Smart Mouse with E-Mail and IM Alerts 225
lilrock writes "CoolTechZone.com takes a look at the world's first smart mouse from Logitech, the MX610, that has e-mail and IM alert buttons. It also has auto turn on/off functionality as well. According to the article, 'All these standard features aside, what has us impressed are the e-mail and IM notification buttons. Though the idea behind them is simple, it's interesting how Logitech comes up with such exclusive features. Basically, you will have to configure the indicators to alert you when you receive an e-mail and/or an IM message from the person of your choice. The buttons will alert you by lighting up, and lead you directly to the message once you press them.' " Because I for one am constantly staring at my mouse when I have a gigantic monitor right in front of me. Cough.
Handy with a screen-saver (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:5, Funny)
I can see the IM conversations now.
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:5, Interesting)
Other than that, I really don't see a use for it myself.
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:4, Insightful)
Having said that, it would make more sense for IM programs to add this functionality. A mouse is reaching a bit.
Not so handy when playing games (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Not so handy when playing games (Score:2)
It would depend on who the person was for me (assuming you can specify a particular person which the summary does suggest). Some people are more important then games.
Re:Not so handy when playing games (Score:5, Funny)
Do you have links to support this?
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
Functionality in IM programs - Gaim (Score:2, Informative)
Gaim [sourceforge.net] has support for "buddy pounces" which allow you to set an action (such as a notification which can be anything from a pop-up window, IM box, and sent message to just a simple sound) for any event (an IM, change in state, even typing) a person on your buddylist triggers. They can also be set to repeat. They can even be used to piss people off by having it send a message to them whenever they start or stop typing. Tha
Re:Functionality in IM programs - Gaim (Score:2)
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
Odds are, if you need to sit down and think hard to come up with circumstances where a new feature would be useful... it's not really all that useful.
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
I dunno if I'm going to rush out and buy one, but I wouldn't mind having this particular mouse. I frequently walk past my desk and have a quick look to see if I have any messages. Since my monitor goes off after 20 minutes or so, I have to wiggle the mouse to get it back. If the mouse (or the keyboard) were to blink when I recieved a message, it'd save me that little step.
I agree with the 'ho-hum' feelings towards it, but I wouldn't say it's usel
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
http://ixbiff.sourceforge.net/ [sourceforge.net]
It maps keyboard LEDS to mail directories.
Pretty handy, at least if you use your scroll-lock LED to check on your scroll lock status as often as I do.
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
Mine get's put into the keyboard drawer, and with touch typing I barely even look at the keyboard and mouse , That's what the screen is for.
Besides That's why my email notifier makes a noise, and my IM client reads IM's to me. So I don't have to pay attention to just one sreen at a time.
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
So... you sit in front of your computer starting at flying toasters waiting for someone to talk to you?
Pathetic...
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:3, Funny)
"What's that? Kill them all you say? By your command...."
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:3)
Except that these days most laptops have a dedicated mail led, and for those using desktops there's always the scroll-lock led free and available
Re:Handy with a screen-saver (Score:2)
People with too much money to spend and not enough brains to spend it on something worthwhile. So I guess your average American fits at least one of the criterias
Useful if it has a long range (Score:5, Interesting)
As long as it has a long enough range, it could be useful to just take your mouse with you when you go away from the computer - to work on some paper based thing, prehaps.
Oh, come on. (Score:3, Insightful)
You and I both know that this is yet another attempt to get around M$'s single screen interface. Because M$ has yet to make virtual desktops work, most people don't have it and suffer desktop congestion. A brave few have ventured into the expensive world of dual monitors, but they are still limited to the screen space and that's not enough for them. Others, such as Nvidia, have d
Re:Oh, come on. (Score:2)
I'd take dual monitors over virtual desktops any day though, as virtual desktops completely hide a window. If I'm not using it nor monitoring it for updates, why does it matter where it is? Dualies is the way to go, keep irc/aim/what have you on one monitor and game/a movie on the other, easily monitor stuff like this.
On a related note I had the same idea re: notification when I got my Razer Diamondback that has a blue LE
Re:Oh, come on. (Score:2)
Hey, what a nice workaround. It's amazing how random programmers can do a better job with windoze than Microsoft can. If Microsoft were free software, it might catch up to the Linux world in five to ten years. The question then would be why anyone would bother trying to fix all the underlying problems that give the system a 12 min
Re:Oh, come on. (Score:2)
Do you have the Gyration mouse? I got one some time ago and it's a really neat toy for when you're sitting on the couch. If not, check it out, it's the coolest mouse and it works as a normal mouse when you put it down on a flat surface too. The matching keyboard is cool too.
