would you use a mouse like this ?
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2003 11:38 pm
LET’S TALK ABOUT the MouseCaster. The people at SmarTec, Ltd. have figured out how to put a FM radio receiver in a computer mouse. Nothing fancy here: This is a very basic FM radio built inside a very basic mechanical PS/2 wheel mouse (with a ball doing all the moving) selling for a very basic $29.95.
The real innovation here is the included software which lets you control your new digital radio. You can pre-set 28 favorite stations, auto-scan the entire FM dial, record a song or station onto your PC in a number of different formats (MP3, WAV, etc.), program the radio’s schedule with the timer function and even turn the thing into a clock radio. You can even change the way the PC interface looks by downloading different skins.
The MouseCaster looks like an ordinary wheel mouse -- but inside there's digital FM radio for your listening pleasure.
But the key word here is “basic”. As I mentioned above, the mouse is a basic mechanical wheel mouse and it needed to have dust removed from its insides every few days. I guess I’m so used to optical mice that going back to an old-fashioned mechanical one takes a little time.
Also, the FM radio depends on one thin wire for its antenna. My PC at work is nowhere near a window so reception was spotty at best, but if your computer sits in plain view of a window you should be fine.
But listening to the radio doesn’t require an Internet connection — and it’s free.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/933932.aspi dont think i would but -now the wife she might !
The real innovation here is the included software which lets you control your new digital radio. You can pre-set 28 favorite stations, auto-scan the entire FM dial, record a song or station onto your PC in a number of different formats (MP3, WAV, etc.), program the radio’s schedule with the timer function and even turn the thing into a clock radio. You can even change the way the PC interface looks by downloading different skins.
The MouseCaster looks like an ordinary wheel mouse -- but inside there's digital FM radio for your listening pleasure.
But the key word here is “basic”. As I mentioned above, the mouse is a basic mechanical wheel mouse and it needed to have dust removed from its insides every few days. I guess I’m so used to optical mice that going back to an old-fashioned mechanical one takes a little time.
Also, the FM radio depends on one thin wire for its antenna. My PC at work is nowhere near a window so reception was spotty at best, but if your computer sits in plain view of a window you should be fine.
But listening to the radio doesn’t require an Internet connection — and it’s free.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/933932.aspi dont think i would but -now the wife she might !
