When you can’t use a mouse because of too much Guitar Hero, don’t fret; alternative means of controlling your computer’s cursor are just over the horizon. The University of Washington is developing a vocally controlled mouse interface that’s completely hands free!

Similar to speech recognition that aids in typing, the vocal joystick makes using a mouse as simple as humming mantras in front of your computer. Using different vowels and sounds, the vocal joystick is able to create cursor motion and clicking functions as if you were using an ordinary mouse. However, playing Minesweeper is still a pain in the ass.

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Sometimes a normal mouse just won’t cut it. When you’re going to be spending the next three weeks of your life farming gold because you’ve already reached the max level in World Of Warcraft, you’re going to need a mouse that’s not going to flake out on you.

Enter SteelSeries’ new World Of Wacraft themed gaming mouse. It’s got the armor of an armadillo with the mass confusion that encompasses 15 programmable buttons. It also offers 16 million variations of flashing lights to keep you up during those all-night raids you’ll be doing. It’s due out next month for $90, so you better get on top of it before the rest of your guild does.

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Microsoft claims that come September 9th, you can kiss laser goodbye. Everyone was quite confused as to what Microsoft meant, that is until this picture of the mystery product that would put laser in its place showed up on Amazon’s Germany site.

It’s called the Blue Track and it allegedly uses a blue LED teamed up with a wide-angle lens for better tracking on more surfaces than laser and optical are capable of. Hey, I’m all for improved tracking and getting rid of mouse pads, but why blue?. With the wireless adapter and small size, could this be a more ideal mouse for the traveling laptop user than Microsoft’s Arc? With better tracking, definitely, but the price has yet to come into play.

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Ah yes, another Monday, another fantastic day filled with Star Wars goodness. Someone better call Lando. No, It’s not a party so don’t go grabbing case after case of Colt 45 malt liquor just yet. I just thought Lando would be interested in these $200 figurines. They’re a fusion of Disney and Star Wars characters. You’ve got Mickey Mouse as Luke, Minnie Mouse as Queen Amidala, Donald Duck as Darth Maul and Goofy as a confused Jar Jar Binks.

Where’s Darth Vader? He could have easily been modeled after Pete, Mickey’s arch-rival. Geez, I’m the only one who cares and this is going to put a damper on my whole week. Thanks a lot Disney.
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Later this year, Microsoft will be retailing its new wireless mouse specifically designed for easy transit. Gone are the days of the tiny transportable mouse for your laptop that makes your hand look like an amputated limb from Andre The Giants body.

It’s a full-sized mouse that folds into a space-saving form that’ll fit anywhere from your laptop case to your underpants. Unfolding the Microsoft Arc mouse in front of everyone on the train will make them wish they had a mouse as big as yours!

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This mouse is done being a computer mouse. It’s tired of being man-handled all day, clicked and pressed all over. It wants to relax. The truth is, it’s just a bar of soap carved into a computer mouse. It almost looks functional but the only thing it’s functioning is that fresh feeling after a hot shower.

Not the first and certainly not the last geek soap creation we’ve seen, the mouse soap is unique because it looks more comfortable than the mouse I’m using now. That is, until one shower use leaves it looking like any other normal bar of soap.

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Who says busted technology can’t have a second chance? After her brother backed over his own iPod with a car, Crafster.org user Stefferroo posted this DIY project directly inspired by the Nintendo controller mouse. She magically turned a ruined iPod into a working mouse.

Don’t let the screen fool you, this MP3 player does not play music at all but the creator decided to put a fake picture to let everyone know what song she has stuck on repeat. It goes great with a Mac desktop and looks solid in comparison to many of the mice we’ve seen. Nice job, Stef!

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Remember the Phantom gaming system? The one which promised you’d be able to play games streamed over the Internet through a broadband connection for a monthly fee? Me neither. Yet after six long years of nobody giving a fuck, they’ve finally decided to release the keyboard designed for the system.

The Phantom Lapboard is nothing special. It sits on your lap and you’re able to incline the top part of the keyboard to reveal a space underneath for mousing.  At $129, we’re just astonished to see that it even has a price tag and saw the light of day, regardless of its overpricing. We’re still not going to buy it. Are you?
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Could Sony have gotten anymore simplistic than naming their new mouse with an integrated Internet phone Mouse Talk.  It has single-handedly inspired me to invent a toilet with an embedded radio I’m calling “Shit Listen.” If you’re gay for VoIP and you have no need for a comfortable mouse then Mouse Talk is for you.

It lets you make and receive high quality calls while you click away at minesweeper on your 800 DPI optical mouse. A conveniently placed button on the side of the mouse opens the phone to enable speakerphone functionality. As you probably guessed, it’s got a hefty price tag being that it comes from Sony. Ecost.com is letting it go for $84.99 making it one of the more pricey mice on the market.
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For those of you that have siblings you want to keep away from your PC, the Mousetrap Mouse Pad is the ideal solution. I mean, it’s just a mouse pad and at the same time looks like so much more. Aside from being a standard mouse pad, probably made of a rubber, it looks like a mouse trap and that should be enough to keep anyone who values their fingers away from your computer. It’s not huge as its dimensions are 6” x 12.5”, however, it is longer than your average mouse pad. For $12 dollars you won’t find a cheaper security solution.
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