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Scientists create false memories in mice, cause rodent-style Inception
A group of MIT researchers (we assume they're all Philip K. Dick fans) have successfully implanted false memories in the minds of mice, according to a study published in the journal Science. This "mouseception" experiment was designed to examine the phenomenon called false memory syndrome, in which the brain concocts recollections of events that have never happened. By manipulating the memory engram–bearing cells in the hippocampus, the research team convinced a few unsuspecting mice that they had experienced a shock to their feet when one had never actually occurred. One can only assume that after finessing this false memory implantation, the next logical step is going into the mice's dreams and stealing all their secrets. Christopher Nolan would be so proud. Or horrified. Jury's still out.
MSI's MouseBook is a laptop whose trackpad doubles as a standalone mouse
The problem with laptop trackpads: they're usually not very good. But would turning the touchpad into a mouse solve the problem? Perhaps. That's what MSI seems to be attempting with its MouseBook concept. In essence, it's a laptop with a trackpad that can pop out and then be used as a standalone mouse. As you can see in the photo above, there's a release switch for removing the pad. Once it's out, you can move it across your desk as you would a mouse, as opposed to just using it as an external trackpad. It connects over Bluetooth and, as you'd expect, it recharges when it's inside the laptop. What we find most intriguing, perhaps, is the fact that when you remove the trackpad, a flat surface rises up to fill the space so that you're not left with a gaping hole in your palm rest. Since this is just an experiment at this point, MSI can't say if it will ever make its way into a real product. If you're curious, though, we've got a walkthrough video after the break, showing everything except, uh, how it works -- MSI still doesn't have a fully functioning unit to show off.%Gallery-190243%
Microsoft's Sculpt Mobile Mouse and Sculpt Comfort Mouse have built-in Start buttons, arrive in the coming weeks
File this under "things we could have sworn already existed." Microsoft just announced two mice, the Sculpt Mobile Mouse and Sculpt Comfort Mouse, and believe it or not, this marks the first time Redmond has made a pointing device with a hotkey for the Windows 8 Start screen. In addition to bringing up the Start Menu, you can use it return to the desktop, all without having to hit the keyboard. While the Mobile Mouse has just the Start key and a scroll wheel, though, the bigger Comfort Mouse takes things a step further: the button there doubles as a capacitive surface you can swipe to toggle through open programs in Windows 8. If you swipe that strip the other way, you can also bring up a list of open applications running along the left-hand side of the screen. Note: the Comfort Mouse's Start button is located on the left, meaning it was clearly designed for righties. Or, you know, someone with a strong left pinky. Some other differences: the Mobile Mouse requires a dongle, whereas the Comfort uses Bluetooth. Oh, and the Comfort has a more ergonomic shape, too, but you probably gathered that just by glancing at the name. Expect the Mobile version to go on sale first -- it'll hit shelves later this month for $30. The Comfort model will arrive in June, with a higher MSRP of $40. In the meantime, we've got some hands-on photos (heh) for you to check out.%Gallery-188349%
Logitech G series now available: Gaming keyboards and mice for Mac
We heard way back in January that Logitech was possibly planning to bring its gaming peripherals to the Mac, and that's exactly what's happened. Logitech has announced that its G series of keyboards and mice, designed to entice gamers with features like lots of extra customizable buttons, backlighting and even a separate LCD screen on the keyboard, will have support included for OS X on the Mac. Officially, the Mac support is coming with six new models, which are set to be available in stores later on this month. But you can download Mac versions of Logitech's Gaming Software from its website right now, so if you have one of these gaming accessories already, chances are you can get some extra functionality out of it right away. My guess is that these keyboards and mice already worked with the Mac (Apple's done a great job making compatibility easy), but you'll now be able to take advantage of all of the extra functions that these "G" devices offer. Logitech's gaming line also includes items like gamepads, joysticks and headsets, but the company is only supporting these keyboards and mice for now. Maybe in the future we'll see company-wide support for the Mac operating system.
Iron Man mouse fuels your hot-rod red obsession, is all about the next mission
Whether you're looking to instill fear in the hearts of enemies at LAN, or just want to edit spreadsheets in style, this Iron Man mouse will do everything a normal mouse can... just cooler. To capitalize on hype for the third installment of the superhero film franchise, Japanese company e-blue (aka E-3LUE) has released this gold and hot-rod red peripheral with Tony Stark's blessing (read: under official Marvel license). Two AAA batteries power the wireless mouse (some say an Arc reactor was too expensive, and fictional), which has a resolution of 1000 dpi and, most importantly, light-up eyes. For 699 Chinese yuan (roughly $113), you also get a "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart" presentation case to show it off in. We're not sure whether e-blue's mouse will make it over to the States, but instead of worrying about that, check out the Iron Man 3 trailer below to inject some excitement into Monday morning. Can we have a War Machine version now, please? [Image Credit: PCPOP]
What are your gaming peripherals?
