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Your Entire PC In a Mouse

slash-sa writes: A Polish software and hardware developer has created a prototype computer which is entirely housed within a mouse. Dubbed the Mouse-Box, it works like a conventional mouse, but contains a processor, flash storage, an HDMI connection, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It is connected to a monitor via the HDMI interface and connects to an Internet connection through standard Wi-Fi.

108 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. Now if I could just type... by TWX · · Score: 1

    ...on the keyboard...

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Now if I could just type... by X0563511 · · Score: 2

      I kind of don't like the idea of all the expensive stuff being inside the things you have your hands on and move around all day.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    2. Re:Now if I could just type... by Iamthecheese · · Score: 2

      As you say, computers in the keyboard have been around for a very long time. So with less space, fewer ports, and fewer options (and assuming the user wants a keyboard) What's the advantage in having it in the mouse? There may be a use case I haven't considered but so far all I see is a gimmick.

      --
      If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
    3. Re:Now if I could just type... by ClickOnThis · · Score: 4, Funny

      This. Replacing a 102-key device with a 2-key device is not progress. Point-and-click is really just point-and-grunt. Two grunts to double-click.

      Obligatory Onion article.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    4. Re:Now if I could just type... by TWX · · Score: 1

      I'm not really all that concerned about the physical aspect- it's all solid-state so if the housing of the mouse is decent then it should last assuming it's not dropped from height or crushed, but I just wonder when the point of diminishing return will be reached. Seems like it makes more sense to build the computer into the display or into something the size of a small portable hard disk drive, so that it can have USB ports or bluetooth for the keyboard and mouse, and could literally hang on the HDMI port on the TV like the "Amazon Fire TV Stick" works.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    5. Re:Now if I could just type... by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

      ...on the keyboard...

      Why not plug one into one of the two USB 3.0 ports that are mentioned in TFA but not in the synopsis?

    6. Re:Now if I could just type... by XnavxeMiyyep · · Score: 1

      A tiny portable media PC, perhaps.

      Install something like XBMC, have no password set up, maybe a wifi network for extended selection, and with the HDMI connection, you can quickly hook it up to any TV in your home, and maybe your friends' homes too.

      --
      I put the 't' in electrical engineering.
    7. Re:Now if I could just type... by KiloByte · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Enjoy using a mouse with a bunch of cables attached to it. Not so ergonomic, you see...

      As this mouse needs a display anyway, it'd be so much better to put the brains in something that doesn't move.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    8. Re:Now if I could just type... by CastrTroy · · Score: 2

      Sounds a lot like the Intel Compute Stick. maybe not powerful enough for everyone, but for a lot of users, it would be the ideal device. It would be so great to not have to worry about syncing files or even how software licenses transfer between machines when you can put a full powered computer in your pocket.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    9. Re:Now if I could just type... by gatfirls · · Score: 1

      I'm already using both of them for my Gamepad and soup warmer.

    10. Re:Now if I could just type... by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      Seems like it makes more sense to build the computer into the display or into something the size of a small portable hard disk drive, so that it can have USB ports or bluetooth for the keyboard and mouse, and could literally hang on the HDMI port on the TV like the "Amazon Fire TV Stick" works.

      Inside the TV is not very portable. I don't like smart tvs either because they are a one size fit all, you're stuck with a single app.
      Inside a usb/hdmi stick though makes a lot more sense. I could see you going to a friends house and just plugging your computer into their TV.
      Going one step further, a "smart tv" that would be useful would be a tv that when multiple dongles were plugged in, they would allow you to
      either toggle between them or even let you splitscreen the two mini-computers.

    11. Re:Now if I could just type... by Dupedupeshakur · · Score: 2

      I've got it! How about we put the computer in the keyboard since it has more room! More economical. Here's my prototype: http://static.giantbomb.com/up...

    12. Re:Now if I could just type... by aaron4801 · · Score: 1

      Bingo. Cool little hack, but what if you want something, you know, useful? Build it into a mini keyboard/trackpad combo like the K400 and you've got something. Small enough to be portable, big enough to have some useful connections, no added peripherals required.

