mouse

In ChuChu Rocket, your objective is to guide hordes of frantic mice (ChuChus) to their rocket ship by dropping arrowed tiles on the ground. As the mice move about the screen, simply swipe in front of them to drop a tile and point them in a direction to run. While the game may not sound very difficult, there are, in fact, an assortment of obstacles and an army of evil cats that very well could have you pulling your hair out by level 10.

There are three different game modes to choose from in ChuChu Rocket: Puzzle, Challenge, and Battle. … Read more

Inventor and engineer Jason Giddings hopes you have a few extra bucks to back his idea for a multitouch mouse and keyboard concept made entirely out of glass and metal.

The combo looks like the input device used on the Gibson supercomputer in "Hackers," but Hal and the Plague would probably be more psyched to use Giddings' wireless peripherals.

The glass surface of the keyboard and mouse shrug off food crumbs and most liquids, and both use Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) technology with the help of an embedded camera to pick up infrared light reflected off the inside walls. Proprietary software then picks up the location of the tap and engages the appropriate key press.

Did I mention the software is open source? Yep, that means any developer can potentially manipulate it beyond the functionality of other multitouch peripherals like the Apple Magic Trackpad and the Optimus Maximus keyboard.

You can see visual mockups of the keyboard and mouse set at the Kickstarter donation page, but Giddings still has a long way to go before he reaches the $50,000 goal needed to build prototypes and enter preproduction.

Pledge $10 for a chance to submit your ideas on what to name this thing--the winner will receive the first production model! More concept photos after the jump.… Read more

Never underestimate the value of a good mouse and keyboard. The ones that come bundled with any desktop are almost sure to be flimsy, low-end products, the kind that can diminish your computing experience.

I've had the same high-quality Logitech combo for as long as I can remember; it's lasted me through my last three PCs. So I have no qualms about recommending this: today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the refurbished Logitech MK710 Wireless Keyboard Combo for $34.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. It sells for nearly double just about everywhere else (and new from Logitech for $99.99).… Read more

Your mouse probably has several buttons and maybe a scroll wheel or two, but are you using the default settings or can you open and close Web pages, turn the volume up and down when you play music, or simulate any keystroke? You can, with X-Mouse Button Control. This free utility lets you set customized profiles, called Layers, with individually customized mouse controls in each, and rapidly switch between them. You can create separate mouse control profiles for individual applications, such as games that don't support extended mouse buttons. Or, you can have the scroll wheel change to a … Read more

In OS X Lion, Apple changed the default scroll direction from moving the screen in the opposite direction to the cursor to be similar to the iPad and iPhone, where when you scroll the image on the screen moves in the same direction you are scrolling.

This behavior may be expected for touch-screen devices, but for many people the change is a bit confusing, despite the introductory warning that informs you about the change when you first boot Lion.

For people who wish to keep the conventional scrolling behavior, there's an option to do so in the Mouse and … Read more

BURBANK, Calif.--Every Hollywood studio is security-conscious in this era of online spoilers, but the folks at Disney play it tighter to the vest than most. To keep its news fresh (and to preserve the fairytale illusions for kids), Disney doesn't let "non-cast members" behind the scenes very often.

So it was a special (trick or) treat last week when Disney Interactive Media Group invited members of the press, staffers, and any kids in earshot to come on the studio back lot for a Halloween party.

The group used the event to hype its current slate of games across multiple platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, iOS, and PC), including Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Cars 2: The Video Game, and Disney Universe. … Read more

Pull back, aim for the cheese, then hit the cat. That's pretty much all you have to remember to play this unique, addictive, and whimsical platform game.

In Bouncy Mouse, you are the colorful, cheese-loving protagonist. Your special power? An elastic, prehensile tail. With it, you can sling yourself to and from the small knobs strategically placed throughout each level, and earn points by picking up as many pieces of cheese as you can along the way. Also, thanks to your round, rubbery exterior, you can bounce your way to hard-to-reach pieces of cheese and even bounce yourself out … Read more

It's easy to get lost in all the new Android and Windows Phone handsets coming out soon, but CNET's Kent German, Bonnie Cha, and Nicole Lee have us covered. Today Verizon and Motorola announced their latest Droid Razr, a modern incarnation of the original Razr design with a non-bulletproof Kevlar backing and an ultraslim profile.

We also have a leaked shot of the Google Nexus Prime, a first take of the HTC Titan, and a Microsoft patent that encourages you to access touch screens through your pants. Too easy! This and more irreverent stories on today's episode of The 404 Podcast.… Read more

A familiar type of computer error is the kind in which all activity seems to freeze, there's no apparent response to keyboard input, and the mouse stops moving. When this happens on Macs you may see the spinning color wheel, or the system may show no indicator of a problem. While you might think the system has fully crashed and needs to be restarted, a few seconds later the system may continue to function normally again, only to pause again shortly thereafter.

This type of random pausing is generally due to an I/O (input/output) problem. Critical devices … Read more