s “ErgoMotion” pivot system, and it really the biggest innovation this mouse brings to the table.  What it works out to is that the “normal” shaped part of the mouse rests on a ball-pivot type joint that’s on a thin pedestal.

Sound weird?

That’s because it’s a really fresh way of doing ergonomics.  The mouse actually moves to how you rest your hand, which is really comfortable for extended usage periods.  While the ability to shift is really inspired, that’s about the only thing that actually is inspired about the design.  When you have the mouse in your hand, it feels very plastic-y.  Not the normal plastic feel of a mouse either, but the feel of one of the mice you could pick up at a dollar store.

Out of your hand, the design flaws become more apparent, because it’s just visually boring.  Black glossy plastic makes up most of the mouse, with a cheap silver plastic accenting the scroll wheel.  The buttons are also a problem – and not just because there’s only two of them (yes, two buttons.  no browser buttons, no zoom button, no bells or whistles in that department at all) – the buttons on the Desktop version of this mouse (I’ll talk about the laptop version tomorrow) feel as if they could snap at any second if you put too much pressure on them.

Speaking of putting too much pressure on something – if you’re like me and like to rest your hand on your mouse kind of heavily, don’t.  When you do that with the Whirl, you’re inevitably going to end up moving it where you don’t want to , and making some inadvertent clicks.  What you’re supposed to do is allow your hand to rest lightly on it, which is apparently better for you as is stimulates blood flow.  I don’t know about the medical validity of that, but I know my hand didn’t feel so fatigued after using it in the suggested way.

The Smartfish Whirl isn’t a gaming mouse, so don’t expect super DPI settings, but if you download the software from their site, you can adjust it to 400, 800, 1200, or 1600 DIP.  It’s respectable enough for the office worker this is best marketed towards.  It has a nice little wireless USB dongle that gets stored in the body of the Whirl when not in use.  It’s also plug and play right out of the box – no additional driver to install or anything, which is convenient.

The Smartfish Whirl is a mouse that is really for people trying to improve their posture all around.  The type that have the chair with lumbar support, and extreme ergonomic  keyboard; they’re the ones that will truly appreciate the Smartfish Whirl Desktop edition.  One more thing, I wouldn’t recommend getting one to move back and forth between a desktop and a laptop computer.  The Whirl is large, and too bulky to be moved constantly.  Wait until my Laptop edition review tomorrow for a more amicable solution.

After using the Smartfish Whirl for the review, I became more aware of how I was holding my hand, and actively tried to correct my posture.  However doing that made me make more errors on other things because I was focused on my hand.  When all is said and done, I give the Smartfish Whirl Desktop Laser Mouse a three and a half stars out of five.  There are other solutions out there to bad wrist posture, but if you want one that will really work (and be an interesting conversation piece), go with the Whirl.

Pros:

• Extremely ergonomic design
• Not a bad price for a wireless mouse
• DPI settings are good for non-gaming activities

Cons:

• Extreme ergonomic design can cause you to focus on your hand
• Not sensitive enough for gaming
• Design is extremely cheap

You can pick up the Smartfish Whirl Desktop laser Mouse from Amazon for $43.92

We looked at the Smartfish Whirl Laser Mouse last year and were quite fond of it’s ergonomic design and how great we felt after using it. But what about making that same design on a smaller scale? Say, for portable use with a laptop? So the company sent over their new Whirl Mini, and here’s our first look.

Hit the jump to see the video.

Like the larger Whirl, the Mini is a wireless mouse which connects with a simple USB dongle and markets itself as an ergonomic mouse. The big differentiator between this and the full-size version is that it’s for travel, which should be great for users who live on the road and work out of a laptop, even 30% of the time. Why? Well, keeping your hand on the trackpad can be a pain and a half, and using a wireless mouse is almost always a better idea even when on the road.

While I’ll go over exactly how the Smartfish Whirl Mini performs in our full review, using it off-hand had some immediate issues. It doesn’t always feel stable, and the small size only magnifies that problem. The dongle has a special spot inside the mouse, between the two AAA batteries in an enclosure, but that enclosure isn’t always a snap to open up. I had to break it in, so to speak, to get in and out of it without looking like Zoolander and Hansel getting files. But I’ll have full impressions of the mouse, as stated earlier this paragraph, in the full review.

4 out of 5 stars

When I reviewed the RAT 7, I was impressed. It’s a great mouse, but I always knew that Mad Catz was holding back. The company did so, of course, to make the RAT 9. But the RAT 7 was so good! What else could be done to make an already excellent gaming mouse even better?

As I soon found out, quite a bit.

