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Microsoft kicks out a pink mouse for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
If you've been following your NFL broadcasts, you'll have noticed an entirely unusual hue infiltrating your typically macho sport -- in most clashes this weekend players on both teams could be seen sporting pink paraphernalia alongside their usual uniform colors. This courageous act of pinkification was in aid of the US National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which Microsoft is also supporting in its own small way. That small way is called the Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000, which will retail from now until the end of September of next year for $40 and contribute a $4 donation per sale to the Komen for the Cure charitable fund. Hey, it's got BlueTrack if you need to feel manly while buying one! [Thanks, Andrew]
Razer Tron Mouse leaves light trails in our hearts (video)
We don't really expect that the actual Tron movie will be any good, but boy, its officially endorsed accessories aren't looking half bad. The $100 laser mouse from Razer has snuck out for a quick pre-release video demo where we get to see it tracking gloriously on an accompanying "precision" mousepad. There's hardly much to be learnt about the mouse's ergonomics or 5600dpi accuracy, but it does glow with that mighty inviting shade of blue (cyan?) and the mousepad reacts to the laser's illumination by leaving dreamy light trails after your movements. It's cyber-poetry in motion, available after the break.
Galaxy Tab Bluetooth Stylus emerges, up for £49.99 pre-order
It's been a month since we caught our first glimpse of the Galaxy Tab's Bluetooth Stylus and today, although still seemingly unofficial, it's appeared in its first pre-order listing. Priced at £49.99 ($79) by UK online specialist Play, this capacitive stylus will facilitate handwriting recognition for those of us not served well enough by the Tab's generally excellent soft keyboard. It's also capable of hooking up to two Bluetooth devices at a time and has the extra intelligence thrown in to receive and reject phone calls -- whether on the Tab or on your phone. It's an intriguing piece of kit, maybe Samsung should go ahead and make it official now, eh?
Apple granted patent for handheld that recognizes your hands
You could probably fill a book with Apple patent applications that never amounted to anything, but here's one that's at least been granted -- a "handheld device" that uses capacitive sensors to recognize your identity just by the way you hold it, and subsequently personalize the device's buttons and settings to your hand based on your user profile. That's all that's actually been patented here, but the general idea is a little more grand -- you could theoretically grip a handheld with either hand, and it would automatically generate "button zones" under each finger using sensors (or disappearing buttons, perhaps) baked right into the chassis, making cries of "you're holding it wrong" hopefully fade into obscurity. Still, it's not the first time we've seen Cupertino reaching for digit recognition and we're sure it won't be the last, so we'll just file away our enthusiasm until or unless Jobs announces it on stage.
InputDynamics makes dumbphones smarter with tap-to-touch tech
You can't afford a proper QWERTY keyboard on your phone, much less a expansive multitouch slate. What to do? Well, if a UK startup named InputDynamics has its way, you'll just tap on any surface of your handset. The company's developed a piece of software called TouchDevice that uses a phone's embedded microphone to analyze the acoustics inside, reacting to your finger's impact on the surface with a touchscreen-like input on the device. New Scientist reports that's not all, as the algorithms can also be fine tuned for detect scratches and swipes for scrolling and zoom, and the company's in talks with "tier-one handset manufacturers" to license the program even as we speak. You'll forgive us if we're a bit skeptical, though -- if this truly requires only software and works on any surface, why not release an app to tap the backs of our Droids, BlackBerrys and iPhones?
Xbox 360's transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video
Boy, we've gone from rumor to hands-on experience in just a couple of days with this thing. Microsoft's November 9-bound Xbox 360 controller refresh couldn't escape the clutches of Joystiq, who have put together a neat photo gallery and video overview. That chrometastic new D-pad is clearly the headliner here, and the early feedback is that it works well -- it takes a bit of effort to transform from a flat button to the elevated four-way navigator you see above, but that's apparently a good thing as it means you'll never flip modes by accident in the middle of a hot and heavy gaming session. The analog buttons have also been subjected to some nipping and tucking and there is of course a new desaturated color scheme to explore as well. You'll find a shot of the retail packaging after the break and a lot more at the source. Update: Video now embedded after the break.
