Witnessed as an important day for the computer savvy. On this day this year, the computer mouse com turned 40 years old. A team of researchers at the Stanford Research Institute in California invented the mouse the year 1968. The team, led by Doug Engelbart made a mouse that was nothing but a wooden block with wheels mounted on its base. There was a red button on its top and a cable at its back. The team found a resemblance between a mouse and the device invented by them and hence, the name of the most dynamic input device of the times.

If one goes through the pages of history, one can see that the mouse dates back even longer. The mouse can be believed to be an extension of the trackball invented by Kenyon Taylor, Tom Cranston, and Fred Longstaff while they were working on the Royal Canadian Navy’s DATAR project in 1952. In the early 1960s, Engelbart was studying the correlation between computers and humans and it was then that he proposed the idea of making a mouse like device. In 1964, the first working prototype of the device was developed. The full-fledged working mouse was demonstrated only in the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco in 1968.

It was in the year 1981 that Xerox launched the first commercial version of the mouse. Apple, in 1984, launched it with its Macintosh computer systems. It was only after this launch that the mouse gained popularity. Since then, the mouse has come a long way. From having wheels that sense the movement to the mechanical mouse that had a ball to track the movement of the mouse, the mouse indeed has come a long way. But this is just the beginning. With new developments in the wireless technology, the mouse has even been liberated of the wire that attaches it to the computer. The latest developments include the optical mouse that has photodiodes and LED’s sensing its movement.

Rumor has it that Intel’s MID (Mobile Internet Device) platform, codenamed Menlow, is about to make its way to yet one more latest product, likely to be rolled out by Averatec’s Trigem. Built-in with a 4.8-inch touchscreen handy computing device, the Lluon Mobbit is crafted to endow its users with a user-friendly Internet-based handy system. One of the features that keep the Mobbit alone from all the additional MIDs is the use of a Windows XP operating system over a Linux OS, utilized for most MIDs.

Trigem’s MID is likely to be based on an Intel Atom Z520 processor, sprinting at a core speed of 1.3GHz. It will be built-in with 1GB of RAM memory with an option of 16GB SSD or 30GB HDD to provide decent performance level and storage. Other specs of the Trigem’s MID are: Bluetooth and WiBro, integrated Wi-Fi, a 2MPweb camera, DMB-T TV tuner and the US15W chipset well-known for backing up hardware video decoding.

This MID’s tiny 4.8-inch screen is claimed to be capable of rendering 1024 by 600 pixel images, extremely satisfying for utilizing the Internet. Expected to weigh something like 375g and measuring166 x 88 x 21mm, the device provides nearly everything needed for a speedy and on the move Internet connection, in a tiny and light weight form factor. The Lluon Mobbit, given its support for a hard disk drive, could effortlessly be utilized as a portable media player.

Seagate offers its new range of stylish and dockable storage device – ‘Seagate FreeAgent Go’. This new breed of Hard Drive is comparatively larger than many of the internal desktop drives and can be easily docked to a PC or with an iPod. One of the important features of this storage device is that it offers you enough space to store multiple copies of each file and is featured with an additional dock and software. The Seagate’s FreeAgent Go series of Portable Hard Drive is available in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB capacities with a varied color choice including silver, black, red and blue. However, the additional dock is available with additional money of approximately $29.The main purpose of this dock is to help you to connect the drive to your PC via a long dual-head USB cable with ease. The dock kit includes a slipcase for the drive, so that it stays scratch free inside your travel bag. One of the biggest advantages with this dock system is that you are allowed to remove the hard drive without using the ‘Safely Remove Device’ command in Windows. In other words it is hot swappable.

The Seagate FreeAgent Go is packed with a dual-headed cable that provides the drive with additional power when used with a laptop. This new series of hard drive is much faster and you do not have to wait until the drive complete the backups, simply station it in the dock and it’s done. Unlike other hard drives such as the SimpleTech Signature Mini Black Cherry or the Western Digital My Passport Elite, the Seagate FreeAgent Go is much like business oriented in its design. Stands unbeatable among the other portable hard drives, the Seagate FreeAgent Go is really an outstanding release from Seagate. Featured with a stylish, yet business oriented design, the Seagate FreeAgent Go includes an innovative dock system and comes with a warranty of five years. The software included with the drive is just everything you need from a portable external hard drive.

So far there has been rumors all mover the globe regarding the finalization of USB 3.0 specification. The widely spread rumors came up with a false conception that Intel, which happens to be one of the prime promoters of USB 3.0 besides Microsoft, NEC, HP, Texas Instruments and ST-NXP is holding back the final specifications from releasing to other competitors in the market (such as NVIDIA and AMD). Now its time to put an end to all such rumors and beliefs as the actual specification of Super-Speed USB 3.0 with a Transfer Speed of 4.8Gbps has been finalized and submitted to USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum) for the upcoming publication to the developers – a great new indeed.