The RAT 9 is as top-of-the-line and customizable as gaming mice get. On top of the already great specs the RAT 7 has (adjustable size, an excellent 5600 Dpi sensor and great build design), the RAT 9 has three major additions: even more customization options, wireless capability, and a brilliant battery design so the mouse never needs to be tethered to your computer to recharge. For only $50 more than the RAT 7, these three inclusions should make the RAT 9 both the most expensive gaming mouse I’ve ever tested, and the most feature-packed and most sensitive too.

Customization options for the RAT 9 include not just adjusting the size, shape and weight of the mouse, but also the actual materials your hand rests on. Maker Mad Catz includes a tin box with a case of 5 gram weights and two extra palm rests and right wings for the pinkie finger. This selection is great to have, and after using them all, I’m so glad the option is available. Within minutes of use I swapped the default panels for the dimpled palm rest for better grip, and the largest right panel so my pinkie could sit comfortably on the mouse. The worst thing is to have your pinkie either clinging to the mouse or dragging off on your mousepad.

The customizable plastic slabs are great and convenient, certainly a benefit for many users. However, it should be noted that I’ve tested tens of mice that are not adjustable or customizable, and many are well shaped and contoured for all hand sizes and certain hand and grip types. Razer, another gaming mouse manufacturer, actually has a list of grip types and which of their mice works best for each. Having options for a mouse is convenient, but also makes the mouse more accessible to more people. That is to say if 100 people bought the RAT 9 versus another mouse, more people would be comfortable with the RAT 9.

The RAT 9′s underbelly has the power switch right by the sensor

Next is wireless capability. Some gamers intentionally stay away from wireless mice because they have lag time, no matter what manufacturers state or how good the hardware is. While there certainly is some lag, such a fatalistic view is close-minded. I’ve used multiple wireless mice, including the Razer Mamba, Microsoft SideWinder X8 and Logitech G700, and all work just as well for gaming as competing wired mice. Just like these mice, the RAT 9 is so fast that there is no perceptible difference in tracking compared to the closest wired mouse to it, the RAT 7.

However, the wireless technology does have its limitations, something the previously mentioned wireless mice didn’t struggle with. The RAT 9 connects wirelessly to a base unit, which blinks for every mouse movement and button press. That blinking gets annoying, even though the red light is dim. For gaming, I didn’t notice the blinking over my 24” display, but in standard computing it is quite noticeable. More importantly, the RAT 9 has trouble waking up from its sleep mode. Like when you sit cross-legged for too long and your leg falls asleep, it takes up to ten seconds for the RAT 9 sensor to “wake up” and start functioning properly again.

The final, third reason why the RAT 9 is brilliantly designed, and partly why the cost is so high, is the replaceable battery system. The RAT 9 ships with not one, but two batteries which are easily interchangeable. That base is not only a wireless receiver, it also is a recharge station for the second battery. The battery in the RAT 9 sits right in front of the mouse, and uses a hot-swap system effectively. Unfortunately, switching batteries loses its luster when every time you do so it takes up to ten seconds to get the mouse going again.

Battery life is also questionable. With moderate computer use, it can last 2-3 days, and with heavy gaming it can last anywhere from 5-7 hours, and more often than not longer. Yet because of this, it feels like I’m switching batteries constantly, and do so at least once every other day, and daily with a lot of gaming. In theory, it should be better than being forced to tether the mouse for power, but in practice it’s just a different nuisance.

These three additions to the RAT 9 should make it a better mouse than the RAT 9, but in my testing I found one serious difference in the base hardware: the RAT 9 didn’t track as well over certain surfaces, specifically studded materials. On my wooden desk, the sensor tracked flawlessly…as did it over clothes and other flat surfaces. But many mousepads today are made with tiny dimples and etched designs to help with tracking, including some Mad Catz pads I have. They fared no better than other surfaces. That’s not to say the RAT 9 won’t track over a dimpled surface, but for slow, precise movements, it tends to hang. If you play games from the wrist instead of from the elbow (meaning you like to make small, quick movements at higher DPI settings instead of larger, sweeping movements at a lower DPI), this could be a dealbreaker.

The vastness of the RAT 9’s offering is stunning. It really is a gaming mouse made to accommodate everyone. In my opinion, it succeeds in doing so, but some of the faults really set the RAT 9 back. Hanging on studded surfaces for slow movements is a serious issue. Constantly changing the battery is an inconvenience users may remember years down the road more than the actual mouse itself. But for now, you can game precisely and enjoyably, and of course comfortably.

The Mad Catz RAT 9 is available at Amazon (via a retailer) for about $150.

Here’s the dilemma: you’re at home watching TV on your HTPC when  you go to use your mouse and discover that the coffee table is littered with 10 day old pizza boxes.  Enter the Logitech Couch Mouse M515.

