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Hardware

Seven Color LED Mousepad 192

Posted by CmdrTaco from the concentrate-on-the-hypnotic-colors dept.
VL writes "If you're into LED mousepads, but one color isn't enough... how about one that has seven that you can choose from with a press of a button? " Gotta admit, it looks pretty nifty.
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Seven Color LED Mousepad More

Seven Color LED Mousepad

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  • Oh great! (Score:5, Funny)

    by RailGunner ( 554645 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:37AM (#8915763) Journal
    Just what we need - a mouse pad that looks lke Zombo.com.

    • And I'm wearing my zombo.com t-shirt today....I feel soooo special.

      And nerdy.

    • Re:Oh great! (Score:3, Funny)

      by antic ( 29198 )

      A few cans of Red Bull: $10

      Tacky glowing mouse-pad: $30

      Quality sunglasses: $100

      Watching your gaming opponents struggling to cope with the multi-coloured glare from your mousing surface? Priceless.

      Mastercard? For all the things that even self-pimping Slashdot posts on a slow day can't convince you to buy. :)

    • Hehe. I'm still waiting for a mousepad/mouse that uses magnets to make the mouse hover over the mousepad. That way there is no friction and the mouse doesn't get all grimey.

      Anyone know if this exists?

  • Slow news day (Score:3, Insightful)

    by barcodez ( 580516 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:37AM (#8915768)
    Must be a very slow news day...

  • Mousepads are for pussies (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:38AM (#8915774)
    Bareback is the only way to go.

  • Conveniently available at.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:38AM (#8915776)
    Thinkgeek [thinkgeek.com] for a mere $26.99. Coincidence? *wink wink*

  • Yawn.... (Score:4, Funny)

    by wpiman ( 739077 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:39AM (#8915781)
    Slow newsday at slashdot..... This adds insult to injury when my submissions get denied.

  • cache (Score:4, Informative)

    by TOGA! TOGA TOGA! ( 606472 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:40AM (#8915801)
    slashdotted before the first post. google cache [216.239.51.104]
    • slashdotted before the first post.
      However, the Google cache doesn't help with the images.

      To spread the pain out among more sites, there is a review [extremereviews.net] of this product over at eXtremeReviews.net.
    • I appreciate the other review. And the Google cache shows me the images just fine, thankyouverymuch.

  • Mouse Pad? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Numeric ( 22250 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:40AM (#8915809) Homepage Journal
    With optical mice why would anyone need a mouse pad? Back in the day with the old-style mice, I would occasionally move my mouse off the pad thus resulting my Rocket Launcher pointing in some odd direction. Once I switched to an optical mouse, that .99c IKEA mouse pad was thrown out the window.
    • Well, optical mouses are not always smooth on all surfaces (my blue IKEA desktop for instance) hence the need for a good mousing surface.
      Beside the fact that an optical mouse has no ball, it still has little teflon pads to slide on.

      That said, I'm not really sure about the usefullness of a mouse pad with LED except if you use your computer at night and can't remember where the buttons on your mouse are.
      • there are some surfaces that are truly awful for optical mice. acid proof lab benches for example. They are shiney enough to interfere with the mouse, but not so shiney that it doesn't move at all. So your mouse twitches all over the screen. gah.
    • I have a painted (shiny) desk.
      Trying to use my optical mouse on this is impossible and results in it not moving anywhere.

      I am looking for a nice big (A4 size roughly) flat black good quality mat with no extras like wrist rests or calculators or LEDs, but can't find any anywhere (in the UK that is).

      At the moment I am having to use an old folder :S
      • Interesting. I remember back in '96, when my friend's cool laser mouse needed a mirror mousepad. As far as I understand, optical mice work by bouncing a light beam off of a surface to illuminate it, and checking many times a second to see if the marks on the desk shift. So, I don't think it's the fact that your desk is shiny that messes up the mouse, but maybe if the paint job is very good there aren't enough irregularities for your mouse to tell one patch of desk from another. Either that, or maybe you
      • http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/374 5/
      • It is a completely white desk, so it could be that it is the lack of a pattern that causes the probs.