Microsoft Kinect starts making home deliveries to beta testers
As beta testing programs go, Microsoft's Kinect venture has been kind of... leaky. No surprises, therefore, that we've now received our first in-the-plastic pictures of the motion-tracking camera peripheral, replete with a few select shots of its packaging. Redmond's promise that hardware was en route to testers was clearly not a hollow one, and we can now probably expect a bunch more unauthorized disclosures about the user experience with what should be final retail units. The outside of the packaging includes a couple of teasers encouraging users to pick up some of those bodacious PDP stands and wall mounts for their Kinect -- presumably the start of a tidal wave of Kinect accessories. %Gallery-101257%
Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse seriously, finally, officially announced, doesn't ship until December
After the overt teasing, leaking, and then more leaking, Microsoft's finally ready to spit out the details on its Arc Touch Mouse, which at the end of the day is really just... a mouse. As we've seen, the peripheral has an incredibly unique design -- the flat device arches its back to click into a mountain shape, which actually ends up powering the little rodent up. So, where does the whole "touch" factor come into play? Well, very similarly to the Mad Catz Eclipse mouse, the Arc Touch has a capacitive touch strip with sensor pads between the mouse buttons that can be used for scrolling and customizable shortcuts. We've got you covered with some hands-on impressions and video after the break, but that's about all you'll be getting for a while since the press release below says the $69.95 mouse won't hit the market until December. Yep, December! That's a bit odd to us, but they'll be taking pre-orders today so hit the break to finally see this thing push the cursor around.%Gallery-100833% %Gallery-100834%
PlayStation designer explains what the controller symbols mean, dishes a bit of history
Teiyu Goto, the man responsible for saving us from that kidney-shaped disaster above and delivering us the splendid original PlayStation's controller, has sat down for a little chat with Famitsu over in Japan. Involved in the PlayStation project almost from its inception, the designer played a pivotal role in shifting Sony away from its Nintendo copycat ways and into the world of handle-equipped button pads. Moreover, his brainbox is the one responsible for coming up with the now legendary geometric button icons adorning the PS controller's buttons. Here's how Goto explains their meaning: the circle and x represent yes and no, respectively, the triangle symbolizes a point of view, and the square is equated to a sheet of paper, there to be used to access menus. Frankly, given the backlog of memories we have built up with those keys, this explanation leaves us a little high and dry, couldn't he have made up some dragon-slaying stories? Hit the source below for the whole interview, it's well worth the read.
Logitech's Wireless Illuminated K800 keyboard boasts ambient light and proximity sensors, costs $100
It wasn't too long ago that we were pondering the relative scarcity of backlit desktop keyboards, so let's all warmly welcome a new entrant into this niche category. The K800 from Logitech picks up where the wired Illuminated Keyboard left off: it has the requisite inflated price, adjustable and intelligent illumination to please functionalists, and a dagger-like profile for aesthetes. Ambient light sensors will align the keyboard's brightness to your environment, while proximity detectors will only flip the switch when your hands are in position to start writing. There's also a Micro USB cable to refresh your battery when it starts running low -- it's rated for up to 10 days of wireless use -- but whether this whole package of smart convenience is worth the $99.99 we'll leave up to you. The K800 should be shipping out later this month, and you can find out more about it in the press release after the break.
Microsoft Research reveals RearType, puts QWERTY back where it belongs
We've seen a few wacky split keyboards in our day, and even the occasional back-typing peripheral, but Microsoft Research has just congealed the core ideas into a why-didn't-I-think-of-that device for mobile use. Dubbed RearType, the QWERTY solution literally sticks a three-row keyboard on the back of a tablet PC, allowing users to have the same physical sensation as on laptop or desktop without taking up valuable touchscreen real estate. While there's still a few kinks to be worked out of the system (like how to set it down without triggering input) and no plans yet for commercial availability, a brief study showed users could attain 15WPM speeds on average with a single hour of training, and one participant managed to eke out a healthy 47WPM in the same timeframe. We imagine a certain Motorola device is feeling a mite jealous right about now. See the front of the (non-Microsoft) tablet right after the break, and read the full study at our more coverage link.
Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse rumor resurfaces, expected in September for $69.95 (updated)
It was almost exactly a month ago that we reported on swirling rumors of Microsoft pulling together a multitouch-capable mouse to call its own, while earlier this week we saw the company's Twitter feed enlivened with teasers of a mysterious new touch-input device. Coincidence? No chance, says Neowin, whose insider source confirms the Arc Touch Mouse moniker and also adds that launch is expected in September. It's said this peripheral will come with just basic touch functionality initially, with multitouch presumably being thrown in via a later update. Sounds like Microsoft's version of the Magic Trackpad, though the Mouse part of its name suggests it'll also be able to track around your desktop like a more conventional rodent as well. That'd certainly offer more versatility than the stationary Apple option, but we have our doubts about the ergonomics of using a flat mouse over long periods of time. More should be known soon, provided @msfthardware keeps feeling loquacious. Update: Never mind waiting for MSFT to tell us, the Arc Touch Mouse has appeared in a reseller's price list with an MSRP a few cents south of $70 -- right in line with Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse pricing.
Magic Trackpad review
Apple's Magic Trackpad isn't the first of its kind -- in fact, Wacom has been playing this game for awhile -- but it's the first of its kind from the cats in Cupertino, so obviously people take notice. The premise of such a device is stupidly simple: it's a laptop trackpad that lives on your desktop. Over the past few years, there have been rumors that Steve Jobs has his sights set on eliminating buttons from Apple products altogether, and this certainly feels like the next step in the plan. But does it make sense? Is this an improvement over standard input devices like a mouse or trackball? More importantly, in the age of iPads and netbooks, does anyone even need an external input device like this? We're going to try and answer those questions (and more), so read on for our full review! %Gallery-98289%
Swiftpoint's tiny mouse finally up for pre-order, shipping in August
It's been a long couple of years since we last heard from Swiftpoint, but the company is back with a (tiny) bang and introducing its eponymous ultraportable mouse. Touting a pen-like grip, tilt-scrolling, and a 30 to 40 percent better efficiency than your touchpad, this little thumb accessory wants to be seen as the solver of an eternal problem -- namely, getting all the utility of a desktop rodent without having to deal with its full size. Whether it lives up to that lofty goal will require some fingers-on time to determine, but the Swiftpoint does a very credible job on the battery front: it can turn a 30-second charge into an hour's use and can last 3 to 4 weeks on a fully juiced cell. It all sounds quite appealing, but be prepared for some sticker shock as the pre-order price is £67 in the UK or $70 in the USA... and that's with a 10 percent early bird discount included. We might just wait till these hit the sales before grabbing one. [Thanks, Patrick]
Synaptics extends multitouch Gesture Suite to Linux, Chrome OS included
Well, it had to happen at some point. After eons of watching Mac OS and Windows users swiping away nonchalantly on their touchpads, Linux laptop buyers can now also join the multitouch fray. Synaptics has announced official Gesture Suite support for a wide range of Linux-based OS flavors -- Fedora, Ubuntu, RedFlag, SuSE, and Xandros get name-dropped, while future support for Chrome OS is promised -- which will all benefit from its set of multi-fingered touch and swipe responses. The infamous pinch-to-zoom is quite naturally included in the Suite, which will come bundled with new installations of those operating systems. We're not seeing any mention of a downloadable update as yet, but we imagine that'll be corrected in due course, whether by the company itself or the resourceful Linux community. Full PR after the break.
Toe Mouse!
You know what, the more we look at this thing, the less crazy we think it is. While the concept of mousing around your desktop on foot may appear foreign at first, we imagine we can get used to it after a while. Not that it's designed for lazybones like us anyway, as the wireless Toe Mouse concept is primarily intended to help out people with upper limb disabilities, who aren't able to navigate in the usual manner. Just to score some extra flair points, designer Liu Yi also points out it has a "streamline model that symbolizes the motorboat surfing the internet." So it's not just practical, it's also poetic. Click the source link for more pictures of this flip flop-inspired creation.
