Very Exclusive Gadgets & Gizmos

Is it us, or does everything and anything Apple touches become gold? Take their mouse for instance – the Mighty Mouse doesn’t really have anything worth writing home about and it sucks as a gaming peripheral, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t functional. This time round, the Mighty Mouse has been usurped by the new Apple Magic Mouse which is powered by pixie dust. I jest – the Magic Mouse will be the first mouse in the world that boasts Apple’s revolutionary Multi-Touch technology which has already seen action on the iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpads to date.

Philips SPM9800 takes a different route since it hides a USB cord right under. We guess this makes it useable even when it has run out of battery, and would be even better when it can be charged via USB when plugged in. The mouse itself will feature Philip’s proprietary 360°TouchControl technology that enables it to continue functioning in the air when there is an absence of surface. Expect to see the Philips SPM9800 arrive in selected European markets for approximately $80 a pop.

The WOW-PEN ECO’s unique ergonomic design helps eliminate carpal tunnel stain. The WOW-PEN’s sleek and modern shape is the result of lengthy study and research by the award winning INNO DESIGN of Silicon Valley. Traditional mice put unnecessary stress on the user’s wrist and forearm with extended use–often leading to painful carpal tunnel stain. User fatigue is great reduced.

I was pretty fascinated when I first saw the Orbita Mouse a couple of months ago. I’m a fan of unusual mice, and the Orbita seemed to combine an ordinary computer mouse with the simplicity of a Griffin PowerMate so I had to have a look at one.

Always been a bit sceptical about these air-mouse things, but played around with this Loop Pointer product the other day and it actually worked well. The form factor makes it fit easily into the hand, and the buttons and wheel are all just a thumb press away. What’s more it works especially well for the television experience, pointing it at a distant screen just seemed natural. Mac and Windows compatible and priced at $99.00.

There’s only one thing better than a Skype Mouse and that’s a Skype Travel Mouse. This 800dpi USB mouse is also a VoIP slide-action handset with an LCD screen and keypad. It has a built-in mic and speaker with volume control so you can use it as a speaker phone or it can belt out your tunes when you’re not yakking. Don’t worry, you’ll only look slightly dorky talking into you mouse. AU$49.24.

The Evoluent VerticalMouse 3 is a great idea to solve some of the more uncomfortable aspects of computing with a mouse. When using a normal computer mouse the wrist position is pronated and twisted away from its natural position. The VerticalMouse 3 restores the position of the wrist and arm to the natural “handshake” position. The mouse has 5 programmable buttons, the scroll wheel has detents to allow easy line-by-line scrolling and the optical tracking can be adjusted from 800 dpi up to 2600 dpi so you can refine your mouse speed.

This Eco Mouse features a small green button which instantly punts your computer into stand-by mode. Apparently this little innovation will help save the planet, and in order to prove it the rodent comes with a bit of software which calculates just how much energy and money you’re saving. Fast route to a rosy, self-satisfied glow. £15.66.

Remember in the mid-nineties when all those ergonomic keyboards started coming out? I remember all of those consumers who thought: “hey, that just looks weird”. This is exactly my thought when I first saw the Combimouse.

I mean, look at the half of the keyboard on the right, it looks like an arrow pointing to the left half! Actually, the purpose of that right side is to slide around on your desk just like your mouse, only without the shifting of your hand to click anything.

Microsoft has rolled out two BlueTrack Technology mice, the Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000 and the Wireless Mouse 5000. The BlueTrack Technology designed to work on any surface, including smooth and shiny surfaces such as granite, marble and even carpets. The Wireless Mouse 6000($50) featuring Microsoft's first nano transceiver, is only 0.8 centimeters from the USB port that remain plugged into the computer. The Wireless Mouse 5000($40) is also in sleek, ambidextrous design.