Recently Frostheim AKA Brian Wood recommended peripherals for use with playing WoW over on Warcraft Hunters Union. He detailed which mouse, keyboard and headset he uses and why. He eschews anything wireless as a fraction of a delay can mean life or death in certain in-game situations. Personally, I agree with him. Though I dislike the inconvenience of being wired to my computer, I also have a non-wireless mouse, keyboard, and headset -- all of mine Logitech. I'd like to upgrade to trying out Steelseries or Razer, but my pocketbook hasn't allowed for that. I can say that my peripherals have taken a beating over the years and are still working fine, if a bit disheveled. I also concur with Frostheim's opinion that gaming keyboards should be lit, for ease in seeing the keys in low light. If you tend to use keyboards until they fall apart like I do, illuminated keyboards have the added benefit of not having the letters rub off. My daughter's hand-me-down keyboard is missing several letters, and she isn't a touch typist (yet). I guess it's time we upgraded her. How about you? What are your gaming peripherals? Can you recommend them or are you just slumming it until you can afford something better?
The Daily Grind: Do you like game-branded peripherals?
One of the unusual perks of being a game journalist is that you acquire a set of branded and unique USB flash drives. Aside from the pictured Final Fantasy XIV drive (which is far and away the strangest flash drive I've ever seen), I also have a World of Tanks die-cast USB drive that I'm quite fond of. Of course, it no longer contains any data even remotely related to World of Tanks, which makes all of that branding on the outside a lie. For this reason I'm always a bit iffy on using peripherals that have prominent branding for specific games. I'd feel pretty ridiculous if I were using a World of Warcraft-branded mouse at the moment when I'm not playing the game, for instance. But what about you? Do you like game-branded peripherals, or do you prefer that your computer accessories are neutral and perhaps even austere? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Spicebox's Mauz aims to make your iPhone an all-in-one controller
One of the weirdest devices I've seen so far here at Macworld is Spicebox's Mauz controller. The company recently started a Kickstarter for the project (their second, after a case that tracks your opening of multiple beers called the Intoxicase), but even though that campaign hasn't yet come anywhere close to the US$150,000 goal, the unit is already being prototyped and built by the company. It works like this: The company has produced a little box (only a prototype so far, though Spicebox told me that the circuits inside have been finalized and are headed to production already) that will plug into your iPhone's 30-pin adapter. I didn't see a Lightning version, but presumably it's being worked on as well. Once that unit is plugged in, it connects via WiFi to a driver running on your Mac, which Spicebox is right in the middle of developing. The unit on your iPhone will use the WiFi connection to send information about movement bidirectionally, so not only can your phone tell your computer how it wants to move the mouse or keyboard, but the computer can tell the mouse, for example, what app has gained focus, or what kind of gestures should become available on the phone. There are four different ways the phone sends control information, then. The first is just through the touchscreen itself -- as you can see above, the default look of the phone imitates two mouse buttons and a wheel, and those work just fine when you tap them. On the bottom of the plug-in accessory, there's also a (low-power, says Spicebox) mouse laser, so the device can tell when you move it around on a mousepad surface. So at the very minimum, your phone can work as a tabletop mouse when the accessory is plugged in. But of course that's not all. The little accessory also hooks into the iPhone to grab gyroscope and accelerometer movement, so the developers are working on allowing you to do Wii remote-style movement, where you can move the iPhone around in real space to push or pull around elements on your computer's screen. This function wasn't working when I saw it here in the booth at Macworld, but its makers say development is still well underway and they hope to have it up and running soon. Finally, there's one more method of control with the Mauz. That mode uses the iPhone's front-facing camera (while it's sitting face up on a flat surface) to read live video of your hand passing by, and attempts to turn that into 2D movement (so, for example, you'd swipe your hand in front of the iPhone to spin a Google Earth globe). Spicebox even wants to try and track 3D movement (so you'd move your hand toward or away from the phone as it's lying down to push things in or out of the screen). That function was at least working on the show floor, but not in a usable way: The Spicebox guys were waving their hands back and forth above the prototype phone, with very little movement to see on the screen. So there's a lot of work yet to be done. Spicebox says the unit's inner electronics are finalized, but the casing outside of the device is still being prototyped and developed. The software is still a work in progress as well. Spicebox says the beta for the device should hopefully start sometime in April, and then they're hoping to have everything finalized and ready to go later on this year. I was told the company is aiming for a price "in the $60 range, and I believe we'll get there," said one of the company's founders, Gilad Meiri. Mauz is definitely an interesting idea. I have my doubts about how exactly the implementation will work, and while the company has some big plans, they're still very much in the prototype stage, especially in the software department. But I won't discourage anyone from dreaming big: If Spicebox can iron out the hardware and get the software to do what they want it to do easily and responsively, the Mauz accessory could be very useful indeed.
