Actually, that might not be fair: the Wiimote wasn’t the first 3D controller, not by a long shot. There’ve been many, many 3D mice, and most of them (as far as I can tell) have been relegated to the PowerPoint presentation crowd. But, the Logitech MX Air Mouse combines some voodoo, ancient magic, and Area 51 technology to allow for what Logitech calls "Freespace" motion control. It’s really more like a remote control, using a touch-sensitive scroll panel rather than a wheel and dedicated buttons for various functions. It works at about 30 feet from your PC, which seems reasonable. Look for it in August for about $150 (ouch).

I see myself as an utter failure in life, because unlike the folks at Phantom Entertainment, I can’t get millions and millions of dollars on a consistent basis while providing nothing for it. Heck, I can’t get $10 bucks and a latte without producing something of value. But, this time, the Phantom folks promise–really, they promise!–to be releasing something, even it it’s not even remotely like what they started with. They say they’re aligned with Alienware and IONE Technologies, and so maybe this is for real. Key word: maybe.

As if our current range of computer mice weren’t enough, Apple in works to create the Multi-Touch Mouse. Depicted by the rather vague looking diagrams above, the mouse activates commands by sensing the position in which you hold your fingers. Therefore, this eliminates the need for buttons or the need to move the mouse in order to navigate on the screen. This is done through an "illumination source" found on the underside of the mouse shell, as well as a camera that records any images when illumination source is activated.

While this product is certainly in discussion, there is not much info available as of yet. However, Apple has released another patent statement for the touch sensitive bezel around electronic device, so it looks as if multi-touch technology might just be the next big thing.

Oh joy; more mice! Embotec’s (dare I say it?) "Mickey Mouse" (the EM-K3263) supposedly allows users to put a variety of characters into the bottom of the device. I can see people doing all sorts of unmentionable things with their mice now.

Meet Korea’s counterfeit money detecting mouse.
Aving