Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft vowed that its Touch Mouse would get Windows 8 support in time for the software’s big release day, and it’s being very true to its word by posting the relevant update with less than a week to go. Mouse and Keyboard Center 2.0 saves time for those not graced with a touchscreen by introducing multi-touch swipes that bring up Windows 8’s Charm bar, switch between active apps and invoke Semantic Zoom. Will the Touch Mouse update trick you into thinking you have a Surface? No, but it’s certainly much easier on the wallet.

Filed under: Peripherals, Software, Microsoft

Microsoft Touch Mouse gets promised Windows 8 support, works like a Charm originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Oct 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As its name suggests, the Intelligent Design Titanium Mouse is crafted from a grade 1 titanium, a high-quality metal used in jewelry and the space industry. The mouse uses a neodymium magnet for its scroll wheel and provides a precise laser tracking. It connects to your PC or Mac via Bluetooth connectivity. The Intelligent Design Titanium Mouse is priced at approx. $520 a pop. [Product Page]

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Whee!, which we guess probably isn’t their real name, who is looking for a way to ditch their mouse. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’m a web developer, and my typical day involves a lot of moving and clicking when testing stuff in the browser. I’ve been thinking about ditching my mouse, because when using it for long hours it gets very uncomfortable. As such, I’m eyeing up a Wacom tablet and using the pen input to mouse around — but do you think it’s a good idea? Thanks in advance!”

Our questioner wants to solve their wrist-pain woes, and it certainly seems like a reasonable enough idea to us. Plenty of tablets come with a mouse mode, so it’s just down to the limits of your budget.

• If you’re just dipping your toes into the water, you can pick up a Genius device for around $60.
• Wacom’s Bamboo tablets occupy the mid-range, setting you back $80 for a 5.8-inch model, all the way up to $200 for the 8.5-incher.
• If you’re serious about making the change, then Wacom’s Intuos5 hardware is a top-range option, with the 6.2-inch version starting at $200, running all the way to $800 for the 18-inch unit, or even spending big on one of the company’s Cintiq units.
• We’ve also been wondering if a touchscreen Ultrabook might be a better idea, letting your fingers do the walking to spare your aching forearms.

That said, perhaps the wider Engadget community has an even better tip, so if you’ve already made that leap, why not share your knowledge in the comments below?

Filed under: Peripherals

Ask Engadget: Should I replace my mouse with a graphics tablet? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What you see above is the Logitech Touch Mouse T620, where it was specially designed to deliver a full touch-surface for fluid navigation with the Windows 8 operating system that is bound to be released later this month. It is rather similar in its workings to the touchpad, providing you with the adequate freedom to gesture wherever your fingers rest on the mouse, never mind if they are on the edges, for a more natural and intuitive feeling, and this will include horizontal and vertical scrolling, and app switching. Your hand should take to the Logitech Touch Mouse T620 in a jiffy, and using it for hours should not result in any adverse effects.

As for the Logitech Zone Touch Mouse T400, it will be more than the usual mouse, allowing you to access popular elements of the operating system in a quick and easy manner. Sporting a glass touch-surface which was specially designed for smooth horizontal and vertical scrolling with your fingers, you are able to perform clicks anywhere on the front of the touch zone, in order to access the Windows 8 Start Screen directly. The Logitech Touch Mouse T620 and Logitech Zone Touch Mouse T400 will retail for $69.99 and $49.99, respectively. [Press Release]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Logitech Cube mouse demonstrated on video, Logitech Cube Mouse,

It’ll be another two weeks before Windows 8 PCs go on sale, but if you like, you can pick out your gesture-enabled peripherals now. Logitech just announced two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized to support gestures in Windows 8. Starting with the mice, the Touch Mouse T620 has the same design as the M600 announced earlier this year, except it supports Win 8 gestures out of the box. (The M600 will get a software update allowing it to work the same way.) Similar to its predecessor, the T620’s entire top surface is touch-enabled, which means you can do things like swipe the right side for the Charm Bar, or swipe from the left to rotate through open programs. You can also double tap with one finger to return to the Start Screen, and double tap with two fingers to show the desktop.

Moving on, the Zone Touch Mouse T400 has a touch strip that you can use to move up and down through pages, as well as scroll through the live tiles on the Start Screen. In a brilliant twist, though, the touch strip itself is comprised of two buttons, which you can use to toggle open apps or bring up the Start Screen, depending on which end you press. Finally, the Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 is a Magic Trackpad-style touchpad with a spacious glass surface, which seemed impeccably responsive during our brief hands-on with it. Unlike the two mice, which run on AAs, the T650 has a rechargeable battery, which you can re-juice over USB.

All of these accessories use proprietary 2.4GHz wireless technology instead of Bluetooth, which means you’ll need a free USB port to accommodate the accompanying transceiver. The dongle can pair with up to six Logitech peripherals at once, but that’s a bummer if you also happen to own gear made by a Microsoft or HP. As you might have guessed, these are compatible with Windows PCs only, though you could use them with Win 7 if you so chose. Look for all three this month, with the Touchpad T650 priced $80, the Touch Mouse at $70 and the T400 at $50.

Continue reading Logitech outs two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized for Windows 8

Filed under: Peripherals

Logitech outs two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized for Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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