        The mouse is a MS Wheelmouse Optical (very good IMO), I think I will try the Ratpadz GS - it looks amazing :))

        Thanks for the help everyone.
    • With optical mice why would anyone need a mouse pad? Back in the day with the old-style mice, I would occasionally move my mouse off the pad thus resulting my Rocket Launcher pointing in some odd direction. Once I switched to an optical mouse, that .99c IKEA mouse pad was thrown out the window.

      Well, when you go into the conference room at my office, there is a glass top table. Your optical mouse will not work.

      Aside from that, there is no reason to spend money on a mouse pad. They are given away left an
    • I had an old Guinness mouse pad, it looked too nice to throw away, so I put it up on the wall when I went optical. This was fine for college, girls just aren't impressed by that kind of interior design anymore though.

    • Re:Mouse Pad? (Score:2, Interesting)

      by kalayl ( 604800 )
      I'm an optical mouse user too, but there's some things that an optical will never trump a rollerball mouse on:

      I remember when I would hear footsteps from behind in Quake (insert-preferred-version-number-here) and could flick my mouse left or right, lift it up ('cause I'd run out of runway), and the ball would have just that little bit of momentum left in it, causing the dude to continue spinning round just enough for me to get my mouse back on the ground. Saved my bacon many a time.
    • Despite what the manufacturers would lead you to believe, optical mice do not work on any surface. Well, they might, if you use the word 'work' very loosely. I'm at home right now and I have my optical sitting on an A3 size leather document wallet. This is the perfect mousepad for my Intellimouse Optical. It is smooth enough to allow the mouse to move freely while at the same time providing just enough resistance to stop it slipping all over the place. Plus, the leather texture is perfect for optical mi
    • You bought a .99c mouse pad from IKEA? Sweet! I'd love a mouse pad that moves at 99% of the speed of light! Think of all of the productivity you'd have with one of these.

      Oh my gosh... think about the productivity you'd have with a beow... nevermind, not going there :)

      • Re:Mouse Pad? (Score:3, Funny)

        by DjMd ( 541962 )
        Really? you think that would be good?
        You can have mine...If you can figure out how to move it...
        It is huge... It is supposed to be 8"x11" but I can tell you it seems much larger than that.

        Oh and don't even get me started about its weight! You would think a mouse pad couldn't be more than .5kg but seems like more than a million kg...

    • With optical mice why would anyone need a mouse pad?

      To rest the edge of my palm on. It's a hell of a lot softer than the oak desk.
    • With optical mice why would anyone need a mouse pad?

      Dude. This mouse pad has LEDs. It changes colour. Do I need to draw you a picture here?

      When there's an optical mouse where I can change the colour of the glow on the underside to suit my mood that day, then I'll want one more than I want this cool thing.

      (What is it that makes me want to spend all my money on completely useless yet cool things?)

      • So meringuoid sez:
        "When there's an optical mouse where I can change the colour of the glow on the underside to suit my mood that day, then I'll want one more than I want this cool thing."
        Here you go, mate!
        The Grast multicolor mouse [ascully.com].
        Like the mousepad, it can be set for a single color or it will smoothly cycle through the spectrum.

    • Re:Mouse Pad? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Mattsson ( 105422 )
      Well, I have a stonetable with a very rough surface (it isn't even nearly flat) that makes it impossible to use any kind of mouse without a very stiff mousepad.
      But even if you happen to have an ordinary table you will wear down those little teflon-pads underneath your mouse alot quicker if you do not use a pad.
    • With optical mice why would anyone need a mouse pad?

      Optical mice have no balls, therefore they are female. Every month it will need a pad.
    • With optical mice why would anyone need a mouse pad?

      Ergonomics... mouse pads are considerably softer then the hard table top. Would you prefer a few hours of resting your wrist on a rock or a pillow?
    • With optical mice why would anyone need a mouse pad? Back in the day with the old-style mice, I would occasionally move my mouse off the pad thus resulting my Rocket Launcher pointing in some odd direction. Once I switched to an optical mouse, that .99c IKEA mouse pad was thrown out the window.

