Microsoft has introduced a new travel mouse which it’s marketing toward netbook users. Really, the Microsoft Mobile Mouse 4000 is basically just a wireless travel mouse,  which is nothing new. Companies have been putting out tiny, portable pointing devices for use on the road for years. But I can’t really blame Microsoft for targeting their latest travel mouse at netbook users. After all, who wants to carry around a traditional mouse with a netbook that’s almost the same size?

The Mobile Mouse 4000 has a list price of $40, and should be available in August. It includes a tiny receiver that plugs into a USB port on your netbook, laptop, or desktop computer. The receiver sticks out less than a centimeter from the USB port when plugged in, and can be stored inside the mouse when you’re not using it.

[via CNet]

Nothing makes your tiny netbook look ridiculous like plugging in a full sized accessories. So if you prefer a mouse to the touchpad on your netbook, you might want to think about investing in a travel mouse. They generally take up less space than their full sized counterparts and they look a whole lot less silly plugged into a laptop with a 9 or 10 inch screen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a travel mouse smaller than the TEC Lingo. At least not a wireless one.

The Lingo comes in black or white, and measures just 27.5mm x 60mm x 19mm (1.1″ x 2.4″ x .75″) and weighs 23 grams, or about 8/10ths of an ounce. It has a range of about 30 feet and should get about 15 hours of battery life. It should be available in Japan next month for about $50.

via CrunchGear

Japanese computer distributor Mouse Computer has released a new Intel Atom-based netbook that looks an awful lot like the last mini-laptop we saw from Mouse. But unlike the previously announced LB-1500, the new Illyama netbook doesn’t have an optical disk drive.

That’s not to say that it’s your average netbook. Sure, it’s got a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1 0.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, and 802.11b/g WiFi just like all the other cool kids. But while the basic model ships with 1GB of RAM and a 160G hard drive, you can also get a Mouse Illyama with 2G of RAM and a 250GB hard drive, which I’m sure will bump up the price a bit (if for no other reason than that Microsoft charges more for Windows XP licenses on machines that have that kind of oomph to them).

As far as I can tell, this netbook will only be available in Japan, and possibly on eBay.

via Eee PC.net

The MSI Wind U100 is one of the more popular netbooks around, due to its low price, long battery life, and overall hackability. But the netbook does have its drawbacks, several of which are centered around the touchpad. First of all, you get a single button with a rocker instead of distinct left and right buttons. And second, a few months ago MSI decided to start replacing the Synaptics touchpad used in early models with a Sentelic touchpad which lacks many of the features found in Synaptics devices.

But those crafty hackers at the MSI Wind.net forums have found solutions to both problems. One guy figured out thathe could create a 2-button trackpad for the price of a cheap pen. All you have to do is remove the single button, cut it in half with an exacto knife, and use a pen spring to give the two new buttons a little bounce once the buttons were reattached. 

It’s also apparently possible to replace a Sentelic touchpad with a Synaptics model. You just have to order the spare part from Asus.

via Wired