Herd of oversized concrete computer mice seen rushing for the shore -- do they know something we don't?

As a perfect complement to Shenzhen's scattered keyboard keys we spotted the other day, tipster Riley G. spotted this charging herd of giant mice statues in Xiamen, China. Two whole tactile, usable buttons? How quaint! Another shot is after the break.

[Thanks, Riley G.]

[Arjun @ Apr 26th 2009 5:41AM]

Wtf...

[Shinigami @ Apr 26th 2009 7:00AM]

Yeah, wtf? They aren't wireless??

[drebin @ Apr 26th 2009 8:01AM]

lol wireless

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 26th 2009 2:22PM]

In addition, they don't scroll…

[Saad (the other one) @ Apr 26th 2009 3:45PM]

*in a british accent* - "Ah yes, the peromyscus computus, or comomly known as the household computer mouse makes its way to the shore. However, unaware to the mice, a DSL modem lurks near..."

[Str1ker @ Apr 26th 2009 11:07PM]

LOL @ Saad.

Instantly Reminded me of that guy from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. lol

[Jordan Earl @ Apr 26th 2009 5:42AM]

Couldn't be apple mice

[Cory @ Apr 26th 2009 9:38AM]

Why would someone want to make a concrete oval?

[insane.uk @ Apr 26th 2009 10:21AM]

Yeah, they would be charging you to sit on them if they were Apple mice.

[Terc @ Apr 26th 2009 10:53AM]

Yeah, these would NEVER work with an Apple computer. Apple sucks.

Wait, what's that? Apple has supported left and right click since the 1990's? They INCLUDE drivers for most mice available today?

Oh. Well, I still hate Apple, just cuz it's cool to hate on Apple.

[brian @ Apr 26th 2009 11:26AM]

mice need drivers?

[Aaron @ Apr 26th 2009 11:35AM]

Paul Miller needs to get into the 21st century. The link to the Apple tag was uncalled for.

Macintosh computers, since 2004, have come with mice with 4 buttons. Even the laptops have multi-touch right-click ability. Even before then, I was using a Microsoft Intellimouse on my Macs, and it worked just fine, no drivers required.

Personally, I hate the "Mighty Mouse" and use a Dell (!) mouse on my iMac.

[Terc @ Apr 26th 2009 11:42AM]

Yes brian, mice need drivers. Most operating systems include basic drivers though. However, if you ever bought a mouse better than the freebie that came with your bargain basement Dell, you'd realize that many mice have extra buttons, more features, and better sensitivity with their manufacturer's drivers installed. I use a Mac, and personally HATE every mouse Apple has ever made. I use an Evoluent Vertical Mouse with my Mac, and it works great.

[Biomech @ Apr 26th 2009 1:12PM]

You're a confusing fella, Terc.

[aquatsr @ Apr 26th 2009 2:45PM]

@Aaron: Me too, except mine is a Microsoft one =D

[Craig @ Apr 26th 2009 7:37PM]

@Aaron "Paul Miller needs to get into the 21st century. The link to the Apple tag was uncalled for."

I think it might have been a joke. Just gonna throw that out there.

[Jordan Earl @ Apr 26th 2009 10:20PM]

hehe. I knew the "but they support any number of buttons" folk would appear. Face it. Apple brands themselves anti button. The all knowing Jobs said so when they released what I consider their current flagship product, the iPhone. It also has 1 button. Apple hates buttons. It's funny. Don't defend yourselves, just laugh about it.

[The Walrus @ Apr 26th 2009 5:44AM]

I can not wait for some poor, extremely confused archeologist to discover these 20,000 years from now

[Jeff @ Apr 26th 2009 5:53AM]

(in my best Charlton Heston)

"You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you!"

[GenBanks @ Apr 26th 2009 9:44AM]

Especially since this is pretty inexplicable already.

[Sweathog @ Apr 26th 2009 12:22PM]

Unfortunately, you won't be able to wait 20,000 years...

[Christian @ Apr 27th 2009 12:08AM]

omfg....i didnt think of that....some guy will be like...so back then....humans were f*king huge!