      Amen to that. The day I got an optical mouse was the last time I ever used a mousepad. Well at home at least. Oh, the sweet freedom! Plus, a desk surface is far easier to keep clean than a (textured) mousepad. More

  • small mousing surface? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by RevDobbs ( 313888 ) * on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:40AM (#8915811) Homepage

    The review said it has a small mousing surface, but that 'cons' were easy to get used to. BAH. Who wants to sacrafice usability for blinkenlights?

    If I wanted style of substance I'd buy a k-rad black & grey Compaq. Or Windows XP.

  • meh..... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Malnathor ( 588724 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:40AM (#8915814)
    7 colors is useless to me! 16 colors, NOW we're talking.
  • People have been making these for their computers out of lexan and plexiglass for years... It's interesting to me that something like this hasn't come up in the past. I'd personally like to see one that uses a tri-color LED and morphs between them, instead of switching manually.
  • I used to have a track ball mouce, and now a wireless, no need of mouse pad, as ther is no ball.

  • Article Text - Took 2m to load (Score:3, Informative)

    by Steamhead ( 714353 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:42AM (#8915842) Homepage
    Damn html formatting...

    lexiglow FX GamePad: Blue LED mousepads don't do it for you? Red neither? How about one which gives you seven choices?

    Date:
    April 19, 2004

    Manufacturer:
    Flexiglow

    Written By:
    Scott Harness

    If you were to ask the question "how do you control your PC?" pretty much the majority of answers will be along the lines of "with my mouse". As such, mice have been designed and redesigned for changing markets, new features and of course to try and appeal to the individual in all of us. It's the fascination to have something a little different from the rest that has extended to mouse surfacing as well. It may be a simple image imprinted onto the mousemat, differing shapes, textures and materials, or as has been seen in both the modding community and now retail companies, differing designs featuring some kind of illumination.

    However I think that this review item certainly tries to appeal to more than just one user base with its differing colour cycling which is a little different, especially from a manufacturer. What am I talking about? The Flexiglow FX GamePad.

    Features

    7 Colours options in one pad choices
    Eight function is automatic cycle through the seven colours
    Incredible lit up bubble effect
    Gaming enthusiast approved mousing surface
    Terrific night time illumination - ideal for LAN parties

    Specifications

    Low power consumption LED lights
    USB Cable 1.8m
    Slick mousing surface that works well with both Ball and Optical Mice

    The FlexiGlow FX GamePad comes in a clear plastic shell type package with all the usual PR info displayed, and partially the pad itself. Opening the package you are presented with the pad itself and attached 1.8m USB lead for power, as well as a small packet with two spare feet which I thought was a great touch by Flexiglow. Sure, the chances of losing a foot are minimal but the thought was their and it could happen.

    The surface of the pad itself is a textured black plastic which works well for both ball and optical mice so a good choice their. Bottom right of the face of the pad we have an FX Game Pad logo and top middle is a FlexiGlow logo. Next to this is the button for cycling the colour options.

    The rear of the pad shows off where the colours come from. The base of the pad is a clear, bubbled plastic with the center area housing the LEDs for colour; three LEDs in each of the four corners of the black circle aiming to the four corners of the pad. Despite the fact there are only those tiny 3mm LEDs, three of each in each corner, they do a terrific job of lighting up the base, even in broad daylight. I've had to (unfortunately) colour edit some of the photos below because my camera wouldn't pick up the colours to well, but the colours are very good in real life.

    You can get 7 colours from the pad ranging from Green, Red, Blue, Yellow (red and green), Purple (red and blue), Aqua (blue and green), and finally RGB/All/White. All of these are cycled through by pressing the button. When you power the pad (plug it in) the pad will go through a light show testing all of the colours smoothly, and then one after the other quickly before finally stopping all lighting. You can then press the button to go to green, again for off, again for red, again for off... wash rinse repeat. This will get you through the 7 colour options, although there is an 8th option which will slowly and smoothly cycle from one colour to the next in about 4 seconds continuously.

