October 9 - 4:50pm EDT   Laptop computers must rely on trackpads to save space. While many people are perfectly happy using a trackpad, many more prefer using a mouse for greater control and comfort. Carrying an ordinary desktop mouse can be cumbersome due to its size and cord length, while special mice for laptops are often compressed in size to make them easier to carry. If you prefer to use a mouse with your laptop without making any compromises, consider Microsoft’s Arc Mouse. [full story]

October 6 - 3:50pm EDT   Every laptop user needs a built-in trackpad to control the pointer on the screen. While trackpads are adequate when traveling, they’re not always as convenient as a separate mouse. If you prefer using a mouse over a trackpad, you could carry an ordinary mouse with you. However, a mouse designed for a desktop computer may be too large and the long cord may be a nuisance to untangle and plug in each time. For a special mouse designed for traveling, consider Microsoft’s Explorer Mini Mouse. [full story]

May 21 - 1:15pm EDT   Logitech has announced a new mouse for notebooks, the V450 Nano. The mouse uses a laser sensor to achieve greater precision than optical mice, and like other Nanos operates wirelessly, using a tiny 2.4GHz receiver that plugs into a notebook's USB 2.0 port. This receiver can also be stored inside the mouse, in order to prevent it from being knocked out of a notebook during travel. Controls include left and right buttons plus a scrollwheel. [full story]

May 19 - 8:55pm EDT   3Dconnexion has announced that its SpaceExplorer 3D mouse is now supported by Mac OS X 10.4.6 and later, allowing Mac users to use the tool to navigate through popular 3D application workspaces. By pulling, pushing, tilting, and spinning the SpaceExplorer's 3D mouse cap, designers can move through 3D scenes and worlds without stopping to select commands. A subtle increase or decrease in cap pressure accelerates or slows motion, enabling precise micro-adjustments. The device also sports function keys to program highly-used functions and keyboard modifiers, as well as an ergonomically designed palm rest for a comfortable command console. [full story]

April 15 - 7:00pm EDT   The US Patent and Trademark Office today published five Apple patents that have been granted: one for the Mighty Mouse, an iPod lanyard, a Digital-to-Analogue Converter, an Exceptional Situation Manager, as well as one for a device which has yet to be seen in an Apple product. According to the report, the device could be a media player, storage device, or other mobile device. Other theories could indicate the device to be a "smart" media remote, an updated design of the iPod nano or Shuffle, among others. [full story]

April 9 - 5:10pm EDT   For most people, a mouse or trackpad is all they need to choose commands or navigate their way around a user interface. However, for anyone involved in computer-aided design (CAD), architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), geographic information systems (GIS), or any other application that offers a 3D interface, an ordinary mouse or trackpad may be too clumsy to use, requiring multiple clicks just to do a simple task. For those who need a more intuitive way to navigate through 3D interfaces, 3dconnexion offers a mouse specifically designed for laptops, called the SpaceNavigator. [full story]

February 28 - 6:20pm EST   Boinx Software today released Mousepose 3, a utility designed for presentations that dims the screen and places a spotlight on the mouse pointer. The latest release introduces Window Highlighting, expanding the focus for highlighting purposes when users hover the mouse over a window. MousePose 3 also adds Mouse Click Visualization with a more elegant animation as well as audible click feedback. The software is available for $17 as a single user license, while new Family licenses are priced at $30 and support up to five Macs in a household. The software requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later. [full story]

February 27 - 10:15pm EST   Premium mouse manufacturer Razer will unveil a new mouse in almost six days time, according to a vague teaser located at Speedofthelight.com. A brief flash of a curvaceous mouse glides across a black background as lights whizz by, briefly illuminating the pointing device. A message that reads "Speed of the Light" – with "the" wedged between the words "of" and "Light" – appears for a moment before fading to "4 March 2008, stay tuned for details", and a small counter, counting down to the aforementioned time. [full story]

January 7 - 11:05am EST   Targus today unveiled a set of new laptop-centric products – the Velos Messenger bag, the Stow-N-Go mouse, the HeatDefense pad, Travel Power Outlets, and DEFCON privacy filters – as well as LCD mounting arms, and a mobile speaker system for MP3 players. The Velos Messenger bag comes in three color styles: chocolate with a chocolate-aqua strap, charcoal with black-lime green strap, and wheat with mushroom-orange strap. Laptops are fully cushioned from both sides, and are protected by a neoprene sleeve. Up to a 15.4-inch laptop can be used with the bag, and the extra removable strap can be exchanged with other Velos owners to make new color combinations. Targus will sell ... [full story]