    13. Re:Now if I could just type... by DocSavage64109 · · Score: 1

      They should add a small touch-sensitive screen and some phone electronics while they're at it.

    14. Re:Now if I could just type... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Going one step further, a "smart tv" that would be useful would be a tv that when multiple dongles were plugged in, they would allow you to toggle between them

      That already exists. You can plug in a ChromeCast dongle, a FireTV dongle, and Apple TV, and toggle between them using either the remote, or a tablet.

    15. Re:Now if I could just type... by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

      I agree. But the point was that TFA addressed how you get a keyboard attached to the system. I wouldn't ever buy or use this silly contraption. But it's possible to hook up a keyboard no matter how absurd the configuration is.

    16. Re:Now if I could just type... by __aaltlg1547 · · Score: 2

      Like your smart phone?

    17. Re:Now if I could just type... by duke_cheetah2003 · · Score: 1

      ...on the keyboard...

      From TFA: 2 x USB 3.0 ports

      That covers keyboard... and a second mouse if you're strange!

    18. Re:Now if I could just type... by towermac · · Score: 2

      No, you'd plug that little teeny Logitech RF thingy into the mouse, not a cable.

      If you wanted to gripe, ask if they also sell a thin and supple mini hdmi cable. All the HDMIs I have seen pride themselves on how stiff and robust they are. Hell, the old SCSI cables that were half the size of a garden hose were more supple.

    19. Re:Now if I could just type... by dbIII · · Score: 1

      I kind of don't like the idea of all the expensive stuff being inside the things you have your hands on and move around all day.

      Should be fine for playing with Python.

    20. Re:Now if I could just type... by drumlight · · Score: 1

      I assume the whole point is that it is easy to move the brains around with you. A MHL cable instead of HDMI would provide power along with a more flexible cable. Putting the brains and the input interface to a touch based OS in an easily portable devices could be a much more flexible solution than the Chromecast and its ilk.

    21. Re:Now if I could just type... by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Another option might be bluetooth for the keyboard, and Miracast for the display.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    22. Re:Now if I could just type... by blackbeak · · Score: 2

      And a flashlight function too! You might need to sneak out of the workplace after you've up/downloaded the goods.

      --
      Everything and its opposite is true. Get used to it.
    23. Re:Now if I could just type... by soccerisgod · · Score: 1

      I guess instead of that, you could plug a tiny bluetooth module into the mouse and connect a wireless keyboard with that...

      --
      If a train station is a place where a train stops, what's a workstation?
    24. Re:Now if I could just type... by houghi · · Score: 2

      People have been using mice with cables for a LONG time. In almost all the offices where I have worked, mice are wired.

      Sure, you could just use a keyboard for that, but many people drag that around their desk as well. What you could do is use a special box and put the hardware in that. Oh wait. I just invented the PC.

      There are basically three things that you need for desk PC.
      1) The screen
      2) The keyboard
      3) The mouse

      Having a PC in a screen is already done. You can go into a store and buy them.
      Having a PC in the keyboard is something I had with my C-64. So nothing new there
      Having the PC in the mouse is new.

      Instead of moaning how bad of an idea this is, YOU make something that you think would work.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    25. Re:Now if I could just type... by mlk · · Score: 1

      Or a mouse without a few wires & dongles and shit coming out of it.

      While it is a cool hack, without wireless screen I'm not sure it is worth while.

      --
      Wow, I should not post when knackered.
    26. Re:Now if I could just type... by T.E.D. · · Score: 1

      Enjoy using a mouse with a bunch of cables attached to it. Not so ergonomic, you see...

      The Slashdot is strong with this one. Its amazing how stupid you can make this out to be, when you don't bother RTFA.

      "You see", there's actually only one cable (the video cable), and there's an option to make that wireless too and have a totally wireless mouse/computer. It gets its power either through a flywheel in the mouse (using it keeps it charged), or though inductive charging from its mouse pad.

      Now I don't know how practical or useful it will end up being. But as an exercise in hacking, its pretty darn neat.

