GeekSugar

Mighty Mouse iSkins: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:00:49 -0700

I cringe when I think about how yucky my Mighty Mouse must be; we all worry about crumbs getting lodged inside our keyboards and its general nastiness. But especially if you're bad like me and eat at your desk, how gross is your mouse? It was probably a combo of coffee, bread, and grease that stopped my scroll wheel from functioning, come to think of it.

That, plus the fact that they are bold and bright and faaabulous, is why I'm into these Mighty Mouse ProTouch iSkins. For $20, a gel iSkin covers your mouse without inhibiting the scroll wheel and incorporates Microban technology to keep it less grody. What do you say?

Trials of the Dead Mighty Mouse Scroll Wheel

GeekSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:00:38 -0700

If you've gotten used to the joys of the Mighty Mouse scroll wheel, then you know how utterly annoying it is to go to scroll down a page and not have it work. I mean, where am I without a scroll wheel?! Back to the early '00s with the whole point, click, and drag thing, that's where. Since you can't get in there to find the cause for the breakdown or blockage, you'll probably assume it's time to replace it - but don't give up hope just yet. You might be able to save yourself a few bucks and try to bring the little guy back to life yourself.

I've done some legwork and attempted a number of cleaning methods to see which one worked the best. Test methods included pressing down on the wheel and scrolling, wiping down the wheel with cleaner, trying to smack whatever might be lodged in there loose by tapping the mouse on my desk, and spraying it with canned air. To see my verdicts, read more.

Unfortunately, pressing down on the scroll wheel and scrolling only works for so long. I even thought I might be at risk for pushing the little wheel down into the mouse, never to be heard from again if I pressed any harder!
No dice for wiping down the wheel with alcohol swabs. Unfortunately cleaning the wheel does not clear whatever is inside.
Smacking the mouse on my desk to dislodge whatever might have been stuck in the mouse proved more annoying to my officemates than effective.
The last and winner of the test was the canned air. I use this stuff to clean my keyboard, and it works wonders with the mouse as well.

It's been a number of days since I cleaned my Mighty with the canned air – having sprayed in all visible cracks to ensure my mouse was fresh and clean – and it's still scrolling along like the first day we met. If you don't keep canned air around, it will set you back at least five bucks, but you'll end up saving $45 to $65 in replacement costs!

Source

Daily Tech: Classic Gadgets You Can Still Buy

GeekSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:00:59 -0800

Sure, there's a new hot gadget every month, but there's nothing like a classic gizmo to celebrate geekiness. - Switched
We better be careful. The Wii hospitalized 10 people this week already. - Gizmodo
Is Apple preparing a new multi-touch Mighty Mouse? - Unpluggd
The iPhone has quickly risen to prominence on Flickr, rivaling most SLRs in popularity. - Crave
VHS distribution is grinding to a halt. - Engadget
Linux has entered the operating system ad battle and is looking for you! - Wired

Daily Tech: Wired Celebrates 40 Years of Mighty Mice

GeekSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:02 -0800

The mouse had a big birthday yesterday and Wired put together a beautiful and geeky retrospective of 40 years of mighty mice. - Wired
Power up with the sun! The Voltaic Generator solar bag is now shipping and capable of charging a laptop. - Boing Boing Gadgets
Need a little vintage geek pick-me-up? Check out old computer ads to make your machine look shiny and new. - Gizmodo
Google has added several magazines to its searchable book cache, complete with decades' worth of archives. - Switched
It's easy to let a salesperson convince you that you need to buy a $50 HDMI cable to make your new gear work. Save yourself some dough with a $10 version! - Crave
There's nothing better than getting a brand new functional and chic computer for the holidays, which is why we have teamed up with our friends at HP to give one lucky geeksugar reader a HP Mini! - geeksugar
Feeling crafty at the office? Binder clips make the perfect iPhone stand. - Unpluggd

Apple Keyboard Review: New vs. Old

GeekSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 07:00:43 -0700

Earlier this month Apple redesigned their keyboard along with the new iMacs and given the fact that our keyboards are dirty cesspools at this point we decided it was time we upgraded and gave the new models a spin. The new keyboards are made of sculpted aluminum and come in wired and unwired (it uses Bluetooth) models. On both models the keys are set much closer to the actual board than the older version, which both minimizes sound and allows less spring for your fingers. They also have function keys for one-touch access to features such as screen brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, fast-forward and rewind, Expose, and Dashboard.