As compared to USB 2.0, which happens to be its predecessor, the USB 3.0 has been moved up in the scale with the introduction of its transfer rate of 4.8Gbps (theoretical). This new successor of USB 2.0 is claimed to be 10 times faster than USB 2.0 and more efficient. This advance feature proves to be a better choice for the developers, enabling them to integrate it within a new platform over IEEE 1394 Firewire or similar other Legacy Interfaces. Moreover, the new Super-Speed USB 3.0 is believed to have a fully new Internal Power management function that has the capability to support suspend, idle and sleep modes for the better saving of power. With the release of the final specification, the manufacturers can implement host ports that are in compliance with USB 3.0 on their next generation upcoming platforms.

As its review, USB 3.0 has a backward compatibility with the present USB 2.0 as far as Type A connector is into consideration. Compared to USB 2.0, which is based on the unidirectional data flow with bus transitions that are negotiable, USB 3.0 is based on bi-directional flow of data. Also, USB 3.0 uses a dual-simplex 4-wire differential signal wiring in comparison to USB 2.0 with half-duplex 2-wire differential wiring. The actual USB 3.0 controller is expected by the second half of 2009 and the first complete prototype by 2010.

Small, compact, connected via USB dongle, the ZDTV Wireless Keyboard is ideally suited for use with a living room PC setup. It worked well up to a distance of 4 m, but that’s where the positives end. It looks and feels cheap, and lacks multimedia hotkeys – a baffling omission for a product that’s intended to be used for music and video playback. There is no sign of a volume control, no track skip keys and no play/pause button. With a touchpad that is largely hit and miss, s small keyboard that renders typing at speed impossible, and proprietary software that’s riddled with adverts, it’s tough to recommend the Zoom ZDTV.

The MSI Big Bang Marshal certainly I warrant the “big” in the name, as this board sports no fewer than eight PCI-E xl6 slots in addition to all the trappings one comes to expect from a high-end motherboard.

Running the Intel P67 (B3) chipset and thus supporting Sandy Bridge Core i3/i5/i7 chips, the Big Bang Marshal has USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps support. There is a smattering of additional features built into the board, including Super Charger, which charges your mobile devices extra-fast; M-Flash, which lets you backup and restore the BIOS with a flash drive; Multi BIOS, which stores a second BIOS onboard in case of a borking; and Wink i3, a Linux-based environment that grants you quick access to the Internet even while the system boots. Live Update 5 and Live Update Online ensure that you get all the latest updates from MSI.

The built-in audio is Creative’s X-Fi MB2, which features EAX Advanced HD 5.0 for better 3D gaming audio and THX TruStudio Pro for more sound clarity.

If you don’t feel like tinkering in the BIOS to adjust overclock settings (although with the Click BIOS GUI, it’s easy to do), you can simply push the physical OC Genie II button on the board with the system powered down, and when you boot, it’ll automatically overclock the CPU multiplier, CPU VCore, memory ratio, and memory voltage for you. (OC Genie II doesn’t support Core i3 chips, however.) Overclocked or not, the Big Bang is a solid board for the enthusiast class.

The Naga Epic is Razer’s third attempt at an MMO mouse. The original Naga (see Issue 76, p80) was tar from epic, though, particularly in the comfort department. The Naga Epic is even more expensive than its predecessor, clocking in at just under £100. However, if you’re still reading then the price might not be too much of an issue for you. The Naga Epic is more of an evolution of the Naga, but there are a number of new additions.

The biggest change is that the mouse is now able to operate in either wired or wireless mode. A detachable braided USB cord is on standby for initial charging, and as a backup if your battery wavers. The sturdy wireless docking station is rock-solid and feels heavy-not something that will be easily knocked over by the cat. The lag-free wireless operation of the Naga Epic is flawless; this and the slick design of the plug’n'play cord are easily the biggest improvements.

The Naga is equipped with three magnetic, interchangeable side panels. These allow you to try three differently sized panels to determine which one suits your hand the best. Some people may prefer the skinniest panel for twitch-based encounters, while others might find the fattest of the three to be the best for marathon sessions. It’s an innovative approach to making customization possible without overloading the user with choices.

The hook for M MO players is the 12-button keypad operated by your thumb. This array of buttons requires discipline and practice to master, but once you’ve tinkered around with it for a few nights, muscle memory will kick in and it becomes easier to use. The 12 buttons mapdirectlytoyourkeyboard’s’1 to=՝ keys, or if you’re feeling fruity, you can opt to have it map to your numerical keypad instead. With five other buttons bringing the total to 17, the Naga Epic’s ability to map anything to anywhere is impressive.

