Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

I’m sure all of you who work on computers run the terrible risk of carpel tunnel syndrome, or repetitive stress injury, also known as RSI. 

I know there have been times I have been working late, and I shake my wrists after feeling the pain.  However, maybe I can get the Alien mouse. 

The Alien mouse is inspired by great ergonomics, and designed by Mizanur Rahman.  The mouse is designed to support the wrist, and can even be adjusted for a customized fit. 

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A few years ago futurologists predicted that the future led in movement (or gesture) recognition and they have most certainly been proved right. Quite a few major products on the market, such as the wii or iPhone use gesture recognition to manipulate images, text and obviously games. However for the PC, the gesture recognition movement has passed by without any real difference, until a small young company came up with this ingenious piece of software.

Not much is known about the specifics of the software, as the only real information is the video (above) that has been circulating the internet. However the general idea is that the software uses any webcam to locate and select an object (e.g. a colored stick or bottle) which it then monitors for 3D movement. This is then converted into whatever form is necessary, such as that for a mouse, a gun in FPS games or a steering wheel.

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Product: Sandio 3D Game O2 mouse (aka 3D Motion Controller with Laser Gaming Mouse)
Price: $79.99
Rating: 5.5/10
Pros: A good core laser mouse, comfortable wrist attachment, programmable mini joysticks and cool lookin’ lights.
Cons: Not as plug-and-play as promised with certain programs. Programming interface is not very intuitive. Some ergonomic issues as well.
Overall: As a regular mouse, this works pretty well but the 3D components are more awkward than necessary. Only consider buying if you have a specific non-gaming 3D need, forgiving hands, a strong wrist and lots of patience.

In a 2D computer screen world, it can really become a pain in the wrist to try and navigate virtual 3D environments. Sure, VRML has pretty much dissolved from the world wide web but videogames, Second Life and even Google World still provide some pretty cool 3D goodness you’ll want to easily navigate.

Enter an innovative take on the computer mouse, Sandio’s 3D Game O2. It relies several mini joysticks that, when used together, are meant to help more naturally navigate through 3D environments. The concept may be great but the execution is a bit lacking especially for gamers.

Read [Gamertell]

The point of anything that doesn’t work as advertised always evades me, and the case of this USB mouse speaker is no exception. Worth $14 and an ounce of your patience, Brando’s USB mouse speaker will play music from any iPod, PC, laptop, CD player, mobile phone or any other compatible sound source via a standard 3.5mm plug. It has a handy switch for turning it On/Off, as well as for adjusting the volume. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers it, and a complimentary neck strap is even included in the box for added “convenience” and “portability”. It’s got the basic features of your average portable speaker covered so far, but one thing it doesn’t do it act as a real computer mouse. I guess the exterior was done all in the name of style, then. If you can call its violet “headlights” stylish.

Via [GeekAlerts] Via [Coolest-Gadgets]

Asus has just released a new travel mouse that in design is similar to a large tube of lipstick or a block from the game Jenga, with it’s miniature design and compact buttons the MS71 still allows for the basic functions of every mouse with two buttons and a scroll wheel. If you look closer you’ll find the the back portion of this little guy pops off and plugs into your computer which acts as the wireless transmitter for the mouse, and also at the same time acts as a thumb drive. The storage capacity of this device is unclear at this point but with the increasing storage in micro devices these days I would not be surprised to see a few gigs in there. Personally I’m wondering how practical this travel mouse really is, I could see maybe for very light use and for people with smaller hands and such but for someone like me with larger hands I don’t see this playing into my life any time soon. 

Via [New Launches]

This new mouse by Thanko literally does suck, it sucks up all the dust and other junk around your computer space. It’s weird when two different types of technologies combine, sometimes they make cool new products, and sometimes they don’t. I’m not sure which case this is, as sometimes it could be practical, and other times, not so practical.

