We know, Microsoft’s resurrection of the SideWinder brought back fond memories for most us of, but with all the alternatives already out there in the gaming mouse niche, it’s going to take a bit more than fuzzy feelings to get our $80. Thankfully, the folks over at I4U News spent some quality time with the new SideWinder mouse, and after realizing that it looks a bit gentler in person, they proceeded to crank through hours of gaming to see how it fared. Notably, the LCD screen was dubbed “actually useful,” the 2,000dpi was said to be “plenty of sensitivity,” and the thumb buttons were deemed “perfect from a tactile feedback perspective.” Still, reviewers found more hype than substance in the Quick Turn button, and while the scroll wheel seemed “great for gaming,” it wasn’t as friendly during everyday tasks. Nevertheless, the crew awarded the revived critter a very generous nine out of ten stars, but if you’ve still got your doubts, hit the read link and check out the full skinny.

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from engadget

Intel’s announced USB 3.0 specification could push throughput beyond 4Gbps (300MBps) at the application level while introducing Quality of Service in support of HD video streams. Besides supplanting Firewire once and for all, a clear goal of the new “SuperSpeed USB” is to keep up with the transfer speeds of flash chips. “We don’t want to be the bottleneck in the system,” says Intel’s Jeff Ravencraft who is overseeing the 3.0 initiative. Intel, HP, Microsoft, NEC, NXP, and TI will present the initial spec for a design review in November with first silicon to be stamped in “early 2009.” While the new interconnect (pictured) will remain backward compatible with USB 2.0 and prior devices, new cables laced with an optical link and a max length of 2-meters will be required to take advantage of those high speeds according to a senior engineering manager with NEC. Meanwhile, a 1Gbps throughput is being targeted with Ravencraft’s other baby: Wireless USB 1.1. Sounds great, but with existing 480Mbps Wireless USB silicon only achieving about 40Mbps in practice, Intel would be wise to focus on efficiency, not theory. Of course, it’s all just a lot of smack-talk ’til they deliver, but with Apple running Intel inside now, Sony putting USB in their camcorders, and eSATA proliferating for external disks… well, Firewire’s days sure seem numbered.

[Via EETimes and The Inquirer]
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from engadget

It’s nearly fall and that can mean only one thing: er, new mice and webcams from Microsoft. Yeah, about as exciting as moms taking you shopping for new big-boy school trousers. Granted, the 1.3 megapixel LifeCam NX-3000 and 2 megapixel LifeCam VX-7000 are decent and all as are the new $50 Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 and $50 Wireless (RF) Notebook Laser Mouse 7000. But the action, Jackson, comes with the October release of the $100 Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 (pictured). We’re talking both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth packed into the transceiver (toggled with a switch) with 1GB of flash baked-in allowing it to pull double-duty as a flash drive. Nice, but the laser mouse itself features a 3-contact, magnetically-held charging cable which automatically senses whether you’re using a rechargeable AAA (included) or off-the-shelf Alkaline when in a jam. Snap the transceiver in-place beneath the mouse and everything powers off presto quick. Peep the gallery for a healthy mix of hands-on and glamor-shot action.

Gallery: Microsoft Fall 07 mice, cameras

Read — LifeCam NX-3000
Read — LifeCam VX-7000
Read — Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000
Read — Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 7000
Read — Mobile Memory Mouse 8000

from engadget

Those looking for a matching keyboard and mouse set now have yet another option from Logitech, which today busted out its new MX5500 combo. This one includes the company’s existing MX Revolution laser mouse with its speedy metal scroll wheel, along with a new keyboard that boasts a built-in LCD along with the usual array of controls for music and other features. Both peripherals also rely on Bluetooth 2.0 to keep ‘em untethered from your PC, and each promise to let you take full advantage of Flip 3D and other Vista-specific features (though Vista is not required). Look for this set to be available later this month for $170.

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We’ve seen a couple interesting gaming mice come out of Leipzig this year, and the SteelSeries Ikari Professional Gaming mouse is right up there with Microsoft’s new Sidewinders and Razer’s Lachesis. The outer shell is built to accommodate the “three major gaming grips” of “Swipe, Claw, and Palm,” and gamers can select their choice of models: a high-res optical version for FPS gamers, or a laser system for RPS and MMO addicts. Both feature switchable DPI settings and five programmable buttons, with a proprietary 500MHz transmitter to reduce any lag or interference. No word on price, but SteelSeries says these’ll be out in Q4, so you gamers had better start saving your pennies.

[Via IGN]
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As if cramming its third-generation optical sensor in the Diamondback wasn’t good enough, Razer is out to up the ante once more its newly-unveiled Lachesis. Compared to Microsoft’s shiny new SideWinder, this creature touts double the DPI (that’s 4,000 here, for those keeping score), and according to Razer, the 3G laser sensor “stops tracking at much lower lift-off levels than any other laser sensor, preventing tracking errors when the device is lifted off its tracking surface.” Of course, you’ll still be able to switch DPI on-the-fly sans special drivers, and the Ultraslick, Teflon-coated feet ought to glide around effortlessly for a good while. Razer’s latest USB gaming mouse will go on sale globally this October for $79.99, and will be available in Phantom White and Banshee Blue colors.

[Via MaxitMag]
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from engadget

We’re still not entirely convinced how effective Zink‘s portable digital camera / printer combo will be, but at least now we have an expected ship date. Zink has updated their site to say that their “digital polaroid” will be shipping in late 2007, which will hopefully mean a fall release date. Zink has also released some of the Integrated Digital Camera and Printer’s specifications, which aren’t altogether that interesting — it has a 7 Megapixel CCD, 2-inch display, and SD memory card slot, just so ya know. All we care about is how good the printer is on this chunky combo unit.

[Thanks, Piper]
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