The first washable computer mouse and the very clever mouse trap

Kurzweil’s Law (aka “the law of accelerating returns”) suggests that in an evolutionary process, positive feedback increases order exponentially, meaning that the speed and cost-effectiveness of a process increase exponentially over time, both for biology and technology. It’s a complex way of saying that we’re seeing unprecedented (20,000 years of change this century) and accelerating change, and in part explains the remarkable oversight that Belkin’s new washable mouse overcomes. With such rapid penetration of new technology, we’re bound to overlook some of the possibilities. For example, 13% of all people are left-handed, yet the first mouse designed just for left handed computer users was not created until 2006. The computer has invaded our world so quickly that 80% of Americans use a computer daily, all handling a mouse that until now, never gets cleaned.

Belkin’s Washable Mouse is a water-resistant mouse that can survive spills and can be hand-washed under the faucet to get rid of all those germs. It’s really that simple – it uses a scroll pad so you can scroll vertically and horizontally with one touch, 1200dpi optical tracking technology and sell for US$30.

Obviously the team down at Belkin have been thinking a lot about peripherals recently because at the same time as the washable mouse, they’ve also come up with the Mouse Trap.

Belkin’s US$13 Mouse Trap puts a zipper around the edge of a mousemat so that it zips up to become a sort of carry bag laptop accessory for a mouse and other small items. It’s perfect for moving from your bed to the couch to the dining-room table – zip it up to move, then unzip and use it as a portable mouse pad.

The Mouse Trap comes in a variety of colours such as chocolate/tourmaline, steel/burnt orange, dove/tarragon and dove/peony and like the mouse, it’s hand-washable.