    In Use

    This is a very subjective part of the review but hopefully I'll be able to include enough information to help you make your own minds up. To test the pad I've been using it in both every day normal tasks such as web browsing or just clicking icons etc., as well as an intense few days of nonstop gaming (woe is me). Games of choice have ranged from Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy to Call of Duty (specifically the last level). What I've been looking for here is to see the difference in the feel of

  • They sound nice at first, but... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Tore S B ( 711705 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:43AM (#8915848) Homepage
    ...I sat next to a guy with that thing at The Gathering... CONSTANTLY PULSATING and annoying the hell out of me, and also achieving amazing amounts of screen glare. The guy lit up the entire isle with lights.

    It gets annoying.

    • Re:They sound nice at first, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by torpor ( 458 ) <ibisum AT gmail DOT com> on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:52AM (#8915966) Homepage Journal
      what is annoying is that people love this junk. its junk! give you a 'kick' in life for about a month, and then after that it just becomes yet more trash in an already over-trashed lifestyle (computers).

      i know its gonna sound like a flame, but i find it ultra-decadent that anyone gives a shit about their mousepads having 'colors' when there are far, far more important things going on in life, which, with just .0000005% of the attention that goes towards this consumer rubbish, could be improved a great deal ...

      still. you have to give Romans their wine, or they go to war. oh, wait ...
      • This whole LED mousepad/lighted case mod thing reminds me of the car performance enthusiasts vs. the "ricers".

        Some people like to put all of their attention into how their machine (comp or car) looks rather than the machine itself. They annoy the general public in their gawdyness.

        Some people like to have a "sleeper", just a plain ol' machine on the outside (car or comp) keep it nice and quiet as to not annoy others, but on the inside... Every part has been tweeked to get the most performance or stability
      • Bonzi Buddy.

        People will do stupid shit because it looks cool. Why? Cause it looks cool. It is our jobs as computer 'guys' to know how to fix it immediately. And if that means we have to uninstall it, we're not trying hard enough.
    • By The Gathering I'm assuming you don't mean "The Gathering of the Juggalos"... what other The Gathering do you mean?

  • If only... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Mateito ( 746185 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:49AM (#8915929) Homepage
    ... Slashdot was availble in 7 colours.
    • It is... have you checked the http://games.slashdot.org/ section? It will have you seeing the rest of the site in 7 colours!
    • Teal+Gray: slashdot.org, science.slashdot.org, books.slashdot.org, interviews.slashdot.org
      Clearish Teal+Gray: apple.slashdot.org
      Weird Purple+Gray: games.slashdot.org
      Fugly Purple+GoldBrownish: apache.slashdot.org
      Gray and More Gray: ask.slashdot.org
      Red+Gray: bsd.slashdot.org
      Blue+Gray: developers.slashdot.org
      Brown+GoldBrownish: yro.slashdot.org

      How's EIGHT colors?

  • LEDs... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by NemosomeN ( 670035 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:53AM (#8915974) Journal
    Won't blinking LEDs make an optical mouse go crazy? And on a related note, why is the article on a mousepad SO FREAKING LONG.
  • I think this story should be moderated -1, Sad.

    I understand that these guys need to make money but how long have these stupid mouse pads been around?

    I don't want my point lost by quoting somebody else's price but look around. Other online retail outlets are posting $23 with even lower prices on eBay. /. displays complete contempt for their readers with postings like this.
  • Blah, does anyone know where to get these [stileproject.com]? (Yes, it's safe to click despite being at stile :)

  • forget about chocolate (Score:5, Funny)

    by El_Muerte_TDS ( 592157 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @09:57AM (#8916020) Homepage
    I'll trade my password for one of those mouse pads

  • seven that you can choose from with a press of a button

    I'd be impressed if I could choose from seven WOMEN with the press of a button.

    Oh, wait...

