New features on your mouse

For seasoned computer users, the ubiquitous mouse is actually the extension of their hand. It allows them to reach anywhere inside their computer screen, so to speak. It enables them to press a button inside the screen, move objects such as application windows, graphic images and text around, and paint objects in colors.

True, we now have mice with multiple buttons and a very useful scroll button. Some of these buttons are programmable, so we can use it to accomplish a series of actions with just one click.

If four or five buttons are not enough for you, consider Kensington's Expert Mouse Pro Wireless. It has ten buttons, four programmable and six direct launchers that will start your favorite applications.

More and more mice have become cordless. They connect to the PCs using radio frequencies, so no tail is necessary. Understandably, not having to be tethered to the computer is a nice way to work.

But, in addition to increasing the number of buttons and eliminating the cord, why not combine the pointing and cursor moving functions of the mouse with a security system such as fingerprint scanning? This will enable us to protect our PC and all the data inside it without having to add a separate biometrics device.

Clearly, the idea is not new. A Korean company named FirstTechnology has developed a mouse that also acts as a security officer. The mouse has the standard left, right and scroll buttons. But, in addition, it also has a fingerprint sensor. So, before you can log on to your PC, you will have to go through an authentication procedure by placing your finger on top of the sensor. You can also encrypt files and folders and only your finger can decrypt them.

Force feedback has become a common feature in gamepads and joysticks. With force feedback, the user gets a response from the PC in the form of increasing resistance in the steering wheel, for example, as he drives his car up a steep bank. The aim is to create a sensory feedback that will improve immersion in computer games.

What about a mouse that could somewhat help a hearing impaired user to hear computer-generated sounds? This idea is not totally new either. Anko American Electronic has a mouse that they call a "Mouse Vibration/Sound with Sensual Technology".

The mouse will vibrate each time a sound is generated by the computer's sound card. So, a hard-of-hearing user will know when he gets a audio response from an interactive Web site or a computer game, for example. The mouse, which otherwise functions as any other regular mouse, has a "volume control" that lets the user adjust the strength of the vibration.

However, up to now we still largely use the mouse two dimensionally. We move it up, down, left and right on a plane. When the cursor is on top of the title bar or over it, we would not know unless we look at the screen. However, Logitech, the king of the mice makers, has a mouse called IFeel that provides us with feedback as the cursor moves along the third dimension. So, for example, you will know when the cursor is right on top of the menu or in the inside panel of an application. Logitech calls this feature tactile feedback. It will help visually impaired computer users navigate with the mouse more easily.

In the meantime, here are two software accessories that you can buy over the Internet to make it easier for you to mouse and click. First, if you have difficulty tracking down the position of your mouse cursor or I-beam, you can download Mouse & Caret Buddy from www.ahf-net.com/Mcbuddy.htm for a seven-day demo. You will have to pay if you want to keep using the product.

The software will display a picture of your choice next to the cursor temporarily or permanently so that you can quickly locate it on your screen. It will also add a caret on top of the I-beam, or the text caret, so that you also know where the next character that you type in will appear.

Some people simply cannot press the mouse button without slightly pushing it horizontally. Even a slight movement of the mouse can shift the cursor off its target. For computer users who simply cannot master the art of clicking, Magic Cursor 2000 (www.madentec.com) will do the job for him. All the user has to do is place the cursor on the button or menu item, for example, and after a prespecified amount of time has elapsed the software will automatically click on the object underneath it. This is definitely a piece of software to have to enable you to keep working with your computer if you have accidentally slammed your fingers in your car door. -- Zatni Arbi