Beta test reveals Logitech planning to support OS X
OnlineBeta.com lists callouts for beta testers. A recent listing has revealed that accessory maker Logitech is planning to expand its support for OS X. In the listing, Logitech asks for help testing out its various gaming keyboards and mice on OS X, offering up public software for more configurability and precision with its various tools. This is great news for us Mac gamers. Logitech has been making great mice, keyboards and joysticks for years now, but the company has primarily focused on Windows computers (mostly because PCs are traditionally more targeted at gaming). In the past few years, however, gaming on the Mac has definitely grown in popularity, and it looks like Logitech is ready to start working on compatibility for its products.
Razer updates Orochi mouse with new laser, longer battery life
It's nearly vacation time, you've got your second-gen Razer Blade nestled in wrapping paper below the Festivus pole, and all you need is a fancy new mouse to go along with that fancy new gaming laptop. Razer's apparently got you covered in that department as well, refreshing its Orochi wireless gaming mouse just in time for the upcoming holiday. Sporting a new laser with a 6400 dpi 4G sensor, Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity (as well as wired support) and 30 hours of advertised battery life on two AAs (double the previous model), the Orochi promises to "take out the competition with deadly accuracy." Here's hoping Razer's not talking about beating your opponents to death with the mouse, and just means that figuratively. The company's already got the new Orochi up for sale on its website for $69.99 / €69.99, which we'd suggest heading to sooner than later should you want to beat the holiday madness.
Mad Catz R.A.T. mice get three new paint schemes just in time for the holidays
Ever since Batman popularized the matte finish with his snazzy Batsuit, product designers have gone Bat-crazy over the finish choice. Today, Mad Catz pushes back on that new normal, re-introducing its R.A.T. line of gaming mice in three new, glossy colors: white, red, and (yes, another) black. That includes the entire R.A.T. line, from the R.A.T.3 to the M.M.O.7 and everything in between. And those new colors are already available from Mad Catz, anxiously awaiting wrapped boxes and new computers equipped with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Oh the sectoids you'll kill!
Alt-week 27.10.12: ancient texts, super-Earths and special-ops mice
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. If, like us, you struggle to read the front of the Corn Flakes box of a morning, you likely gave up any hope of cracking ancient codes long ago. If you didn't, however, then your time might be now -- as one of the oldest scripts know to man is still up for grabs. Prefer just to observe? No problem, as we've got super-Earth-searching satellites, military mice and vertical farms, all for your viewing reading pleasure. If you hadn't guessed already, this is alt-week
Microsoft Touch Mouse gets promised Windows 8 support, works like a Charm
Microsoft vowed that its Touch Mouse would get Windows 8 support in time for the software's big release day, and it's being very true to its word by posting the relevant update with less than a week to go. Mouse and Keyboard Center 2.0 saves time for those not graced with a touchscreen by introducing multi-touch swipes that bring up Windows 8's Charm bar, switch between active apps and invoke Semantic Zoom. Will the Touch Mouse update trick you into thinking you have a Surface? No, but it's certainly much easier on the wallet.
IRL: Nuu SoftKey, MacBook Air and Thermaltake's eSports Cyclone Edition gaming mouse
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Welcome back! This week in real-life adventures with gadgetry, Sharif recommends an $80 gaming mouse and Dan pleads with you all not to buy a certain keyboard case for the iPad. As for Philip, he just purchased his first Apple product after years of buying Windows laptops and Zune players, which means he's got a little explaining to do.
Alt-week 10.13.12: is the Universe a simulation, cloning dinosaurs and singing mice
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. Are you reading this? Seriously, are you? Sure, we know you think you are, but what if you're just a sub-feature of a complex computer program. A sprite, nothing more than the creation of software. The problem with this question is, how would you ever know? You wouldn't, right? Well, not so fast there. Turns out, maybe there is a way to unravel the matrix (if there is one). It'll come as no surprise, that this is one of the topics in this week's collection of alternative stories. Think that's all we got? Not even close. We'll explore the truth behind cloning dinosaurs, as well a rare performance by singing mice -- all before dinner. Or is it really dinner? This is alt-week.