Razer has seen fit to make two software add-ons available for the Naga series, including the Epic. One is for World of Warcraft and the other is for the less popular Warhammer Online. The WoW add-on is pretty neat, and can replace the need for other action bar mods that are doing the in-game rounds. We’re pleased to report that it works well.

The company has just launched another version of the mouse called the Arc Touch. Instead of folding in half, this one straightens out its curves, enabling it to slide into any pocket. Using two pencil batteries this mouse also works on Microsoft’s Blue Track optical technology.

The Arc Touch is a mouse that needs a bit of getting used to. It needs to be held from the front. It cannot be held normally since it has cavities where the fingers would otherwise be. Ambidextrous in design, this mouse carries three buttons, the left and right clicks with the neat flat touch scroll. To scroll one just need to flick the finger and the screen will quickly scroll. Slide the finger slowly and scrolling becomes line by line. The mouse even produces a click wheel like feedback when scrolling. It comes with a tiny Snap-on transceiver that magnetically gets attached to the back of the mouse.

The new kit will be launched in month of October which has a new invented product Tikitag. RFID tags have various restrictions when they are interacting with the devices. This is the reason there is a need of something with which people feel more freedom.

The primary role of TIkitag is to change the web-based infrastructure in easy to use USB reader which is capable of opening RFID technology to the users who do not have IT degrees and if they belong to other fields except IT such as CS or Medical. The started kit will cost you $50.

When you break an Apple MacBook Air the first thing you probably wont think of is chopping it up and making in to an All-In-One keyboard.

This is exactly what the MacBook Air Project is about. A MacBook Air user broke his laptop and decided to take all the insides out and cut them to size and attach them to the underside of a wireless Apple keyboard and Magic track pad.

All the ports and parts have been moved over to the all-in-one Air keyboard although the job isn’t finished just yet as it’s a little rough around the edges and is held together in part with duct tape.

Logitech unveiled a new keyboard and mouse wireless MK520. It’s a comfortable mouse with soft rubber side grip and contoured design.

The Logitech keyboard has full-size with one-touch media control. Softly rounded edge with Incurve key position to put your finger properly and easily to glide from key to key. This MK520 Combo with with 2.4GHz wireless connectivity.

Perfectly Controlled PC Entertainment: With a full keyboard, navigation and multimedia control keys, you can do just about anything you want from the comfort of your couch or bed. The backlight will even let you do it in the dim light of your man/grrl cave.

This USB hub allows you to power the hub either directly from a computer or from an AC/DC socket. So in addition to connecting multiple USB devices to your computer, you can also recharge devices such as digital cameras, MP4 players and cellphones wherever there is a wall power socket. This is also very useful for connecting devices that require a certain amount of power to operate such as one-cable removable HDDs.

The leather USB optical computer mouse measures 87 x 55 x 17mm, and weights 50g. The leather shell with some elegant patterns is the most unique aspect of the USB computer mouse. Moreover, the computer mouse comes with a retractable and removable USB cable for easy to carry.

A $1000 will get you Art Lebedev’s latest keyboard, the Optimus Popularis. The keyboard builds upon earlier editions of his creations and adds a couple of neat features like a nifty customizable status bar that resides below the function keys. This bar can be configured to display local weather updates, PC health status and since it is customizable, you can also add stock information, pending email message notifications and the likes.

The other cool feature of this keyboard would have to be the fact that each and every key is its own display and these screens have been improved to cover the full face of the key. As a result of the display keys, the keyboard face can also be adjusted to change language or even display a temporary numberpad on a given keystroke.

Seagate has introduced their new FreeAgent GoFlex Desk drive, an external hard drive that has 3TB of storage space. It wasn’t to long ago when the 1TB hard drives were touted as being sufficient for a home users multimedia needs but with the number of digital cameras and high definition video cams, bigger seems to be better.

Just how big is the new Seagate drive? It can hold 120 high definition movies but out of the box, the drive comes with only USB 2.0 support so transfer speeds will not be optimal. However, there are optional upgrades to Firewire 800 or USB 3.0 available and these will come with an additional cost. Compatible with both the Windows and Mac operating system, the 3TB drive includes a driver disk that will allow users to take an NTFS or Windows-formatted drive and enable it for read/write access on a Mac. This is an option for users that are unwilling or unable to format the drive using the Mac’s HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) file system.

$250 is what it will cost to buy the 3TB hard drive and an additional $20-$50 will be required for each optional connectivity interface.

The Fujitsu Self-Destructing USB Drives have been released in Japan. If you just happen to be a spy or just want your own self-destructing USB drive so no one will get a hold of your secret information whether it is very important or just your own personal stuff you desire to keep to yourself. The USB drive will of course hold all your info until it self-destructs. No, it will not go up in smoke like the spy shows, but it erases all by itself. You can set the USB drive to erase in 10 minutes up to one week as well as if a wrong password is entered.