    27. Re:Now if I could just type... by T.E.D. · · Score: 2

      ...the Slashdot is clearly very strong with me too, as I didn't bother reading what you were replying to. :-)

    28. Re:Now if I could just type... by lennier1 · · Score: 2

      Exactly!

      Throw in a Thunderbolt port and you'll also be able to offload more connections to a compact docking station.
      Leverage the low-quality graphics features of modern x86 CPUs and adapt Intel's Wireless Display tech or something similar and boom, you'll also be able to sell mobile displays with a kickstand so your office PC can turn into a laptop whenever the situation requires it. Same with simply using the projector in your conference room as an external display.

      With all the necessary product lines under one roof and the necessary business partnerships on top of it, why exactly isn't Lenovo selling this yet???

    29. Re:Now if I could just type... by KiloByte · · Score: 1

      All the USB slots are in the mouse.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    30. Re:Now if I could just type... by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      Instead of moaning how bad of an idea this is, YOU make something that you think would work.

      it already has been made. USB stick computers. plug it into the HDMI slot where it doesn't move. bluetooth mouse, keyboard. done.
      http://www.amazon.com/Hossen-M...

  2. My mouse gets really dirty... by puzzled_decoy · · Score: 1

    I don't know about everyone else, but my hand leaves crap on my mouse that needs to be cleaned regularly. I wouldn't want that stuff getting into the mouse and sticking to the circuits...

    I guess as long as they make it really easy to open up and clean, this could be a very cool idea.

    1. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1

      I don't know about everyone else, but my hand leaves crap on my mouse that needs to be cleaned regularly. I wouldn't want that stuff getting into the mouse and sticking to the circuits...

      Sounds like you should get yourself checked out by a doctor if your pores are extruding crap.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
    2. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

      You could use a rag with a little soap and water once in a while. A mouse isn't like a keyboard, it doesn't have hundreds of crevices for dirty to get trapped in it.

      I get a lot of dirt on the bottom that needs to be cleaned before it starts making it not slide well. Probably because I eat lunch at my desk, it's probably soup that has splashed on my mouse pad. (or maybe dead skin? gross)

      --
      “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    3. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by dinfinity · · Score: 2

      HDMI cables are (and will be) pretty stiff.
      Considering that you'll probably need a HDMI->microHDMI-adapter 'on the go' to actually connect to the display at hand, I don't see this being very convenient as a mouse (let alone when attaching an external HDD to the USB-port as well).

      Just clicking some standard micro-PC with some plastic hooks onto some standard mouse would be more usable and almost just as portable. In fact, if you buy this product, you'd be best off buying an actual mouse with it and connect it to the Mouse-box (there's an Inception-joke waiting to be made here).

    4. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      I only use wireless mice for that reason. Even in the early days, there was always a "fight" with the mouse. Move the mouse to the right, let go, and it'd try to re-center itself from the cord memory. Going to a thick, heavy HDMI cable coming from it, and it'd be even worse. Perhaps usable if there was a thin, light cable of 10 cm or so before the HDMI adapter. But even then, I doubt it.

    5. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by Baloroth · · Score: 1

      Dunno what cables you're using, the HDMI cable hooked up to my monitor is only slightly thicker and stiffer than my mouse cable.

      --
      "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
    6. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by DocSavage64109 · · Score: 1

      I use a wired mouse all the time and also hate mice that have resistance or pull. You just have to make sure the cable is supported (so gravity isn't pulling on the mouse) and that there is enough slack and the mouse is just as free as wireless.

    7. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by towermac · · Score: 2

      Anybody that has worked front line IT knows what hand cheese is all about.

      Everybody makes it.

    8. Re:My mouse gets really dirty... by towermac · · Score: 1

      I had forgotten.

      Early Mac mice, especially the square ones, had exceedingly supple cordage. To the point that they would easily get gunked and twisted, and you'd have to occasionally straighten it out and wipe them down.

      Maintenance on a mouse cord. Yes, you used to have to do that, and nowadays you really don't. But those mice did not have cord memory, not like every modern mouse today does.

