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Mouse/Keyboard Concept is One of the Stupidest Ideas We've Ever Seen

Paul Lilly — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:38:32 -0500

Web magazine Yanko Design sports a tag line that reads 'Form over function,' but one of its newest entries, the Glide Keyboard from Weston Boege, appears to have neither. The conceptial keyboard/mouse hybrid is a design that attempts to fuse both input devices into a single product. Underneath the keyboard would sit an optical sensor for tracking the keyboard's movement, and low friction pads purportedly make it easy to nudge the peripheral around your desk space. Let's break this one down.

Aesthetics

We like funky looking gadgets just as much as the next person, but apart from the black and white color scheme, we're not impressed by the Glide Keyboard's looks.

Concept

We're not exactly sure what problem the Glide Keyboard has been designed to solve. Is it supposed to help users with limited desk space for multiple peripherals? If so, moving a full sized keyboard around in cramped confines just seems like a bad idea.

Ergonomics

Maybe the picture misrepresents what the final product is supposed to look like, but from our angle, the curved plank won't be doing any favors for your fatigued digits. And what do you do when you reach the end of your keyboard tray before the on-screen cursor reaches its destination? Pick up the keyboard and reposition it? No thanks.

That's our opinion - what's yours? Hit the jump and sound off.

SteelSeries World of Warcraft Mouse Has More Buttons than You Have Fingers

Paul Lilly — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:25:21 -0500

It would take three hands with all digits intact to match the number of buttons on SteelSeries' new World of Warcraft MMO mouse. That's right - 15 programmable buttons grace the rodent's funky cyborgish exterior, and each one of them was designed in conjunction with Blizzard specifically with WoW addicts in mind.

The new mouse level's up its macros skillset by affording macros up to 160 characters long, with over 130 predefined commands for drag-and-drop macro creation in place. But you might find yourself spending the majority of your time grinding away at the light scheme. The world's first WoW mouse boasts no less than 16 million illumination choices with 3 intensity and pulsation levels.

Dedicated MMO players can preorder the mouse now for $99.99, with shipping slated for November 13, 2008.

Update: Press release and another image after the jump!

Nova Gaming Jumps Into the Gaming Mouse Market with Slider X600

Mark Edward Soper — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:08:13 -0500

Nova Gaming is best known as a long-time purveyor of a line of high-performance gaming mousepads in the Killer, Winner, Master and Raider series. And, now, to make sure its Nova B4L gamer's bag has more Nova gear inside than ever before, the French company is rolling out a gaming mouse, the Slider X600, at next week's E for All Expo in Los Angeles.

The gaming mouse market already has some formidable competition, such as the corded Logitech G9 (laser sensor, up to 3200 dpi, interchangeable grips, 5 buttons, adjustable mouse weights), corded Microsoft SideWinter (laser sensor, up to 2000 dpi sensor, 5 buttons, adjustable mouse weights and replaceable feet) and upcoming cordless Microsoft SideWinder X8 (Blue Track optical sensor, up to 4000 dpi, replaceable mouse feet, macro recording).

The X600 brings up to 3200 dpi resolution and ceramic mouse feet to the game, but it's the position of the cable that might be the biggest difference between Nova Gaming's newcomer and the established players. Hit the jump to learn more.

Hands-on with Microsoft's Fashionable and Futuristic Arc Mouse

Norman Chan — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:35:52 -0500

Really, that’s a mouse?

That’s the first thing we thought when we saw the new Arc Mouse, which Microsoft claims with “raise the style stakes” in peripheral design. We have to admit, it certainly looks different from any mouse we’ve handled before. The foldable design makes it extremely compact when snapped shut for travel purposes. Yet when expanded, the arch is spacious enough to fill out our manly palms. The Arc felt very comfortable in our hands as we moved it around a table, but was noticably lighter and not as solid as the gaming mice we're accustomed to. A micro transceiver snaps into the bottom of the mouse using a magnet, and only sticks out a single centimeter when plugged into a USB port (it uses the same 2.4GHz wireless tech as Microsoft’s other mice).

And if you’re worried about sturdiness, the Arc’s hinge has been tested to withstand 25lb’s of downward force, though we didn’t exert that much force in our test (we didn’t want to break it!). Surprisingly, it doesn’t use Microsoft’s new BlueTrack sensor, instead opting for a traditional laser tracker (no word on DPI). Look for the Arc to go on sale later this month (launching with black or red options) for $59.95.

Hit the jump for more bendy-mouse photos

Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft's BlueTrack Mouse Technology

Norman Chan — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:00:00 -0500

The next-generation of Microsoft mice has arrived and – surprise! – this peripheral don’t feature any fancy lasers. The new Explorer mouse is the first that sports Microsoft’s new proprietary Bluetrack technology, something they’ve been hinting at on their website for the past few weeks. The big innovation is that a BlueTrack mouse will work on virtually any surface type, whether its granite, wood, or even carpet (glass and other reflective surfaces are this mouse’s kryptonite). We got some hands-on time with this handsome wireless mouse and were impressed by its tracking accuracy, stylish design, and mesmerizing blue glow. We also spoke with Mark Depue, the Platform Engineer Manager at Microsoft’s Hardware Group, to find out exactly how BlueTrack works.

Hit the jump for our in-depth technical interview and glamorous hands-on shots.

Microsoft Sidewinder X5

Will Smith — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

Sporting an ever-so-slightly trimmed-down shape compared to the original Sidewinder gaming mouse, along with a stripped down featureset, the Sidewinder X5 delivers great performance at a very reasonable price. Like the original Sidewinder, the design works great for gamers who use either a claw or a standard grip (or who like to change between them), but it’s not particularly comfortable for people with small- to medium-size hands. After a couple of hours of play using a standard grip, our hands cramped.

Missing from this updated Sidewinder are the original mouse’s adjustable weighting system, the interchangeable foot pads, the sensitivity display, and the weighted cable anchor. While we especially miss the cable anchor, extra features (like the one that have been omitted) aren’t something we’d expect in a mouse that costs $60.

Steelseries Ikari

Will Smith — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Steelseries delivers a one-two punch of awesome with its first mouse—the Ikari, a standard five-button, right-handed design suitable for gamers who use either the palm and claw-style grips. With its low-profile design, the Ikari doesn’t provide sufficient support for folks who like to rest their palm on the mouse; our palm-gripped tester had a stiff hand after a few hours of play. Nonetheless, the Ikari’s other features and kick-ass sensor make us almost willing to ignore the less-than-ergonomically perfect shape.

Those features, after the jump.

Razer DeathAdder

Will Smith — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:24:38 -0500

We love the shape of this mouse—it’s comfortable for even the longest session—and the DeathAdder just gets better from there. The sensor delivers pixel-perfect accuracy, and we love that the driver lets us adjust everything from X and Y sensitivity to the lights on the mouse. We’re still not sold on the idea of constantly updating firmware for a mere mouse, but Razer’s built a highly compelling rodent with the DeathAdder.

Hit the jump for the full review.