Posts Tagged ‘optical mouse’

Best Computer Accessories

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Manufacturers always try to come up with new products that will revolutionize the personal computer experience as we know it, but they rarely succeed. For example table PCs just like the Apple’s iPad were made more than 10 years ago, so why didn’t people buy them?





There are many possible explanations, but the greater truth is that in today’s highly competitive market you have to come up with the right product at the right time, launched with the appropriate ad campaign.



Apple is one of the few brands that people buy because of their very good image, ignoring the fact that most Apple products have at least one major flaw that normally would place the product behind the competition. Apple manages to minimize the effect of such flaws by secretly fixing them and making exceptional, perfectly timed ads.

Although the best computer accessory from Apple is most likely the small wireless keyboard, there are other less conventional accessories that try to change the way we interact with personal computers.




The Apple Magic Trackpad was launched on July 28, but it’s unclear what it can be used for. Usually laptop users try to avoid using the touchpad/trackpad because it really decreases productivity, because it’s not very precise, it doesn’t take the pointer right in the desired location, because the pad’s surface is too small to cover the whole length of the screen with only one swipe, although Apple incorporated the biggest trackpads in the whole laptop industry.



The desktop version has an 80% bigger surface, so it might just be enough to move the pointer anywhere on a FullHD screen with only one move, but this is not it’s main feature. The most likely targets of this product are different kinds of designers that struggle with a rigid input device like the keyboard or a big and heavy pointing device like the simple optical mouse.

Design work is more artistic and it’s usually done better if the input device can interpret the movement of fingers, rather than the motion of huge objects (like the mouse).




Apple’s new desktop Magic Trackpad, that is probably amongst the best computer accessories made in this year, could replace the classic mouse, but also the graphics tablet, which seems to offer only a larger surface and far fewer functions (for example no multi-touch, pinch …etc). It cost $69, just like the small wireless Apple keyboard and the Magic Mouse. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Apple will make a huge profit on this latest gadget, no matter how many it will sell, but you have to admit that it looks really great with the other aluminum-coated Apple devices on the desk, and this is why people will buy it. Another simple and somewhat practical device from Apple.

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Computer Travel Accessories

Monday, May 31st, 2010

The need for computer accessories on the road is slowly disappearing as technology improves. Not so long ago, the first portable computers needed a bunch of floppy disks to boot up and run different programs, while connectivity was virtually zero. Even if you had a dial-up modem and a telephone line nearby there wasn’t much you could do with it.





Today there are only two important things you need to have beside the laptop when traveling: a universal power adapter and a high quality (laser) optical mouse. There are universal power adapters available for the majority of laptop brands and models:

This Targus adapter is compatible with can transform 12V DC, 110V AC or 220V AC into the required DC voltage for IBM and Lenovo laptops that consume up to 70Watts of power. It costs $100 at buy.com, but expect even higher prices for more powerful adapters (beyond 120Watts).

The cheapest laser-based optical mouse available on newegg.com is made by Rosewill:

Although it doesn’t do much, special features end with the 5 buttons, the sensor’s resolution is quite good, 1600DPI (automatically switches to 800 DPI when allowed). For $10 it’s worth buying, if functionality is your biggest concern and not optional and useless features like cordless connectivity and weird shapes.

If you already these two computer accessories for travel you may want a national or international Internet service so you can stay in touch with co-workers, family and friends all the time.

To sum it up, you have one of the latest notebooks that has integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity, built-in webcam and microphone. The universal power adapter lets you charge your notebook on a plane, train, us or automobile and the optical mouse ensures productivity, superior to any multi-touch capable touch pad.

USB flash drives are not ideal for travel, because you may lose or damage them on long trips that bring you in unexpected situations. The best solution is to work with on-line documents like Google docs or MS Office On-line. These free services are very secure, not exactly 100%, but much more secure than any small storage device that has to face many dangers on the road.

Other useful computer accessories for travel could be some backup disks or even a spare hard drive, because that’s the most sensitive component of the laptop. If you drop it in the right angle all your data may be gone forever, but more importantly the laptop wouldn’t boot up anymore.

There’s a very useful tool, mostly used with alternative operating system like UBUNTU and other linuxes. Startup disc creator can take any CD, DVD or Hard Disk image and put it on a USB flash drive:

It’s also available for use under Windows, but it’s more complicated to install, while in UBUNTU it’s installed by default and can be started by a single click in the right place.

If you have a big enough USB flash drive you may create a copy of your boot partition, so whenever you have any problems with the internal hard drive you can simply boot from the USB flash drive. Another good idea would be to copy the Windows installation disk onto a high-speed flash drive, so you can reinstall anytime much quicker than from a slow notebook optical drive.

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Sony Computer Accessories

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

Sony Corporation is one of the planet’s biggest multinational conglomerates. With a $78 billion revenue and headquarters in Japan, Sony is one of the biggest manufacturers of electronics and IT&C products.