It’s not the first mouse to work on just about any surface – their Darkfield tech already does that – but this one is geared at the couch dweller as it sports a completely sealed bottom to prevent lint (think blankets) and other debris from building up, which is further complimented by its easy glide base.  And since Logitech already has the couch potato in mind they’ve made sure that the 515 has a stellar battery life, up to 2-years to be exact, thanks to the hand detection technology that turns the mouse off when no human touch is present.  So you’ll never need to get up to change the batteries, though bathroom trips and food will still be necessary.

There is no mention of a release date, but according to the US press release it will sell for $49.99.

Logitech® Couch Mouse M515
Designed for better browsing on your couch, bed, or carpet

Announcement Date: January 21, 2011
Shipping: January 2011
Price: $49.99

Available at: www.logitech.com

Product Overview
Logitech® Couch Mouse M515 is the mouse that’s made for surfing the Internet on your couch, bed or carpet. Its sealed bottom won’t collect fabric fuzz in the sensor opening, and its easy-gliding base means your mouse tracks smoothly on blankets, cushions or carpets. With up to two years of battery life and the tiny Logitech Unifying receiver, your mouse is always ready when you are.

Key Features
Hand Detection: Your mouse is active only when you’re gripping it. So your cursor moves only when you want it to. And it stays asleep when you’re not using it.
Keep On Tracking: The bottom of the mouse is sealed, so fabric fuzz won’t collect in the sensor opening, which improves cursor control regardless of what surface you’re using your mouse on.
Effortless Hyper-Fast Scrolling: So you can coast smoothly through the longest blogs, Twitter™ updates and Facebook® feeds. Switch to click-to-click mode to step through photo albums, e-mails or friends lists.
Easy-gliding Base: The easy-gliding base lets you work and play where you feel comfortable. Your mouse tracks smoothly on blankets, cushions or carpets.
Ready When You Are: Up to two years of battery life helps you save time, money, and the planet by eliminating the need to change batteries frequently.
Plug and Forget: The tiny Logitech Unifying receiver stays in your laptop—so it’s less likely to be lost—and gives you a reliable connection with virtually no delays or dropouts. Plus, you can easily add compatible wireless devices to the same receiver.

CES 2011 is a rat-infested place, and Genius has had a hand in it. With three new special mouse producs unveiled, they’re making sure barely anybody know what species of mice these are.

The Ring mouse, for example, takes the control surface of the surface altogether. It can be worn around a finger, has two buttons, but I can’t quite figure out how the control surface works – or if there even is one. Looks like it would be a snap to control presentations with it, but not much else. Wireless pen mouse? Yes, that would be the.. Pen Mouse. It works just like a stylus would on a tablet, only there’s no tablet involved. And to make it save energy, when not in use, it goes into sleep mode.

Not to go unnoticed in the devices-with-snazzy-names category, Genius made the Navigator 905 Vogue, which has to be the fanciest name for a mouse, ever. It has BlueEye technology, instead of the usual optical sensor used for wireless mice.

Read

The Microsoft Touch Mouse is not particularly special upon first glance. It has only the two main buttons – no scroll wheel, no middle mouse button, no thumb buttons. It is ambidextrous, but without anything on the sides, that hardly matters. It also only has a DPI range of 1000. But if you look closely at the top (below picture), you’ll see a series of X’s and dots that outlay the special feature of the Touch Mouse: a touch-sensitive region.

This area, which covers 60% of the mouse from the top, uses capacitive touch technology to register multitouch gestures. Best known currently on smartphones, capacitive touchscreens have typically been glass, but the technology doesn’t need a glass surface. Microsoft opted against a glass surface because, as anyone with a touchscreen phone has learned the hard way, the glass becomes abrasive with excess heat, and having a mouse becoming uncomfortable like this was out of the question.

There are about nine current functions of the touch features on this mouse, including taking the place of thumb buttons and the scroll wheel. And like some current trackpads, momentum scrolling (scrolling up or down hard, causing the page to continue scrolling after letting go) is also available, something I like very much after Logitech introduced frictionless scroll wheels. The thumb buttons are replaced with a swipe up or down with the thumb on the mouse’s side. To my knowledge, there is currently no middle mouse button, but I’ll update with a confirmation.

Other touch functions are specific to Windows 7. Two fingers controls specific windows. For example, a highlighted window can be maximized, minimized, or put to the right or left of the screen by swiping two fingers up, down, right or left, respectively. Three finger gestures control the entire desktop, so three fingers sliding up shows all open windows while three fingers sliding down cleans the desktop.

I tried out the Touch Mouse and it works flawlessly, albeit some of the Windows limitations may end up being frustrating and feeling outdated. In just seconds I was able to use all of the nine functions. It’s remarkably intuitive and simple, and the feel of the mouse is such that sliding one or more fingers up and down the capacitive surface is not bothersome in the slightest. I could easily see myself replacing my current mouse for this…of course, if I stuck with any one mouse.