Logitech outs two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized for Windows 8
It'll be another two weeks before Windows 8 PCs go on sale, but if you like, you can pick out your gesture-enabled peripherals now. Logitech just announced two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized to support gestures in Windows 8. Starting with the mice, the Touch Mouse T620 has the same design as the M600 announced earlier this year, except it supports Win 8 gestures out of the box. (The M600 will get a software update allowing it to work the same way.) Similar to its predecessor, the T620's entire top surface is touch-enabled, which means you can do things like swipe the right side for the Charm Bar, or swipe from the left to rotate through open programs. You can also double tap with one finger to return to the Start Screen, and double tap with two fingers to show the desktop. Moving on, the Zone Touch Mouse T400 has a touch strip that you can use to move up and down through pages, as well as scroll through the live tiles on the Start Screen. In a brilliant twist, though, the touch strip itself is comprised of two buttons, which you can use to toggle open apps or bring up the Start Screen, depending on which end you press. Finally, the Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 is a Magic Trackpad-style touchpad with a spacious glass surface, which seemed impeccably responsive during our brief hands-on with it. Unlike the two mice, which run on AAs, the T650 has a rechargeable battery, which you can re-juice over USB. All of these accessories use proprietary 2.4GHz wireless technology instead of Bluetooth, which means you'll need a free USB port to accommodate the accompanying transceiver. The dongle can pair with up to six Logitech peripherals at once, but that's a bummer if you also happen to own gear made by a Microsoft or HP. As you might have guessed, these are compatible with Windows PCs only, though you could use them with Win 7 if you so chose. Look for all three this month, with the Touchpad T650 priced $80, the Touch Mouse at $70 and the T400 at $50.
Slickdeals' best in tech for September 24th: Dell UltraSharp display, 50-inch LG HDTV and a Canon Rebel T3 bundle
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long. Sometimes your gadget needs are a bit more diverse. For those who are in need of devices that do more than enhance your current computer, this round of links may be just what you're looking for. From living room speakers to a 50-inch plasma HDTV, there's a duo that could make football season more enjoyable. If you're home entertainment setup is already covered, perhaps a new 24-inch display or a digital SLR kit could get some use in your arsenal. Enough with the chatter, though, head on past the break to take a look -- but keep a careful eye on those discount codes and rebates.
HP unveils first NFC-enabled mouse, various other PC accessories
In addition to unveiling all those laptops, HP just announced a boatload of peripherals. Of the bunch, the most compelling might be the NFC-enabled Touch to Pair Mouse, which, as the name suggests, can be paired with another device simply through tapping. (Good thing lots of computers currently have NFC, right?) If, by chance, you don't have NFC on your laptop -- and you probably don't -- the mouse will function just fine as a regular old Bluetooth device. Look for it in November for $39. Elsewhere on the wireless mouse front, HP announced the X6000 (pictured), which has four-way tilt scrolling and can be used on most surfaces, including glass. That arrives this month for $59. Finally, if your tastes are a bit simpler, there's also the Wireless Mouse X4500 and X5500, which will be available this month for $29 and $39, respectively. Beyond mice, HP also trotted out the $29 Wireless Classic Desktop keyboard, along with the $49 Wireless Elite v2. For audio lovers, there's the HP Portable Bluetooth Speaker, which will go on sale next month for a cool $79. Eighty bucks (or thereabouts) will also get you a 90W universal power adapter that claims to be compatible with most notebooks. It also has a built-in USB port, allowing you to charge a mobile device at the same time. Rounding out the list is the Webcam HD 4310, a $69 $89 shooter capable of 1080p video, autofocus, autoexposure and three-way video calling. All that in more digestible form in the PR after the break.
Apple gets patent for universal batteries, edges closer to long-lasting wireless peripherals
These days, just about every Apple product is defined by a non-removable battery. It's with no small hint of irony, then, that Apple just received a US patent for a universal removable battery system. As proposed, the technique would let Apple cut batteries from lithium-polymer or similar materials into commonly sized packs that could then be swapped between devices, providing all the benefits of removable, rechargeable batteries with a longer lifespan than an old set of AAs. Batteries could have serviceable cores for when they finally give up the ghost, and computers could even alternate between charging the batteries (when plugged in) or using them to extend the runtime of MacBooks. We'd recommend against basing any purchasing strategy around Apple's filing, though. The Cupertino team originally applied for the patent in 2010, and in turn broke out the technology from a patent it had filed in 2007 -- there's no guarantees Apple is still interested in replacing those disposables, let alone any sealed-in batteries. That won't stop us from yearning for the day when a Magic Mouse lasts for more than a week of heavy use.
BMW and Thermaltake made this weird-lookin' gaming mouse (just look at it!)
Gaming mice aren't normally our jam here on Joystiq, but we'll make exceptions when something really interesting comes along. Take, for instance, the new 'Level 10' mouse from Thermaltake and ... BMW? That can't be right, hold on.Nope, it's BMW. Anyway, the mouse has five programmable buttons and a "Z-key" that lets the user swap through pre-programmed button configurations while playing. Additionally, the laser resolution can be adjusted from a default of 5,000 DPI up to 8,200. While not explicitly stated, we're assuming that BMW's designers are responsible for the brushed aluminum chassis and the top section's adjustable height/angle design.Surprisingly, the Level 10 doesn't cost eight times more than it should (like everything else with a BMW badge) and is available now at the peripheral retailer of your choice for a smooth $100.