  3. Not a gaming device though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is clearly not intended to be a gaming device. When I get pissed off and wing my mouse across the room in frustration, I don't want to destroy my entire computer in the process.

  4. Heat? by ELCouz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Mouse will be hot (Not very hot but enough to sweat more)

  5. Keyboard by Russ1642 · · Score: 1

    I'd think this would be easier to implement in the keyboard. More space. Mostly stationary.

    1. Re:Keyboard by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

      In the keyboard: Commodore-64
      In a phone: Apple iPhone
      In the monitor: Apple
      In a flower-pot: Apple ("daisy monitor")
      In a flash drive: pendrivelinux.com
      In a mouse-pad: ?
      In a power cord: ?
      In a toaster: http://www.embeddedarm.com/sof...
      In eye-glasses: Google-glass
      In undies/bra: ?
      In a coffee mug: ?
      In a coffee maker: http://null-byte.wonderhowto.c...
      In head-phones: ?
      In a hat? (red hat :-)
      In green-eggs-and-ham: ?

    2. Re:Keyboard by DMUTPeregrine · · Score: 2

      Yeah! Stick the computer in the keyboard!

      You can even have a flatscreen connected to it, with a hinge so the user can adjust the angle. Then stick on a battery so it can be used for a while away from a wall socket, and you've got an innovative new product!~

      --
      Not a sentence!
    3. Re:Keyboard by AchilleTalon · · Score: 1

      And the only one that took the market was 'in a phone'. Everything else never really took off. Why do they expect this nasty mouse idea to take off? The most ubiquitious device these days is the portable phone. Who wants to keep a mouse in his pocket in case he needs a computer when he already has one in his phone? Increase the Batman factor no more. This is 1990 idea.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
    4. Re:Keyboard by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Increase the Batman factor no more.

      I prefer the Get Smart factor: shoe-phone. More fun. Gives a new meaning to "reboot".

    5. Re:Keyboard by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      I think the Commodore 64 had a little bit of popularity.

    6. Re:Keyboard by internerdj · · Score: 1

      Well my yellow-eggs-and-ham prototype started out pretty well but by the time we got to the green-eggs-and-ham stage most of the focus group users couldn't stand having it on their desk anymore...

    7. Re:Keyboard by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Funny, cause there were many smart phones before the iPhone came out, and many of them were very popular as well. Unfortunately for them though, they were not classed as a fashion accessory.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    8. Re:Keyboard by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      In a power brick exists, but that isn't the same thing as the power cord I suppose.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    9. Re:Keyboard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah! Stick the computer in the keyboard!

      You can even have a flatscreen connected to it, with a hinge so the user can adjust the angle. Then stick on a battery so it can be used for a while away from a wall socket, and you've got an innovative new product!~

      Quick register a patent

  6. In inevitable questions of why... by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I say, "Why not?"

    It's a crazy idea. I don't think it's going to fly particularly well, but hey, if they want to try something unique and crazy, I'm not going to stop them.

    I mean, ten years ago if you told me that one of the best ways to stream stuff to my TV was through a stick the size of a zagnut bar that plugged directly into my HDMI socket, I would've told you you were nuts.

    Bring on the crazy ass designs. Let's see where this goes.

    --
    Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
    1. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by j-beda · · Score: 1

      I say, "Why not?"

      It's a crazy idea. I don't think it's going to fly particularly well, but hey, if they want to try something unique and crazy, I'm not going to stop them.

      I mean, ten years ago if you told me that one of the best ways to stream stuff to my TV was through a stick the size of a zagnut bar that plugged directly into my HDMI socket, I would've told you you were nuts.

      Bring on the crazy ass designs. Let's see where this goes.

      Good point.

    2. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by TaoPhoenix · · Score: 1

      Yeah, and I'll remark people seem to be forgetting the word "prototype".

      And this looks pretty classy for a prototype!

      http://mybroadband.co.za/news/...