Re:Useful if it has a long range (Score:2)
Prehaps you're doing some paperwork while you wait for someone to reply to your email so you can carry on with something else, so want instant notification.
Re:Useful if it has a long range (Score:2)
They're different buttons...
I'll bite (Score:2, Interesting)
It does sound like a great idea, especially if the LED is very bright. Right now, I wrote some scripts to play sounds at intervals when important Email messages come in. But sometimes it can be much more annoying than a nice LED.
Every time you think the mouse is a dead deal, somehow Logitech does come up with something new and useful. And I will admit that I was one of those "what the hell is with this scroll wheel crap" people. And after a
Re:I'll bite (Score:5, Funny)
LINUX HARDWARE FAQ
Q: Does (new, interesting bit of hardware) work in Linux?
A: No. Start writing drivers, you slacker.
Re:I'll bite (Score:2)
I know this has become a "joke" (and I use the term very loosely) here at slashdot, but the company most likely did a cost-profit anaylsis, and decided against providing Linux drivers. Until Linux gets more mainstream usage at the home, you can't expect everything to run in Linux. Until then, you'll have to continue to write your own drivers.
Not that simple (Score:2)
If they don't provide specifications, then the hardware will be ignored, unless there is a high demand among developers to have support for XXXX hardware. An example of this is the broadcom wireless drivers [slashdot.org], which started out as a reverse engineering project.
Re:I'll bite (Score:2)
However, having it flash while I'm across the room could be worthwhile, so I wouldn't have to have the screen on to check basic stuff like that. Still, seems marginally useful to me.
However, someone (jokingly) mentioned vibration. This seems like a really good idea to me, using more human input channels, with the one drawback that I bet a vib
After a respecifiaction of the mouse (Score:5, Funny)
In other news, female use of computers up 500%.
In very another news .. (Score:2, Funny)
Where's the pr0n button? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Where's the pr0n button? (Score:2, Funny)
1) What I want is something simpler, not more complicated -- there are two many flashing and blinking things ruining my concentration already!
2) Who in their right mind would design yet another interface type to deliver the same message?
3) But can I make it work with linux?
But the porn angle is always better. I'll form a company to take seed money for the following much needed productivity enhancement:
The iP
Spam? (Score:5, Insightful)
The last two stories from CTZ were probably posted by the same user under different names, but what is common in both users is that they both specified http://slashdot.org/ [slashdot.org] as url (when clicking on their nicks). I don't think it's too far fetched to assume that someone is spamming with the intention to post inflammatory/poorly written stories to
Re:Spam? (Score:2)
Yes, but which editors are doing it? The CTZ ones, or the slashdot ones? Or perhaps in a crazy co-incidence, both? Slashdot benefits from controversial articles that piss off the readers, because angry readers post. Hell, they've done a pretty half-ass job with this one, and already they've gotten two extra posts from
Re:Spam? (Score:2)
This is far from something new.
Re:Spam? (Score:2)
Don't we all...
Visit this super hyper mega ultra amazing site!!!!! [ruralescapes.co.uk].
Such is life when you try and eek out a living on line.
If you want to talk about spam.. (Score:2)
Unlike Jon Katz, there is no nice option to say that I don't want MS's spamvertisements on my
Screen Savers? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Screen Savers? (Score:2)
Could Use the buttons for other stuff, if only (Score:4, Interesting)
However, I went to logitech's site and discovered the following:
They don't provide (at least I can't find it) details on how to talk to the mouse to use the buttons/LEDs for input/output. You have to use their "SetPoint" software, which only works under Windows. And maybe it doesn't work the way you want it to.
So the mouse can't be used for other systems, and you can't program the mouse to work the way that you want it to work. Which is too bad.
Even if Logitech provided "open source" software, that wouldn't help folks who want to really use the hardware for neat things -- they need the technical specs that the "SetPoint" authors used to make the software work in the first place.
Re:Could Use the buttons for other stuff, if only (Score:3, Funny)
Another intrusion (Score:2)
At the office it took some convincing but I finally managed to talk some people into setting their email poll to once every 30-60 minutes to give them time to finish one task before another task started up. They all report being much happier
*Blink blink* (Score:2, Insightful)
Seriously though, I doubt the software requires that much overhead, and the extra feedback could be usefull to some people. Personally I won't be buying one, but I can imagine that some people might find it handy.