Otherwise, this USB Vacuum mouse looks like and functions like an ordinary mouse, it connects via USB 1.1, comes with a 800dpi sensor, and 3 buttons. It comes with a little switch to change it from a normal mouse to a sucking mouse. I guess if your workspace always manages to get dirty, then you might want to consider purchasing this to clean up any small messes.

Via [Everything USB]

Boy, it seems like when Microsoft finds something they’re good at, they milk it dry, doesn’t it? Well, this is definitely holding true for their line of Laser mice, as today, they have added the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and 7000 to their already expansive line.

The 6000 is the more mobile-centric of the two devices, as it uses a 2.4Ghz receiver, that snaps into the mouse. It’s powered by one AAA battery, which should last you quite awhile, given the mouse’s relative small size. The 7000 (pictured above) uses rechargeable Li-ion batteries, making the whole mouse a little bigger. You can also charge the 7000 with its included charging dock. Both mice have Microsoft’s HD Lasers and Vista buttons. The Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and 7000 will retail for $50 and $70, respectively, in March of this year.

Read [GearLog]

Ever wish you could mold your mouse into any shape you pleased? Well, there is a new concept, winner of the Red Dot Design Award 2007, called the Moldable Mouse, developed by Lite-On Technology that will let you do just that. The mouse itself is made out of clay covered with polyurethane and nylon which allows the user to transform the mouse into just about any shape you may want. The base of the mouse houses the electronics and the batteries and the buttons aren’t conventional ones, but RFID stickers, this way the user can place them wherever his/her heart desires. Unfortunately this is still a concept but hopefully a manufacturer will pick up the design and start mass-producing this ergonomically-friendly device.

Via [Techpin]

For those that still prefer to use a mousepad (myself included) but really hate the small size and find yourself going over the edge at times, this new desktop sized pad may be a good option to consider.

The extra large mousepad is from Ratscar and offers a 35.4-inch x 17.17-inch space, which should be large enough to keep your mouse on the pad along with your keyboard. Its made from a high-precision cloth with a non-slip backing that should also add a little extra comfort for your wrist as you type away.

Its about 10 times larger than your average mousepad, which is a good thing, the drawback is that it retails for $40, which is also about 10 times more than your average mousepad.

Product [Ratscar] Via [SlashGear]

There were many gamer-friendly gadgets at this year’s CES but, due to technological limits and simple human exhaustion, we couldn’t quite get them all on Gadgetell.

Here a reduced version of the list I compiled for my local CiN Weekly column featuring the better gaming gadgets and announcements from CES 2007.  Read on for the list…

• Razer Reclusa gaming keyboard with gold-plated USB plug


• Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse


• Nyko WiiMote charger

• Nyko PS3 wireless controller charger (4 controllers at one time)

• Novint Tech.’s Falcon 3D controller, maybe the weirdest item I found. The pointed mouse floats on robot arms and gives back a bit of resistance so it feels like you are touching the items on your computer.


• Alienware m9750 laptop (bling and caching)

• TDVision Systems’ 3D visor that turns any 2D video into 3D


• Samsung’s Series 53 and 54 LCD HDTVs with increased viewing angles and extras ports for game systems.

• HotSeat Chassis with a metal frame, 23 in. LCD HD widescreen monitors and surround sound. Pricey but dern cool. Frame only kit is $600, full setup can cost $4000.


• PCGamerBike to power your PC and control avatars in compatible games. Coming next month for $1100. Mini version available now for $180.


• D-Box GP-100, the uber plush sound-sensitive chair that reacts to on-screen action. A hard sell for $15K,000.


• N-Gage will become a software package that will work with their NSeries devices and will not be a specific N-Gage branded hardware device (I confirmed this with Nokia).


• Zune will play games by July 2008


• Sony, besides the unfortunate PR blunder, won two Emmys and announced and agreement with Midway to offer more downloadable games.


• Nintendo was a no-show but Wiis were on display everywhere and they won an Emmy for their D-pad.


• Microsoft promoted Vista with the FPS game, Crysis, showed off the Xbox 360 controller working with a Vista PC, console and PC content sharing, a raise in the 50MB download cap on games and some Zune integration.