35% off Dell's Most Popular LaptopsVroom: Surf the Web with a Ford GT
(Credit:
Dong Ngo/CNET)
I received this wireless mouse awhile ago, but as it comes in one of those clamshell packages that are impossible to open, I kind of ignored it until now.
As it turns out, the packaging is the only bad thing about it. Inside, I found what's possibly the coolest wireless mouse ever. It's a miniature replica of a Ford GT sports car. The two mouse buttons are the left and right side of the hood, and the scroll wheel is right in the middle (but kind of hidden as it's painted over).
The feature of the Fort GT wireless mouse I like the most is the head lights of the car that actually light up whenever you press on the mouse buttons. This is really cool when using the mouse in the dark. However, you can also turn this off with a little switch on the bottom of the mouse -- a nice design touch that comes in handy when you want to surf discreetly or conserve the juice.
The mouse is one of many car-shaped mice officially licensed to Four Door Media by Ford and other car manufacturers. At Four Door Media's Web site, you'll find many other car models, including Corvette, Camaro, Mustang GT, and even cop cars.
As a mouse, my Ford GT worked great out of the box. Like most optical wireless mice, it comes with two AAA batteries and a compact USB wireless dongle. Once the batteries were installed and the dongle was plugged in, the mouse worked flawlessly from up to 5 feet away. No software or driver was required. It also worked well in my tests with the latest Windows 7.
Despite the cheap plasticky look of the packaging, the mouse actually has a very solid build. My only complaint is that its wheels are not rotatable; otherwise, it would make a great toy car when not in use as a mouse.
The Road Mice cost $45.95 each, a decent price for a wireless mouse. If you're a fan of cars, it's totally worth it to have your ride literally accompany your laptop.
Dong Ngo is a CNET editor who covers networking and network storage, and writes about anything else he finds interesting. You can also listen to his podcast at insidecnetlabs.cnet.com. E-mail Dong.
Eric Franklin's colleagues once had the following to say to him: "Eric, you've been doing this performance testing thing for over 10 years now. How about you try something different?" To which Eric responded, "How about you shut the #%$@! up?" This candid attitude
allows him to go toe-to-toe with the most extreme of personalities, including that of Dong Ngo. This bio was written by Eric Franklin.
Dong Ngo is a knowledgeable, opinionated individual who wants to convince the world that he's just a normal person; but he hasn't had much success. According to him, this is because the world itself is abnormal. Dong loves traveling and is well-versed in several languages. He, unfortunately, is not so well-versed in English. Still, it's best to ask him questions. From networking and how to optimize your system, to turning a strange place into home or what the meaning of life is…most of the time, he has the answers. The question is: Will he make himself understood? Subscribe and find out!
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by bdoyle87
July 9, 2009 9:30 AM PDT
- I have the Camaro one (won it on motortrend.com) and it looks cool and is solidly built but it is not comfortable at all because of the lip spoiler in the back (which also makes it tip up often while using it) and my hand just isn't big enough to reach the mouse buttons without lifting my hand up, my wrist hurt shortly after using it. Different ones are more and less comfortable I hear though.
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