Three types of personal computers are made by Sony: desktops, laptops and all-in-ones (computer built into the monitor).

Sony computer accessories target mainly the portable segment with laptop carrying cases, docking stations, external VAIO drives, speakers, headphones, external hard drives, notebook locks and more.

Sony (much like Apple and Dell) is all about looks. It has some very simple and yet elegant laptop case designs on the official website:

As you can see it doesn’t have anything extra that would ruin the exterior, there’s just one big compartment for a laptop with screen up to 11.1” (Sony VAIO X and V series, or other manufacturer’s models) and a smaller one for the charger, mouse, headphones and whatever you need. The $30 price seems fair, other manufacturers sell their similar products in the same price range.

The VAIO P series lifestyle PC has a very unique 8” screen with a 1600 x 768 resolution:

Figuring that it won’t fit well in anything else, Sony is offering 5 different carrying case designs for this little laptop.

Asking prices are $40, $90, $90, $90 and $40 for the last model.

For bigger laptops Sony came up with a very complex product list, for every taste:

This is just a few of them, but there are many more at reasonable prices.

Interestingly enough there’s only one type of wired (non-wireless) mouse on the Sony website with a $30 price tag; it comes in pink, brown or white color:

Fortunately there are 8 different wireless and Bluetooh mice available for PCs and PS3 too:

This is a very unique mouse design, created especially for PS3, but it works with any Bluetooth capable laptop and desktop.

Sony tried to make something very practical, a mouse which protects itself:

The interchangeable cover slides on the wheel and buttons to to protect them, but also to turn off wireless transmissions so the battery isn’t drained when you don’t use it. This may be the most irrational Sony computer accessory.

These are portable speakers, but one would be tempted to use them with desktops too:

They come with an external power adapter, but there’s also a triple-A battery slot in one of the speakers so you can take them on the road, although it’s unlikely that maximum power will still reach 2 x 2.5Watt as with the AC adapter.

For only $70 you can protect you privacy in public areas with the Sony brand privacy filter:

It’s available for Y and S series, and the next one is compatible with Z series only, at the same price:

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Who Invented The Computer Mouse

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

A computer mouse is a device used for computer indications, which is held in hand and it consists of a small object equipped with one or more buttons and modeled so that it fits naturally in your hand. The lower side of the mouse consists of a device that detects the mouse’s movement relative to the surface on which it is put.




The 2D movement of the mouse is usually transformed into the moving of a cursor on the computer screen. Through this, the user can indicate on the computer screen a certain position, which is a major element of the graphic interface with the computer. The name for the mouse has been chosen because the device has the shape and size of a mouse, and the cable emphasizes the association. Until now there have been invented many types of indicating devices for miscellaneous application domains, that can have totally different shapes and operating principles than the traditional mouse, like: the trackball, the touch pad, the touch screen, the joy stick, the graphics tablet and the most recent: the Apple Magic Mouse.




The first mouse was invented in the early 1970s by the engineer Bill English from Xerox PARC; he replaced the outer wheels with a single ball than could move in any direction. The ball’s movement, was detected by two perpendicular wheels that were found inside the body of the mouse. This version of the mouse looked like an inversed trackball, and it was the first model to be used on personal computers between 1980 and 1990. The group from the Xerox PARC decided over the modern techniques, to use both hands to type at a qwerty keyboard, and the mouse only to be used when necessary.

The modern mice took birth at Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne under the inspiration of Professor Jean Daniel Nicoud and the hands of the engineer and watchmaker Andre Guignard. As result of EPFL, Logitech, launched the first popular mouse.

The optical mouse uses a diode light transmitter and a photodiode in order to detect the movement on a mouse pad surface, instead of moving parts as in the mechanical mouse. The early optical mice, as the ones invented by Steve Kirsch from Mouse Systems Corporation, could be used only on a special metallically surface: the mouse pad, that had a printed grid of fine blue and grey lines. The lack of attention in using the optical mice may cause wounds to the eyes; looking straight the LED can cause damage to the retina.




The laser mouse. In 2004, Logitech together with Agilest Technologies, introduced us to the laser mouse through the MX 1000 model. This mouse uses a small laser replacing the ordinary LED. The new technology can enhance the image details captured by the mouse.

The companies say that this leads to an improvement up to 20 times for the sensitivity to moving on surfaces, compared to the conventional optical mice.

The other invented devices we talked about:

- Trackball – the user moves a ball fixed on a device

- Camera mouse – a camera follows the head movement and moves the cursor on the screen

- Palm mouse – it is held in the palm and is operated with only two buttons

- Foot mouse – specially designed for people with head or hand disabilities.

- Joy-mouse – a combination between the joystick and the mouse, the joy-mouse is held in a vertical position as a joystick but moved like an ordinary mouse.

So, who invented the first computer mouse? It was Bill English, an engineer from Xerox PARC.

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