      Looking over the criticisms: I see a lot of "edge case tweaks", but not thing fundamentally show-stopping. So if you give this all a bit of a forward-future roll, let's try a few ideas:

      1. Keyboard vs Mouse.
      Keyboards "tend to be wide". Sure, modern designers found some ways to use that bottom layer well. But computer mice *do* seem to have a fair amount of "dead space" while the thing "embiggens" itself to fit your hand ergonomics. So at least partially using that space cleverly is interesting.

      2. "Gaming rage & throwing mouse to wall" and "how do you clean it". Just suppose the design has one layer with the comp "in a removable box" aka a square chunk of the hardware. Yes, it happens to sit in the mouse housing, and there's a few wires in there, but just make the super expensive core removable.

      3. Keyboards.
      To me it's less of a finicky point of mouse contour shape vs keyboard dynamics. So shove the comp stuff into the mouse, and then people can just buy their favorite keyboards. Notice this includes roll-up ones.

      4. HDMI cable.
      This is where I want to "roll the future forward". We're also pretty close to "monitor goggles", that look to the eye like a 20+ inch screen. Then have the mouse-comp communicate the signal wirelessly. Nothing stopping the goggles from having a co-processor, like they used to do for arcade machines. I've always wanted to do "computing in thin air". So with just a mouse, roll up keyboard, and goggles, your entire comp fits into a small backpack!

      --
      My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
    3. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Let's see where this goes.
      Think of where a mouse could be used. With a VM that gets replaced everyday, on an OS without permanent installation, used with the air gapped and networked computer?

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    4. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

      why not? while it is cool I can think of a lot of why not's for this particular device. e.g. walking off with someones mouse is far too easy, a mouse is a constantly moving item that gets knocked, sits next to your can of coke or cup of hot coffee, it becomes awkward for usb and peripheral connections and would need to be farely low powered otherwise the heat of the device plus the warm hand is going to make a rather uncomfortable device. personally I go for small PC's that I can attach to the back of the monitor, but the form factor options available now make it very interesting. I really like the small devices and I have everything from raspberry Pi's, NUC's and some Lenovo tiny PC's (definitely form factors for different performance needs). Be interested to see what else people come up with for device ideas.

    5. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by mdielmann · · Score: 1

      This is the single best argument I've seen so far for wireless video. You could conceivably use it without any wires at all attached (especially with a wireless keyboard). And if you needed USB peripherals, you could just connect it to a hub and be up to one wire, just like a regular wired mouse. It doesn't mention having bluetooth, but it's certainly a good candidate for it (or a really small bluetooth dongle).

      This needs to be coupled with highly portable displays.

      --
      Sure I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
    6. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

      If it uses one of those rotary balls to detect movement it could be partially self-charging. Assuming sufficiently vigorous mousing, of course.

    7. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 1

      That's a reason to not buy the bloody thing, but let's be honest here. Crazy designs are worth pursuing.

      --
      Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
    8. Re:In inevitable questions of why... by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      It's a crazy idea. I don't think it's going to fly particularly well, but hey, if they want to try something unique and crazy, I'm not going to stop them.

      it's not a question of stopping them. it's a question of whether you are going to give them money. will you?

  7. Dongle by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do you know that you left yourself wide open* for male anatomy jokes there?

    * Not intended to be a "goat_" joke.

  8. Terrible idea by kuzb · · Score: 1

    Why? Well, a couple of reasons. First, if you're like me, your hand will be on the mouse a lot causing it to be warm. Second, mice get abused and break too easily.

    --
    BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
    1. Re:Terrible idea by mspohr · · Score: 1

      "Why? Well, a couple of reasons. First, if you're like me, your hand will be on the mouse a lot causing it to be warm. Second, mice get abused and break too easily."
      I think you're doing it wrong.
      Stop abusing your "mouse" and it won't get warm and break.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    2. Re:Terrible idea by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      happened often with the cheap-ass three button serial mice in my experience. Then we switched to the unbreakable PS/2 Microsoft mouse with scrollwheel which is probably one of the few best ball mice, I still have one.
      I did break the left button on a Microsoft optical mouse, due to some game. It was fine except for that.

    3. Re:Terrible idea by kuzb · · Score: 1

      I've been using mice for 20 years, I've broken several through wear and tear. Yes, expensive mice as well as the cheap ones. They all die eventually. Just because it hasn't happened to you does not mean it doesn't happen.

