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Wireless Mouse with no Batteries
GI Joe writes "Hardcoreware.net have posted a review of a mouse with no batteries; it receives its charge through induction from the USB powered mousepad. Of course this means you must use the mouse on this mousepad, taking away some of the big advantages of a wireless mouse. However, they said that the mouse is otherwise very accurate, and has no lag at all since it uses RFID."
See if the company was smart they'd leave "RFID" out of the documentation because all the tin foil hat nuts are going to freak about their mouse tracking brain patterns or something.
Although now that I think about, I would like a mouse that tracked my brain patters. Free up an extra hand and such.
can't sleep slashdot will eat me
Why has no one build a mouse with a optical sensor that ALSO has a old style ball hooked up to a small dynamo.
:\
Self powered, never needs the batteries changed. And since precision doesnt matter the ball never needs cleaning, so it's not a disadvantage like it is for tracking.
Easily enough power could be generated for the optical system and a low power RF transmitter
Beep beep.
...from Wacom! Who, incidentally, are the best hardware company ever.
http://www.wacom.com for your batteryless pointing device needs.
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
Aaaaand in other news, Wacom files a multi-bazillion dollar patent infringement suit against A4Tech...
I'm going back to a wired mouse because they're lighter. No need to further punish my wrists with the weight of a dynamo and the friction of one or more geared balls.
Some hot fucking news!
My Wacom Graphire came with a mouse like that, wireless, but had to be used on the pad only. That was, what, only 10 years ago. Glad to see something just like it finally make the fucking news! Oh, wait, it's not news, it's slashdot...
A mouse pad with an induction coil eh? sounds like a great diskette/ZIP/hard-disk eraser to me...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
I'm sure they'll advertise this one as having a "free mouse pad" like its some grand deal. They'll not tell the buyer that the provided mouse pad is an essential part of the system and not a magnanimous offer on their part. I wonder how many people will try to use this mouse with the pad of their choice, get a few days use and then complain when it dies.
It reminds me of those old Sun optical mice with the metal grid-pattern mouse pads. I always like turning coworkers pads 90 degrees and watching the ensuing hilarity.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
Right; this mouse uses Subspace Communication (tm Star Trek). Not this old-fashioned RF stuff.
Ah. "RFID". Cue the "Princess Bride" I-do-not-think-that-word-means-what-you-think-it means quotes.
Let's see, RF at 3E8 m/s will cover one inch in about... 85 picoseconds. Yes, I'm sure RF propagation has always been the cause of your lag. Definitely when your mouse is on the moon and the computer is on earth.
Oh wait, I forgot. This device doesn't use RF. It uses... RFID.
I give up.
...why not get the power from the movement the human being makes?
Oh, and whilst I think about it:
Normal wireless mouses contain batteries, which add extra weight, which makes them slightly harder to move around. So if you have a wireless mouse without batteries, but which was powered by hand movements, it's possible that it could still be easier to move around!
So why is a USB mousepad any better than a USB mouse? I don't use a mouse pad because none of them provide a large enough mousing surface. When you are gaming you can't pick up your mouse and move it to the other side of the pad or the other guy kills you. This wireless mouse is not much good as it is useless as soon as it leaves the mouse pad.
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
I don't think I could keep a straight face in person discussing geared balls.
We are one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. Back to you with the weather, Bob!