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Seven Color LED Mousepad
VL writes "If you're into LED mousepads, but one color isn't enough... how about one that has seven that you can choose from with a press of a button?
" Gotta admit, it looks pretty nifty.
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Yeah - this is even an ad, posted by viperlair.com itself. Too bad they completely slashdotted themseleves pretty quickly :P
slashdotted before the first post. google cache
Damn html formatting...
lexiglow FX GamePad: Blue LED mousepads don't do it for you? Red neither? How about one which gives you seven choices?
Date:
April 19, 2004
Manufacturer:
Flexiglow
Written By:
Scott Harness
If you were to ask the question "how do you control your PC?" pretty much the majority of answers will be along the lines of "with my mouse". As such, mice have been designed and redesigned for changing markets, new features and of course to try and appeal to the individual in all of us. It's the fascination to have something a little different from the rest that has extended to mouse surfacing as well. It may be a simple image imprinted onto the mousemat, differing shapes, textures and materials, or as has been seen in both the modding community and now retail companies, differing designs featuring some kind of illumination.
However I think that this review item certainly tries to appeal to more than just one user base with its differing colour cycling which is a little different, especially from a manufacturer. What am I talking about? The Flexiglow FX GamePad.
Features
7 Colours options in one pad choices
Eight function is automatic cycle through the seven colours
Incredible lit up bubble effect
Gaming enthusiast approved mousing surface
Terrific night time illumination - ideal for LAN parties
Specifications
Low power consumption LED lights
USB Cable 1.8m
Slick mousing surface that works well with both Ball and Optical Mice
The FlexiGlow FX GamePad comes in a clear plastic shell type package with all the usual PR info displayed, and partially the pad itself. Opening the package you are presented with the pad itself and attached 1.8m USB lead for power, as well as a small packet with two spare feet which I thought was a great touch by Flexiglow. Sure, the chances of losing a foot are minimal but the thought was their and it could happen.
The surface of the pad itself is a textured black plastic which works well for both ball and optical mice so a good choice their. Bottom right of the face of the pad we have an FX Game Pad logo and top middle is a FlexiGlow logo. Next to this is the button for cycling the colour options.
The rear of the pad shows off where the colours come from. The base of the pad is a clear, bubbled plastic with the center area housing the LEDs for colour; three LEDs in each of the four corners of the black circle aiming to the four corners of the pad. Despite the fact there are only those tiny 3mm LEDs, three of each in each corner, they do a terrific job of lighting up the base, even in broad daylight. I've had to (unfortunately) colour edit some of the photos below because my camera wouldn't pick up the colours to well, but the colours are very good in real life.
You can get 7 colours from the pad ranging from Green, Red, Blue, Yellow (red and green), Purple (red and blue), Aqua (blue and green), and finally RGB/All/White. All of these are cycled through by pressing the button. When you power the pad (plug it in) the pad will go through a light show testing all of the colours smoothly, and then one after the other quickly before finally stopping all lighting. You can then press the button to go to green, again for off, again for red, again for off... wash rinse repeat. This will get you through the 7 colour options, although there is an 8th option which will slowly and smoothly cycle from one colour to the next in about 4 seconds continuously.
In Use
This is a very subjective part of the review but hopefully I'll be able to include enough information to help you make your own minds up. To test the pad I've been using it in both every day normal tasks such as web browsing or just clicking icons etc., as well as an intense few days of nonstop gaming (woe is me). Games of choice have ranged from Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy to Call of Duty (specifically the last level). What I've been looking for here is to see the difference in the feel of
...I sat next to a guy with that thing at The Gathering... CONSTANTLY PULSATING and annoying the hell out of me, and also achieving amazing amounts of screen glare. The guy lit up the entire isle with lights.
It gets annoying.
toresbe
Looks like you can buy those from thinkgeek
And the news day just got a little slower now that the site is slashdotted...
Yes, I do.
I only have optical mice, but I do prefer a mousepad. Why? Friction and noise.
I use a hard cheap ad-mousepad and a func surface, both reduce noise and friction, compared to when I slide my mouse across my desk.
we come in peace / shoot to kill