Re:*Blink blink* (Score:3, Funny)
Now if we could only program the mouse to play Transiberian Orchestra's "Wizards in Winter"
Re:*Blink blink* (Score:2)
They fucking suck.
All we need now... (Score:3, Funny)
Jerry
http://www.cyvin.org/ [cyvin.org]
Re:All we need now... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:All we need now... (Score:2)
Useless, for the most part. (Score:5, Interesting)
Less buttons and a bigger mouse please (Score:2, Interesting)
Also, opaque plastic please. The old optica
Re:Less buttons and a bigger mouse please (Score:3, Funny)
Why don't you just amputate your hands and get prosthetics? Sheeesh. People always expect companies to do all the work for them. People should get out of their chair and do something themself for once. Hell, I'm going to head over to your place right now and chop off your hands myself.
Big paws (Score:2)
I have big paws too, and I have no problem with tiny mice.
You just need to rest the lower palm on the desktop, and move the mouse with your thumb and pinky. I find I can use the mouse at a 1400x1050 resolution easily, without actually moving my hand. That way, you make a movement similar to typing , where you don't need to move your arms. Maybe, just maybe, big hands and tiny mice can get along well.
Re:Less buttons and a bigger mouse please (Score:2)
Re:Less buttons and a bigger mouse please (Score:2)
Well, there are other alternatives [jennycraig.com].
Why the mouse ? (Score:2, Insightful)
Why should the mouse ever check for email ? I have a programamble computer to do things like that.
This is the worst case of slashvertisement ever ! I'm sad I'm not a subscriber so I could ask my money back !
Re:Why the mouse ? (Score:3, Insightful)
Almost every new keyboard I've seen already has a row of about 10 buttons at the top as shortcuts to email, etc. I would think an LED behind each shortcut button would make more sense - if you have new mail, the email shortcut would light up, and so on. Especially since the keyboard is generally directly below the monitor, and so is usually within your p
*yawn* (Score:2)
Its for powersaving (Score:3, Informative)
Yuck (Score:5, Insightful)
That's all I fuckin' need (Score:2)
Please, give me a mouse that emits white noise, and laserbeams anyone who is trying to approach and distract me.
Re:Yuck (Score:2)
We should start a Slashdot Impotency Support Group. It could be a club for us men who suffer from soft cock.
Surprisingly Effective - With a catch (Score:5, Informative)
I'm surprised at how well the blinking catches my attention. When I'm using my laptop in class, a meeting, or the library, audio indicators are out of the question. On-screen indicators are great, but unless they're persistent, I often miss them. The MX610 does a decent job of letting me know I recieved an IM or an e-mail.
The drawback? It's currently exclusive to M$ applications with no mention of further support. I have to use MSN messenger to talk to some of my friends, but I can't stand Outlook. >:(
The time has come... (Score:2)
The LEDs are a good idea (Score:2, Insightful)
Most people don't stare at their mouse constantly, BUT a flashing LED on your mouse will be quite visible in your pheripheral vision. Actually it will probably be more visible then a small icon or text flashing in one of the corners of the screen. Our pheripheral vision is quite good at recognizing movement, bright colors and flashing light, all of which were very useful to our cavemen anscenstors and
this is old news.. (Score:3, Informative)
This is news.. (Score:2)
I can't count... September was two months ago. No wonder I keep getting in trouble with the IRS :|
Total lack of Linux support from Logitech (Score:5, Interesting)
Logitech refuse to support using Linux with their products - just ask anyone with a DiNovo mediapad keyboard. All they have to do is tell us the protocol, which won't cost them a penny, but they won't. Asshats.
Re:Total lack of Linux support from Logitech (Score:2)
Wouldn't something like
export MAILPATH='/var/spool/mail/xconsole "New mail."'
be more appropriate?
This is stupid (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, the extra buttons on those common-as-dirt Compaq USB keyboards sure are useful when plugged into an OS X box. And now your hand will be between you and the lights most of the time. Oh yeah, and this will be real useful for left-handed mouse users.
Re:This is stupid (Score:2)
HP Keyboards do the same (Score:4, Interesting)
It was really useful to not have to unlock the computer just to check if you had been sent that email yet.
Re:HP Keyboards do the same (Score:2)
On a corporate PC? We both know how likely that is. It tends to be hard enough to get permission to run software other than what is issued on the PC (eg Office + erm, well just Office really), never mind switching away from the corporate desktop OS.
New mouse (Score:4, Funny)
My mouse just failed so I went out and bought a Hyper Super Tech X40d2mfgv2 Extra III. It's the most amazing mouse ever. It has 104 programmable keys and three fantastic lights.