      --
      BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
    4. Re:Terrible idea by kuzb · · Score: 1

      What, is this apple support? "You're holding it wrong!"

      Please, GTFO.

      --
      BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
    5. Re:Terrible idea by towermac · · Score: 1

      I went through two of those MS optical mice playing WoW. It was, and maybe still is my favorite mouse, but the button just don't last.

      Any cheap-ass Logitech lasts far, far longer. Even if it doesn't feel as perfect in the hand as that MS mouse did. (I still have them. I fantasize about fixing the buttons someday.)

    6. Re:Terrible idea by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      I made a friend get the current cheap Microsoft keyboard and mouse, USB only these days but still available in white. The mouse is just a mouse (that is a good thing alread), the keyboard feels really great. It's a rare thing to use a keyboard that's both good and new, it's amazing how it leaves every laptop and some "gamer keyboards" (logitech) in the dust, even though it's a cheap keyboard.

      Best of all, people get the joke when you say that "Microsoft is a great manufacturer of input peripherals"

    7. Re: Terrible idea by mspohr · · Score: 1

      Whoosh... ;)

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
  9. HDMI cable dangling around? by JoeyRox · · Score: 1

    That doesn't sound very comfortable - an HDMI cable to the display constantly dangling around as you move the mouse. Plus I have enough trouble keeping HDMI cables connected without them moving constantly; the connectors don't have good interlocks.

    1. Re:HDMI cable dangling around? by by+(1706743) · · Score: 1

      Yeah, sounds cumbersome. That said, there are the rather slick looking super thin HDMI cables: http://www.monoprice.com/Produ... (no affiliation to monoprice, just like their stuff)

      That said, is there a power-over-HDMI spec, or does it need a separate cord, too?

  10. Cute by Princeofcups · · Score: 1

    Pros:
    Cute

    Cons:
    Too heavy to move around
    No bluetooth for keyboard (I suppose you can get one of those USB dongle ones)
    HDMI cable restricts movement
    Can't throw out and get a new one when the mouse part breaks
    Forget upgradability
    Forget peripherals
    How hot does this thing get? Sound uncomfortable for your hand.

    Nope, this is all a joke. Would never pass usability testing.

    --
    The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
    1. Re:Cute by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      Instead of putting it in a mouse, why not put it in a wireless telephone with a touch sensitive display?

  11. Once upon a time by DrYak · · Score: 1

    an HDMI cable to the display constantly dangling around as you move the mouse.

    Once upon a time, mice use to be wired.

    Before the era where everybody uses mouse that talk over bluetooth or some proprietary variation of Wireless USB and that uses batteries that die every once in a while, there used to be a period where USB and PS/2 cable dangling from the mouse to the main machine where the norm.

    And nobody found it problematic back then.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:Once upon a time by gatfirls · · Score: 1

      "And nobody found it problematic back then."

      Umm yea, people did they just couldn't conceive of a better solution until wireless came around.

      Wired phones weren't found problematic and now people scoff at the thought of using such barbaric technology.

    2. Re:Once upon a time by KiloByte · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Does anyone actually use wireless mice? They used to be a fad a decade ago, but I can't remember the last time I've seen one.

      Cons:

      • batteries are constantly out
      • too easy to displace
      • hard to manage orientation

      Pros:

      • ???
      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    3. Re:Once upon a time by kuzb · · Score: 1

      Yes, I have a razer mamba which I use regularly. I can use it in both a wired and wireless mode and it works great. Orientation is not hard to manage, and it comes with a charge stand which doubles as a receiver or you can plug a USB cable directly in to it.

      The pros are obvious. You're not dragging a cable, which means you're not stressing a cable. Which means one less thing it break, and more fluid mouse operation.

      --
      BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
    4. Re:Once upon a time by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      My wireless mouse was replaced by an iOS device about a decade ago. Pros: doubles as a small keyboard when needed and can even be used from time to time to make a phone call. cons: batteries are constantly being drained, too easy to misplace. At least they licked the orientation issue.

