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LogiNoki: the LCD mouse mod
In much the same way that moving to a dual-monitor setup only makes you want to add a third and maybe even a fourth display, mod king Jani 'Japala' Pönkkö decided that if his Logitech G15 gaming keyboard sported an LCD screen, why, his mouse needed one too. Far from practical (after all, your hand is covering the tiny display whenever you're using the mouse), this is one of those projects you undertake purely for the love of the game -- and maybe to impress your handful of friends who actually think pimped-out computer peripherals are the epitome of cool. The build itself doesn't sound as difficult as some of the other mods we've featured here: Pönkkö simply hooked up a salvaged Nokia 6610 LCD to a standard controller, attached the wiring and and a parallel port connector to his Logitech G5's existing USB cable, and stuffed the components right inside the modified mouse. Obviously the screen is too small to to fit web pages or even an IM window, and it's too slow to properly display video, but you could still employ it for photo slideshows or visual alerts of some kind. Before you blow this concept off completely, keep in mind that a certain software giant is also trying to cram auxiliary displays into places they've never been; who knows, maybe Microsoft's got a commercial version of this mouse waiting in the wings.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Microsoft demos SideShow-enabled products at WinHEC
Microsoft seems to have big plans for their SideShow auxiliary display technology -- besides the laptop and remote control implementations we've been expecting, they're also using the software for products that we didn't even know we needed, such as digital photo frames that overlay the picture with IMs and Outlook data. The frame, which is being manufactured by a company called A Living Picture, was one of three devices that Microsoft's senior project manager for Windows Client Greg Graceffo showed off at today's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), along with a modified Logitech G15 gaming keyboard and a universal remote from Exceptional Innovations. EI's remote, which will launch at the same time as Vista (whenever that is), looks particularly promising, as it allows the user to view program guides, RSS feeds, and other infoswag on the same gadget that can control both home theater equipment and home automation devices. As for the keyboard, well, keep reading if you're interested in seeing what an Outlook appointment looks like on a three-line LCD...