[Kevin @ Apr 26th 2009 4:36PM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsbYx6hevoQ

[Ollie Soar @ Apr 26th 2009 5:44AM]

Maybe its a nice sunbed =]

[Adoniteking @ Apr 26th 2009 7:10AM]

This photograph is a record of what happened when Bill Gates dressed up as the Pied Piper of Hamelin for halloween.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pied_Piper_of_Hamelin

[bolmedias @ Apr 26th 2009 5:45AM]

Wired mice with no scroll wheel? Get with the times.

[element4life3 @ Apr 26th 2009 2:15PM]

tell that to Apple....stupid nub...

[broli @ Apr 26th 2009 6:08AM]

According to the tail they are heading in land.

[Gav @ Apr 26th 2009 6:12AM]

Did Engadget just make a dig at Apple?!

[feraligatr8 @ Apr 26th 2009 7:10AM]

lol yeah, they did. Click the word "quaint" and it takes you to posts tagged with apple lol

I wish I had one of those. My perfect resting place.

[zfurie @ Apr 26th 2009 8:13AM]

No they aren't. They're mocking two button mice as quaint then points you to Apple.

[DeoWulf @ Apr 26th 2009 9:11AM]

Yeah, that was a dig at MS I think. Saying that 2 buttons are quaint, and one button is superior.

But I guess I don't want to come to conclusions too quickly.

[Agent .25i @ Apr 26th 2009 10:22AM]

Or, most mice have @least 3 buttons on them. I have 9. The Apple "easy button" doesn't count.

[zfurie @ Apr 26th 2009 10:39AM]

Naah. Its not a dig at Microsoft. Engadget editors are just smugly pointing out that Apple designed hardware is superior.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Apr 26th 2009 11:03AM]

They're clearly teasing about 2-button mice being outdated since we all have mice with multiple scrollwheels, 9 buttons, and a cupholder thrown in for good measure. These things are straight outta 1993.

Sheesh.

[DeoWulf @ Apr 26th 2009 2:39PM]

@ Unix-

Then why would they link to Apple? To be honest, I expected that link to go to some super-gaming mouse with 50 buttons, but instead it went to a mouse with 1. Judging by Engadget's previous uses of text linking, I'd say this is a little attempt to assert the 'cutting-edge' of only one button. Makes me think of the Macbook Wheel...

[kr @ Apr 26th 2009 3:59PM]

I don't see how there is any confusion here. This is obviously a dig at Apple. Notice the word "usable" and how they seem to suggest Apple's mice/trackpads are not.

[BuddyBoy @ Apr 26th 2009 4:27PM]

I think the point everyone is missing is "tactile"
Apple ship four button mice, but the top only has one button and uses touch sensitive tech to tell if you used your left or right finger. While this is very "cool" it does require you to totally raise your right finger off to left click and lift your left finger off to right click.
The point being these have two tactile buttons, which means they are actually usable.

[Postal Dude @ Apr 26th 2009 6:27AM]

They could just be trying to get some rest and relaxation.

[buttabean @ Apr 26th 2009 6:57AM]

They are getting ready to lay they're eggs.

[Samboini @ Apr 26th 2009 8:32AM]

their* :)

[3rdman @ Apr 26th 2009 9:16AM]

Not to be a grammar nazi, but it is "they are", not "their".

[benhc911 @ Apr 26th 2009 9:27AM]

@3rdman

I'm quite certain that the correction he was making was not for the "They are" but rather for the "they're" later in the sentence

"They are getting ready to lay *they're* eggs."
corrected to
"They are getting ready to lay their eggs."

This is the proper correction, as he stated... But I'm sure even the grammar Nazis accidentally get the wrong guys =]

[Kaitou KID @ Apr 26th 2009 10:11AM]

you do know that mice don't lay eggs right? right?

[b @ Apr 26th 2009 6:58AM]

They're escaping from the mouse flu pandemic.

[niloc @ Apr 26th 2009 7:00AM]

The Attack of the Keyboard Warriors are imminent.

[naz @ Apr 26th 2009 7:08AM]

this is the start of rise of the machines

[feraligatr8 @ Apr 26th 2009 7:15AM]

The pipes coming out of them make them look like sewage tanks.

[mynk @ Apr 26th 2009 6:13PM]

Dude, that's probably the single greatest architectural idea for sewage tanks, quick, contact china about this.

maybe microsoft's huge sidewinder would do more storage though.. (im not saying its bad, i love it and im using it right now)

[Ethan @ Apr 26th 2009 7:18AM]

They sure are mighty.