Logitech brings out Wireless Desktop MK710 with a claimed three-year battery life
Logitech raised a few eyebrows with the longevous battery life on the MK700, and for its encore the company is bringing even more endurance with a claimed three-year battery life for both the keyboard and mouse -- a feat it claims to have been first to achieve. Aggressive power-saving algorithms are the purported reason you won't have to swap out the AA cells for a cool 36 months, but Logitech is quick to reassure us that these optimizations won't be causing any unseemly lag. It's also quite boastful about the MK710 coming equipped with its teeny Unifying receiver to really minimize peripheral clutter. If only the keyboard wasn't the size of a spaceship's dashboard, we too might have been interested in dishing out the $99 and saying farewell to our wires. Either way, the combo is hitting Europe this month with Americans having to wait a bit for an April launch.
Apple patent filings outline input device gestures, solar iPods and iPhones
Apple's reputation as an innovator doesn't seem to be waning at all. Two recent patent applications published Thursday on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site show that Apple is dreaming of new gestures using input devices and solar-powered iPods and iPhones. These applications are just a few of a recent parade of patents we've been following. While these are just filings for patent protection and not actual products, Thursday's "Methods and Apparatus for Processing Combinations of Kinematical Inputs" filing is very intriguing in light of the upcoming announcements. As described in the filing, "Some embodiments of the present invention therefore enable a user to provide a series of gestures as input to the receiving device. Such gestures may include, for example, brushing motions, scooping motions, nudges, tilt and slides, and tilt and taps. The application can then respond to each gesture (or gesture combination) in any number of ways." Hmmm... using a mouse on a "receiving device?" That could be an interesting way to perform tasks on a tablet device. We've heard some rumors about the tablet that describe new gestures that may take a bit of getting used to, and perhaps some of those are made to use a mouse in the manner described in the filing. It's also apparent that Apple is quite interested in making devices with virtually unlimited battery life. Another filing unveiled on Thursday, titled "Power Management Circuitry and Solar Cells," describes power management circuitry allowing portable devices like the iPod and iPhone to operate on solar power. The application details how both solar and battery power sources can be used to power the devices, using switches to reconfigure solar cells on the fly so that the device receives a constant voltage even when some cells are "shadowed" by a hand. How about it, TUAW readers? Are you ready for a solar-powered tablet you can tap, brush, and nudge with a solar mouse? It could happen some day, although these are patentable ideas and not actual products. [via MacRumors]
Puyocon mouse reacts to being squeezed, thrown, gyrated (video)
The Puyocon isn't about to swoop in and replace your trusty old two-dimensional laser pointing mousie just yet, but we're always suckers for bizarre input peripherals. Demonstrated by Tsukuba University at Siggraph Asia 2009 last month, it is a soft and squeezable ball that offers a quirky new spin on the old airborne controller idea. Differing from the Wii Remote in the fact that it won't break your HDTV (or itself) if it slips out of your hand, the spongy ball operates on the basis of a three-way accelerometer and 14 pressure sensors in order to give detailed multidimensional information to the system it's controlling. That's probably overkill for the humble computer desktop, but there might be hope for the Puyocon becoming a commercial reality through games that make use of all its input points -- after all, if there's room for the Wiiwaa, why not the Puyocon too? See it in action after the break.
Titanium Mouse by Intelligent Design costs $1,200, might be worth a little less
No matter how bad the global economy gets, you can always rely on there being a select few people with (a lot) more money than sense. Exclusively for them, Dutch outfit Intelligent Design has put together this handcrafted Bluetooth laser mouse, which boasts a neodymium scroll wheel, high quality plastic resin and a grade 1 titanium body. We didn't know you could handcraft titanium and we challenge anyone to explain what neodymium has to do with good input ergonomics, but then maybe that just shows how little we know about luxurious items like this. So, if you have $1,200 (or €800 in Old World money) to spare, why not add this unnamed mouse to your shopping list, just under the Mnemosyne USB drive? More snaps can be found after the break. [Via HardOCP]