    5. Re:Once upon a time by Eythian · · Score: 2

      The batteries typically last for 6+ months at a time.

      For the other two points, if you can't use a mouse, you have bigger problems than wired or wireless.

      The main pro is that there is no cable to catch on the other crap that's on my desk. Also, I use the mouse left-handed, but usually games are set up with a right-handed configuration by default, so I just pick up the mouse and move it for those cases, without having to sort out a cable.

      In a pinch, they double as a wireless presentation clicker too.

  12. You Forgot Something by organgtool · · Score: 5, Funny

    No screen on the mouse? Lame.

    1. Re:You Forgot Something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
  13. What if by Hsien-Ko · · Score: 1

    The mouse becomes defective i.e. broken wheels and buttons?

    Would you have to hook a mouse up to the mouse?

    1. Re:What if by __aaltlg1547 · · Score: 1

      Addressed by CheaperThanDirt Technology. http://www.cheaperthandirt.com...

  14. Will be a better idea with USB-C by Chandon+Seldon · · Score: 1

    There's really only space on a mouse for one wire coming out, so if that wire is HDMI it'll be annoying to hook this thing up to a keyboard.

    On the other hand, if they built this thing with a USB-C port then it could be pretty neat. You could sit down at a desk with a USB 3.1 Hub, a keyboard, and a monitor and just plug in your mouse and be ready to go. The USB 3.1 cable would happily handle power, video, and the USB keyboard.

    On the other hand, it'd probably make more sense to just have a regular mouse at the desk and hook up your cellphone or something to be the computer.

    --
    -- The act of censorship is always worse than whatever is being censored. Always.
  15. Klein & Fizbin Computers Inc. by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    You see, the computer is in the mouse, the mouse is in the monitor, and the monitor is in the computer. Gottit?

  16. Re:Battery optional? by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

    I remember some networking nightmare with a linux client PC that needed to go through a portal to get any networking, access to web pages was very limited : certificate failures everywhere, youtube that looked like you've loaded it in a text mode browser.
    Swapping NIC did nothing. It occurred to me that the PC was forgetting its BIOS settings, I found out in the summer when it overheated because the underclocking was not set anymore. the PC was an off-line music player (which no longer had a fan on the CPU). So the coin battery was replaced, but the networking still was wrong. Then I don't remember how I did think of it but I finally set the damn time to the current year, by using rdate (a local time server was reachable) then bam! everything flawless.

    It would have been possible to run the PC without battery by attaching a fan and running rdate at start up, but damn : I learned how networking is brittle if you don't have accurate time.

  17. Re:Entire PC inside a keyboard by 50000BTU_barbecue · · Score: 1

    Commodore wasn't into "successors". They were into genetic mutations.

    --
    Mostly random stuff.
  18. Re:Power Source? by mugurel · · Score: 1

    Sounds like vaporware. Where would it's power come from?

    Why, from the vapor of course!

  19. Look at the photo - mini HDMI connector by dbIII · · Score: 2

    That's a tiny connection so it's going to have a thin mini-HDMI cable plugged into it with maybe full sized HDMI at the other end. In mechanical terms that will make it very similar to a normal USB mouse.

  20. Wrong form by redelm · · Score: 1

    You could do this easily with a Raspberry Pi ARM, especially the A+ (200mA) or something a bit larger like the Banana Pi (350mA) or for x86-64 devotees, an ECS Liva (550mA@5V).

    I use these and form factor is the issue -- the tiny things become like octopus hubs with a number of cables in & out. Some like the HDMI are fairly heavy and stiff. The little board/box gets lifted and controlled by the cords.

    I'd never want a mouse with those cables tying it down. The Chromecast-style HDMI stick (one coming from Intel) is a bit better, but what happens when your HDMI port is upside-down or inaccessible for all the other cables? Then you need to find a rare MF extention cable or FF coupler. HDMI does not provide enough 5V power (50 mA IIRC) to power a CPU.

  21. Re:What's next? by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    We should have forced them to invent (practical) flying cars before those.

