Mice at KES 2006: Thin is in

As much as we love wrapping a hand around the sexy curves of our ergonomic Logitech mouse, the rather bulky input device isn't always practical for the geek-on-the-go, which is why companies like Samsung have developed waifish little mice such as the model pictured above. On display at this year's Korean Electronics Show, Sammy's travel mouse measures in at only 8-millimeters thick, yet manages to pack in five buttons, a scroll wheel, and the increasingly-obligatory LED light show. Not only that, the little rodent is even able to swallow its own tail, so to speak, thanks to a winding mechanism that draws the USB cord almost completely inside its minuscule body. If for some reason this model is too thick for your tastes, a company called iCantek has taken a cue from the MoGo MouseBT and built its own PC card-sized device (pictured after the break), although this one unfolds a little differently and lacks its competitor's wireless capabilities. And if you're really looking to go small -- small enough that it's uncomfortable to maneuver -- check out the LG FINGER mouse we featured earlier this year, which was recently taken off the market after it was discovered that LG was making them with real fingers.

Read- Samsung
Read- iCantek

[eoin @ Oct 17th 2006 8:01PM]

love the design on the icantek mouse, really smart.

on the other hand (pun mildly intended) it must also be the most uncomfortable mouse ever, and i imagine using it on uneven surfaces will cause it to fold upward and then back down trapping and pinching your skin.

on a side note: for all logitechs ergonomical yadayada i found my G7 extremely uncomfortable at first and still dont find it that nice to use

[Dennis @ Oct 17th 2006 9:19PM]

i've got an MX1000 bluetooth.... best mouse i've ever spent money on. comfortable, accurate, fast enough for gaming, the battery lasts a week of constant use without recharging, and also a tonne of function-full buttons (which to be honest i rarely use)

[HughJass @ Oct 17th 2006 9:23PM]

Do you have any mice you haven't spent money on?

[Dennis @ Oct 17th 2006 9:26PM]

yup... a nice sony laser mouse they were handing out at this convention... best mouse i have cause its worth about �60 and i got it for free :P

[Gerald @ Oct 17th 2006 9:28PM]

I have a LG Finger Mouse that my cousin bought for me in Korea previously.

It's a really great mouse and I don't see why LG stopped producing them.

My gaming mouse is a Razer Copperhead, the king of all mice ;P

These compact mices are very cool btw.

[kansei @ Oct 17th 2006 10:19PM]

IBM TrackPoint for life! It pains me to use my desktop because it doesn't have one :'( I wish Fujitsu's Happy Hacking Keyboard had an option for one :D

[Scooter @ Oct 17th 2006 10:33PM]

The design is cute, but don't laptops come with built-in trackpads and/or nipples? Seems like the ultimate in portability to me. For desktop use I prefer something my meaty man hands can grapple. The Mx700 works for now.

[Nick @ Oct 18th 2006 1:29AM]

"The design is cute, but don't laptops come with built-in trackpads and/or nipples? Seems like the ultimate in portability to me. For desktop use I prefer something my meaty man hands can grapple. The Mx700 works for now."

i bought a mouse just so i could use proE wildfire... needed a 3rd mouse button (scroll wheel click)

[Paul @ Oct 18th 2006 12:05AM]

The track pads are a pain on a laptop becaues if your finger sweats then it tends to stick and not glide easily on the trackpad, also, I find that the sensitivity is hard to get set just right, you set it high enough that moving it accross the track pad moves it all the way accross the screen, and suddenly its no longer accurate enough to use, but when you set it for accuracy, you now have to swipe your finger three times accross it to move the curser over the entire screen.

From my experience with the nipples, the problem is accuracy for me, I can move it fast, but it doesnt stop where I want it, however I dont own a laptop with one so that could be a major problem.

That said, I still carry around a full size mouse because I am concerned about how comfortable one of these mini-mice would be to use. Besides, when I am in class I use the trackpad, If I dont have time to pull out a full size mouse, I might as well not use one.

[tiuk @ Oct 18th 2006 10:09AM]

Seeing the words "finger mouse" together gave me an idea, and I'm going to share it so I can see it built. How about a sort of ring-type mouse that fits over your finger? You could just slide your hand over a hard surface as if you were holding a regular mouse, but you wouldn't have the pain of trying to grip something so small. I haven't thought about how clicking would be accomplished, maybe tapping your finger? Anyway, someone build it.