The now-standard pinch-zoom function doesn’t work, as is true with most other touch gestures we’ve come to associate with cellphones and larger gesture-based devices. There’s nothing wrong with that though, because the mouse is a very different type of product. Zooming in and out is still based on holding down CTRL and scrolling, and I’m fine with that.

It’s also worth noting that because the Touch Mouse is made specifically for Windows 7 functions, it won’t work with Windows XP or Windows Vista. I guess that means I’ll have to upgrade my Vista desktop soon.

What I don’t particularly like is how the gestures only apply to highlighted windows. This is, of course, how Windows OS functions, though the growth in web-based applications and the importance and high-volume usage of web browsers has changed that. Many of us like being able to scroll through a page just by hovering the mouse over it and scrolling, without clicking on it. Ultimately, I believe the question of mouse hovering versus clicking is a matter of preference, though I prefer the former. Microsoft, the latter.

Still, the technology is fascinating, and I can’t wait to play around with it more. Even better, I can’t wait to see what the development community does with it once the mouse releases this May. Like Kinect, I have no doubt that we’ll see some incredible – and even more noteworthy, free – applications with a gesture-based mouse like the Touch Mouse. It should be great fun.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Huge franchises depend on merchandising. It doesn’t matter what the franchise is, and Activision would be remiss if it didn’t take advantage of the latest Call of Duty, Black Ops. Working with Mad Catz, who has recently released a number of high-end computer peripherals (some of which we’ll be reviewing in the coming week), they created with the RAT 7 Stealth Edition, complete with a Black Ops paint job and special functions specific to the game.

The RAT 7 is a unique mouse already because it’s adjustable. I passed on reviewing the standard model, namely because I’m also testing out the RAT 9, which is identical except that it’s wireless. The Stealth Edition is not entirely adjustable – the thumb slab can’t be adjusted whatsoever, compared to the standard RAT 7, which can. Instead only the length can be adjusted, but in its place is a special button that may make a world of difference for gamers.

What this special button does is cut the sensitivity of the mouse 50%, 75%, or any amount to slow the laser for more accurate aim. It’s quite the brilliant function, and spares gamers from having to switch between previously set DPi load-outs. Sadly, the usefulness is diminished due to poor placement. As someone with exceptionally long thumbs (a thumb-war champ, many have said), I have trouble reaching the sniper button. And because the Stealth is not fully adjustable like the standard RAT 7, users will have a hard time using this cool feature.

That placement is a real shame, because there are many uses for an instant sensitivity button like this, such as making quick adjustments when photo editing, text selection when web browsing, properly placing the cursor when scanning through long videos…the list goes on and on. I keep my mouse’s DPi setting at 2000 and rarely change it, but a single button to change it for just a moment is far more convenient than scanning through various pre-installed settings.

To be clear, the RAT 7 does come with this button, the PrecisionAIM, but on the RAT 7 it is not programmable. The Stealth Edition does not have adjustable sides.

The RAT 7 and Logitech G700 side by side, respectively

The Stealth is surprisingly comfortable. Even without the moot available adjustments, it’s clear that the design is very well thought out. The thumb piece goes down the side and flattens parallel the table, so players don’t need a claw grip on the mouse. Thumbs can rest easy flat, as they would on a table, but on the mouse instead. Buttons are well placed, though the thumb buttons are too thin.

The RAT 7 comes with all the bells and whistles expected from top-tier gaming mice: 5600 DPi sensor, 5+ programmable buttons, weights, and software that’s so easy, even Mac gamers could appreciate it. It also comes with a rarely seen horizontal scroll wheel, just above the thumb buttons, which appears more like an adjustment wheel to change something on the mouse than an actual scroll wheel. For gaming, it’s a great addition on the mouse to have, and proves to go hand in hand with the vertical scroll wheel. For standard computing it’s mostly useless, especially for those with larger screens (on my 1920×1200 I’ve yet to find a need to scroll horizontally, except once in Photoshop).

The RAT 7 with included weights, up to 30 grams total

Great software is not usually a given with gaming hardware, and depending on the company, is often hit or miss. Since Mad Catz took over Saitek’s Cyborg gaming line, the software has improved dramatically, and the available drivers for the RAT 7 are fantastically simple and intuitive. Get in, get out and play.

Bundle the whole thing with a stunning paint job and USB dogtags, the RAT 7 Stealth Edition is a great mouse that any gamer can appreciate, and even non-gamers can enjoy. The laser is highly sensitive, and PC gaming is a blast thanks to its high level of comfort and many functions. My only regret is the PrecisionAIM’s placement, which is too far up the mouse to use regularly. Considering the whole slab dedicated to a resting thumb, I see no reason why it can’t just rest directly under the center of the thumb. In any case, the Stealth is a great mouse, and interested buyers will definitely be happy with their purchase.