Am I the only one that thinks mice are becoming a little over complicated? Three buttons and a scroll wheel should be enough to anyone :o)
From the summary: (Score:2)
Turn your head the other way.
Cough again.
in the other news RIM announces a blackberry mouse (Score:2)
That's not that smart ... (Score:3, Funny)
Smart mouse with e-mail and IM alerts
Seriously, for a moment I was alright with a mouse messaging with other mouses and reseachers.
Need for on off switch (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Need for on off switch (Score:2)
Re:Need for on off switch (Score:2)
Microsoft's best product (Score:2)
worthwhile underlying concepts, bad implementation (Score:3, Interesting)
One: More I/O is almost always good. The human brain is in large part a pattern recognizing machine; put meaningful information anywhere in someone's environment and they'll adapt to make use of it. If this product was aimed at slashdotters, the ad copy could have read: "Mouse that displays two bits of information!" It's not much, but it's more than your mouse used to be telling you.
Two: Input and output work well in connected loops. It's much more intuitive that if somewhere lights up to tell you about something that needs your attention, you respond by touching there. If properly implemented, this kind of integrity to a mini I/O situation could help us in making meaningful connections and associations. For instance, if there is a button somewhere that lights up when we get an IM from a particular person, and brings up an IM window to that person when pressed (whether it's lit or not), then that button represents that person on multiple levels.
We are primed and ready to make emotional connections with the things around us. One might have thought that having a light that shows HD or network activity would be silly-- in fact it's often practical-- but more than practical, it's often reassuring. For decades now, when a computer looks like it might be hung, I look to the HD light to reassure me that it really is doing something. That light has an emotional meaning for me.
So, yes, this particular product is a ridiculous implementation, but the ideas which are being ridiculously implemented are themselves worthwhile. There's something missing in all of the vibrating mice and email buttons they've come up with so far, but that doesn't mean that we should never explore I/O that goes beyond 101 keys and one big glowing square.
<3
Aargh (Score:2)
(Yes I am typing this on an IBM Model M keyboard)
Mouse 2.0 (Score:2)
Grammar (Score:2)
This is the most common grammar mistake made on the Internet, I swear.
Because I, for one, am...
Exclusive features (Score:2)
No, it's not interesting, because they don't. My Trust mouse from about two years ago (since replaced by a Diamondback) would flash the additional LED under the scroll wheel when an email was received. As somebody already said, some HP keyboards have additional LEDs (and buttons) for mail/IM.
In any case, Trillian has a plugin which flashes the standard (Caps|Scroll|Num) indicators when a message is received. Very useful when playing game
Price? (Score:2)
Does anyone remember luxury mice costing no more than 30$? Is it just me or am I wrong about this? This one costs something like 50 IIRC and that's like 2 the price I used to pay for top-of-the-line mice. Can anyone from germany or any other Euro country confirm this?
Or am I just not remebering prices for stuff like this correctly?
Yahoo! released this 3 years ago. (Score:2)
Cough. (Score:2)
I think everyone at Slashdot need to get checked for bronchitis.
Seems to be alot of **coughing** going around.
Not so interesting... (Score:2, Interesting)
Ahem! I have a feeling there are a few *cough* patents that are the root of such evil^H^H^H^Hexclusivity... In many senses, computer mice are like toilet paper... There really much left in terms of *useful* innovation, but that's where marketing depts take over... For example, the 3rd button/scrollwheel has its uses, but most things work quite well without. (I'd bet that most Linux users don't even realize that their scrollwheel may not wo
Re:Not so interesting... (Score:2)
And Mac users will probably be the first to say that even two buttons are overrated...
Heck, even a mouse is overated. Back when I used CP/M, before everyone had a mouse...
Ahem! I have a feeling there are a few *cough* patents that are the root of such evil^H^H^H^Hexclusivity...
Back before everyone had a mouse you could erase a whole word with a single ^W.
Not the first smart mouse! (Score:2)
I am already at my desk (Score:2)
in summation: you are at your desk, you don't need it.
you are at your desk, you might not want it.
making the pepper pot *look* like a pager is one thing too. Just a single small device that forwards alerts from PC to you.
Sounds like this would sell to the heathen masses of PC world buyers who go 'ooooooh look at that mouse....does it make my games run faster?'
0.o
smart == bad (Score:2)
every frickin time. As soon as you see something labelled "smart", nuke it. It's bound to contain stuff which will screw yr life *every* time.
This advice brought to you by the letters Foo and Bar