  • Seven different colours??? SEVEN? I can't have that - no way should my mouse pad have more colour options than my good ol' trusty CGA monitor. What next, a "Lite-Brite" style mouse pad? Just put the pins in wherever you want to make the colour patern you want on your mousepad?
    • What next, a "Lite-Brite" style mouse pad?

      What a great idea! I'd buy one. I think.

      Nah, probably not. Still pretty cool though.

      On second thought, maybe it would be kind of distracting, all those lights.

      Lights constantly blaring, garish colors... yeah, it would probably end up in the garbage inside of a week.

      What a horrible idea! Ugghh.

  • There is an eight color yet available! (Score:5, Funny)

    by AtariDatacenter ( 31657 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @10:01AM (#8916070)

    The master walks by and observes the student playing with a blue glowing device. "May I?", asks the master. He takes the device into his hand.

    "This mousepad is interesting. The manufacturer offers seven different selections of colors. Yet there is another color which is inherent in all devices, which is directly available as a color selection."

    "Any what, pray tell, is this mysterious color, Master?"

    The master drops the mouse pad to the floor and smashes it under foot. The student is enlightened.

  • Control of colours via USB (Score:5, Interesting)

    by landoltjp ( 676315 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @10:02AM (#8916083)
    Since the pad draws power from a USB connection, it would be cool if the colours could be controlled via the USB port as well.

    With a simple API, it should be easy to change the colours on the fly, going from blue to red (or whatever) depending on different 'threat' conditions.
    • Great point. By giving this thing a simple API you could transform it from a cheap parlor trick to a useful information device. Glowing red when your server gets slashdotted perhaps?

      Along those lines, these guys make some great products [ambientdevices.com] but come on, a cellular modem embedded in every device? Why not lower the cost significantly and just have the damn thing plug into your computer. Sheesh.

      • Not a cellular modem, silly: A pager. It doesn't add but a few bucks to the total cost. The real cost in Ambient devices is not material, it's intellectual: They're selling them as unique art, essentially, and if you want one you get to pay for it.

        I have an Ambient Orb and love it. You can buy a cable to control it from your computer if you like. Personally, I would buy several more of these if they would lose the pager and put in 802.11 with a nice piece of backend software to grab the info you want and t
    • going from blue to red (or whatever) depending on different 'threat' conditions.

      So if tapped into DeptHomeSec, it would oscillate between Orange and Yellow?

    • Since the pad draws power from a USB connection, it would be cool if the colours could be controlled via the USB port as well.

      Actually, I've been looking for some time now, and have not been able to find products with USB controlled brightness.

      It appears many people would pay a fair price for a USB RGB LED light with USB brightness control on each of the three color components.

      I did find this: http://www.delcom-eng.com/products_USBLMP.asp [delcom-eng.com]. Prices start at $80 (ouch).

      There's a linux driver [linuxjournal.com] with rud

    • With a simple API, it should be easy to change the colours on the fly, going from blue to red (or whatever) depending on different 'threat' conditions.

      I dunno, maybe I'm weird, but when I'm gaming I spend most of the time looking at the screen (ie: HUD) and not glancing over to see where my mouse is. I already know where my mouse is, I already know where the buttons are under my fingers. Doesn't a threat indicator belong right in front of your eyes on the screen, where no extra hardware is needed?

  • Unreal Tourny... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by adamofgreyskull ( 640712 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @10:04AM (#8916095)
    What would be cool would be to computer control it to switch up a notch as you progress through Double Kill, Multi Kill, Monster Kill, GOOOOOODLIKE...etc.

    Green for normal state, progressing through Green/Amber to ultra-bright, pulsating Red. Shit, you could just get so pumped, even without a mod for your headphones to jack up the volume in sync with the light...
    • Actually, this is really cool idea for a LAN party/gaming bar, as you can then physically see who the person is that is kicking everyone's ass, even if you are not in the game.