  22. Comparing to RasPi by billstewart · · Score: 1

    Clock speed is 1.4 GHz, just over double the speed of RasPi. (That doesn't mean it's only 2x as fast, since it's probably a slightly newer ARM core, but it's unlikely to be 20x as fast, even if it's doing something like Odroid's quad-core ARM.)

    It's definitely cute, but I'd think the Chromecast HDMI/USB-stick format, or something a bit larger but still pocket-sized, makes more sense.

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  23. Imagine... by xornor · · Score: 2

    Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!

  24. Computer in a Joystick by billstewart · · Score: 2

    Why put that computer into a keyboard when you can put it into a joystick? (Jeri Ellsworth's C64-Direct-to-TV)

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  25. How to classify it? by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    Is it a laptop? A desktop? A mouse-pad-top?

    A smart mouse? Will it try to take over the world?

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  26. Why the mouse? by blackbeak · · Score: 1

    Why not put the whole computer in the power source form factor? It' almost there already: http://venturebeat.com/2015/01...

    --
    Everything and its opposite is true. Get used to it.
  27. Situations where using your own is forbidden by SpaghettiPattern · · Score: 1

    There are situations where using your own computer is forbidden.

    What a stupid bit of advertising here. It puts off resellers as the product is marketed to circumvent procedures and hence to engage in illicit activities. And in cases where circumventing procedures is beneficial to the common good, activists will already have spotted that opportunity.

    I admit that I'm not a marketing guru. But why not elegantly appeal to people wanting to travel light for instance?

    --

    I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
  28. Re:Battery optional? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    also some times you can't join a wifi network if the clock is very out of sync

  29. And their #1 selling point is... by Begemot · · Score: 1

    ... hiding FB from a boss? (the first use case shown in the video).
    A smartphone is already a much better tool for that

  30. USB gadgets by angryfeet · · Score: 1

    Sounds like a good hand warmer

  31. I'll feel so dumb adding a trackball to that, by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

    but I hate mice.

  32. Hidden computer by Andtalath · · Score: 1

    I really liked that the videos first argument was that if you aren't allowed to use your own computer, this one is easy to hide!

  33. Shoulda Called It by Peredur · · Score: 1

    "The Brain"

    So... what are we going to do today?

    I would use it with chromecast... so it'd be wireless. Add in a bluetooth keyboard and you are good to go.

  34. Re:Entire PC inside a keyboard by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

    Apple II is before VIC-20, and before the PET.

    I'm a TI 99/4a guy, but I didn't mention it initially because it wasn't the first.
    There are several mini-ITX cases with built-in keyboards, enabling you to build up anything from an Atom to an i7.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  35. First line of TFA explains all: by RavenLrD20k · · Score: 1

    Not to be ethnist (I'm also a slav, though southern slav as opposed to Poland chiefly being northern slav), but am I the only one who's not surprised that this was a Polish design? This goes right in line with standard fare Polack jokes, for good or bad.

  36. cable width: monster vs reality by DrYak · · Score: 1

    It might surprise the "Monster Cable crowd", but HDMI cables don't necessarily need to be thick enough to be able to carry 16A current.

    In fact, I have a flat HDMI cable which very thin and flexible, enough so because it's a roll-up. And it works nicely this way. That's already a cable that won't induce much more drag than your old-school PS/2 cable.
    (And there are ultra thin sub-2mm cables on the market too).

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  37. Monster cables by DrYak · · Score: 1

    this mouse needs to be tethered to a HDMI cable (farely stiff)

    It might surprises you, but don't trust "Monster Cable": you don't actually need a cable as thick as the charger of a Tesla car to carry a digital video signal.

    Yes, most HDMI cable are stiff. No, that's not a requirement. Thiner and/or flatter, and more flexible HDMI cable to exist.

    and a USB if you want any other device attached like a keyboard.

    I was actually surprised that there are USB host connectors on this thing. I would have expected it to use bluetooth keyboard if any one needs one. (And I imagine it more used for none-keyboard tasks).

    Nano wireless receivers for the occasionnal keyboard need, and other similar USB nano devices, might do the trick.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]