For close up images and my full review, read more

The wired keyboard features USB 2.0 ports for connecting to your iPod, Mighty Mouse, digital camera, and other USB-based electronic devices. The wireless keyboard uses Bluetooth wireless technology and can be paired with the new wireless Mighty Mouse.

**Apple Keyboard Review: New vs. Old**
Keyboard	The good	The bad	The price
New Wired Apple Keyboard	The design is sleek and slim. We like the robustness of the aluminum encasing, but adore the fact that its slimness means it's less likely to harbor crumbs and spills. Keys have been updated to resemble MacBook with new fonts and are very easy to type on. Many multimedia functions have been condensed with F keys. Has two extra hidden USB ports for a mouse, etc. Definitely a sleeker, quieter and easier to clean/keep clean device.	Takes a bit of getting used to and you need to install the keyboard upgrade software to get started. Other than a few finger slips, the switch should be effortless.	Costs $49
New Wireless Apple Keyboard	It's cable free, which is every geek's dream. Same low-profile anodized aluminum frame as the Wired model. It connects via Bluetooth technology and apparently conserves battery by automatically powering down the keyboard when you’re not using it and turning it on the instant you start typing.	We never love Bluetooth as much as we think we will. Maybe it's just us.	Costs $79
Old Apple Keyboard	Clear plastic frame, which is surprisingly durable. We loved the easy USB connectivity and have a certain nostalgia for the "click click" noises.	No matter how much I try to keep it clean, it manages to get dirty in hard to reach areas. We had to use rubber wrist support because of the height of keyboard.	After test driving the new ultra-thin keyboard, I can't say I'll be pulling out my old keyboard anytime soon. Maybe a back-up for emergency spills.

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Wii Fit Balance Board Silicone Sleeves: Love or Leave?

GeekSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Apparently what a geek wants is to coat all her gadgets in gels. They're ubiquitous among BlackBerrys and iPhones, and I've seen them for Mighty Mice (mouses?), and now: Silicone Sleeves for the Wii Fit Balance Board ($20).

I have a love/hate relationship with gel cases; while they're great at protecting your gear (especially in the case of a fall), the light ones tend to get discolored and murky looking, and they are lint-magnets (ever leave your gel-covered BlackBerry in your handbag with a floating tissue? Oy vey). I also haven't noticed that my balance board needs protecting, but the silicone might make a more comfortable surface underfoot. What do you think?

How to Get Your Own Paul Rudd: Download Him!

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I lost my taste for downloading screensavers a while back, and now I get more pumped up about a great new Firefox extension (am I mature, or just boring now?). That all changed when I saw that I could download Paul Rudd, my gorgeous, brainy, vintage-Nintendo-shilling crush - I couldn't click my Mighty Mouse fast enough.

Paul Rudd is one of Funny or Die's Celebrity Screensavers series, and I couldn't commend them more for their excellent taste. Although it's not great for my productivity because I keep finding excuses to walk away from my computer so the screensaver comes on. Oh, hello, Paul!

See, Flat Screen TVs Can Be Decor!

GeekSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:00:58 -0700

In case anyone needs photographic evidence about why I yearn to mount my flat screen on the wall, here it is. Of course, this picture was submitted to Ferm Living's blog to show off the whimsical wall decals in a studio, but all I see is that black Samsung TV.

I especially love how photographer Lauren Hillary uses the TV as a design element - the shiny black of the TV's "frame" complements the black decals against her green wall. You can tell that she also uses it as a monitor by the equally chic ultra thin keyboard and Mighty Mouse. I also appreciate the functional and decorative touches of her cameras. I wonder if she'll come and do my interiors?