      Of course it would require that everyone have one of these mousepads.
  • Led mousepad is for protecting your lap from dangerous radioactive emissions coming out from your optical wireless mouse
  • 1. Make shiny geek toy
    2. Submit to slashdot
    3. Profit!

  • ooooh yes please (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jacquesm ( 154384 ) <j@NoSpam.ww.com> on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @10:10AM (#8916155) Homepage
    After the 'furry mouse', the 'gel mousepad', the
    'arm rests in front of keyboard' and so on now the LED mousepad...

    Nonsense with blinking lights does very well judging by the sight of cars in the city at night (biggest consumers of blue leds), so this will probably be a hot seller :)

  • Sun. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Game Genie ( 656324 )
    I still use my old Sun optical mousepad. Works great, and sure is pretty. Besides, it's the only Sun hardware I have that is still good for production use.

    -
  • Wow a mouse pad, thats some thing to post on the internet and talk about. But seriously who needs a mouse pad when you have an optical mouse? I can use mine on carpet, wood, or what ever.
  • Watch as you indicators and useage graphs go from green to yellow to red.

  • Does anyone use a mousemat? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by amembleton ( 411990 ) <aembleton@bigfoo ... minus physicist> on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @10:34AM (#8916465) Homepage
    Cos I don't.

    Mousemats were needed with a ball mouse, but with an optical one you don't need one, and I actually find it easier without one. They're inexpensive too, mine cos 6 GBP (~$10) for a three button scroll wheel optical mouse.
    • Yes, I do.

      I only have optical mice, but I do prefer a mousepad. Why? Friction and noise.

      I use a hard cheap ad-mousepad and a func surface, both reduce noise and friction, compared to when I slide my mouse across my desk.

    • Well if you do any gaming with an optical mouse, especially FPS, something like The XTrac Hammer [xtremetek.com]

      makes a very appreciable difference from cloth, woodgrain, glossy, or just not-built-for-optical surfaces. It's huge, precise, and fast.

      Not cheap for a mouse pad, but it is infinitely cheap next to the things people put into gaming rigs. I saw a big improvement in marksmanship when fraggin away. Of course I had a lot of room for improvement. :]

      Now that the weather's nice I feel silly about my sweet gaming
  • It's stories like these where I try to click on the link to go see this new nifty gadget. Of course, the server is slashdotted to hell and back by the time I try and go there, and I keep telling myself I'll just wait a couple of days. I never remember, then a friend of mine points out the device to me like months later, and even though I never got the chance to see it, I'm here trying to outgeek the other guy and pretend like I saw it way back when.

  • One question.... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by El ( 94934 ) on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @11:30AM (#8917232)
    why do I need a mouse pad for my optical mouse?
    • I thought the same thing when I got an optical mouse. But found that just using it on my desk was way too wierd. It doesn't feel right. The texture on my hand and the feeling through the mouse is annoying unless its on a pad of some kind.
    • Ever tried using an optical mouse on a glass table?
      Even varnished wood gives a jittery response.

      The best surface for optical mousing is a noisy, matted texture. I recommend a sheet of A4 paper.

      Of course, the absorbant qualities of said paper and resultant discolouration after weeks of persperation are enough to make me go back to a trusty fabric mouse pad.
  • From the page:
    • 7 Colours options in one pad choices
    • Eight function is automatic cycle through the seven colours
    Why do I sense "offshore"???

  • Patent (Score:2, Interesting)

    by japala ( 546358 )
    Now we are just waiting to see what company patents the "idea" first. Something in the lines of Antec and Led Fans. Too bad that I didn't have enough money for patent when I invented these lighted mousepads (GlowPad [metku.net]) back in 2001. Now I'm holding my breath and waiting when the first BreezePad [metku.net] comes out. ;)
  • Yeah, I like LED Mousepads because I have one. I don't see what's so special with this one though -- mine came from ThinkGeek.com!

    Heh, they are great for your late night gaming/hacking/programming sessions, but sometimes your mouse cord wants to catch that little button on the top. It should have been moved to the side or something.
  • If your SA's mouse pad is red, better leave him be.

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