A mouse for the desktop duffer

Novelty mice are nothing new, of course, but it's not often that they come packaged with their own custom environment. But if there's one hobby--make that obsession--that demands an exception, it's golf. And few places in world are so obsessed than Japan, where this golf-ball mouse hails from.

This dimpled mouse from Green-House comes with its own putting green, which doubles as a pad. The hole and flag are only decorative, unfortunately, but the 800dpi optical mouse is wired so it wouldn't roll very well on its own anyway. Fareastgizmos says the buttons do light up, however, if you're desperate for a distraction from work.

Via CNET Craze

iPod speaker that doubles as pool toy

High-quality audio may be going the way of the endangered Fat Three-Ridge Mussel, but this clam-like floating speaker at least promises to revive any poolside party should conversation begin to dwindle.

The Weatherproof Submersible Wireless Speaker from Grace Audio is... exactly that. The speaker doesn't just stand up to a few splashes of water, you can actually toss it in the pool in case your backyard speakers aren't loud enough or close enough for you.

For added fun, and if you want to test its weatherproofing limits, the speaker promises to remain functional up to 9 feet under water for up to a half hour. (Aside: What would that even sound like?)

It connects wirelessly to a music source, up to 150ft away, and the battery is good for 6 hours. Neiman Marcus is selling the base station and speaker for US$150, with each additional speaker selling for US$100. (You can connect up to 10 additional speakers.)

Via CNET Crave

A mouse that Lilliputians would appreciate

Even in the world of ever-shrinking gadgets, small doesn't always mean better. Especially where ergonomics are concerned.

Brando's wireless mini-mouse measures less than 2.7 inches long and would be absolutely tiny to the average person as indicated by this photo, unless Andre the Giant was moonlighting as the hand model. It's definitely portable, as GeekAlerts says, weighing barely an ounce and easily carried in a pocket.

In fact, it might be too portable--we'd be afraid of losing it among the loose change. The real problem, however, is one of functionality: There's no way we could comfortably use a mouse this small. But maybe that's just a reflection of our insufficient motor skills.

Via CNET Crave

For Father's Day, don't get him a tacky mouse

The marketing floodgates are about to swing wide open for Father's Day. And the worst example is a good product that would be fine on its own but instead stoops to some cheap gimmick that lowers its image.

Take this special edition of the MoGo mouse. This anorexic peripheral, which can be stored in a PC card slot, has gotten some high marks from people who praise its innovative design. But then they had to go and slap on a sticker that says "#1 Dad" like some cheap T-shirt.

We think a better gift would be the original mouse in its sleek form. Then get a card

Via CNET Crave

A keyboard for spies and messy eaters

The people at iKey (not to be confused with Ikea) clearly have some sort of James Bond complex. Last fall, they debuted a keyboard made for night-vision goggles, and now they've come out with a model that supposedly can endure the harshest environments. (What's up with all these survivalist keyboards, anyway?)

The DT-5K-MEM-TP, whose name perhaps intentionally sounds like an encrypted message, is an industrial membrane keyboard that's made with a "hard-coated, textured polyster film" that supposedly puts silicon keypads to shame. It also bears the distinction of being NEMA 4X-certified, which the company says "means it can withstand directed hose water, disinfectants, environmental contaminants, and heavy industrial use".

The keyboard is also handy for those occasional underwater missions, as seawater won't seep into it because all the keys and its Synaptics touchpad are completely sealed. Which, by the way, makes it much easier to clean after spilling Cheetos crumbs and Red Bull on it all hours of the day and night.

Via Crave CNET

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