Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 Blue Microsoft BlueTrack Technology combines the power of optical with the precision of laser for remarkable tracking on virtually any surface; Leave the plug-and-go Nano transceiver plugged in when you're on the go, or stow it in the mouse; Use your mouse without power interruption for up to 10 months on a single battery; Battery status indicator tells you when battery power is low; Windows Flip in Windows 7: Easily switch between open windows with the click of a button; Get quick access to the media, programs, and files you use most often with four programmable buttons; Scroll four ways for greater efficiency and comfort with Tilt Wheel Technology

BlueTrack Technology was created in response to people’s increasingly mobile lifestyles, letting them ditch their mouse pad and use their BlueTrack mouse virtually anywhere — from the granite kitchen counter and the wood table at the coffee shop to the armrest at the airport. Debuting in September 2008, BlueTrack Technology is now available in eight Microsoft mice so consumers can choose the best design, color and price to fit their needs.

Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 and Wireless Mouse 2000

The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 includes a Nano transceiver that sticks out less than a centimeter from the USB port, so it can remain plugged into the computer at all times, and the Wireless Mouse 2000 comes with a minitransceiver that easily snaps into the bottom of the mouse when on the go. The two mice also offer an ambidextrous shape with rubber side grips; the Wireless Mouse 2000 is a full-size mouse while the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 is a bit smaller, so people can pick the best fit for their hand size. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 will be available in Loch Ness Gray and Dragon Fruit Pink, and the Wireless Mouse 2000 will be available in gray.

Comfort Mouse 4500

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 Pink Microsoft BlueTrack Technology combines the power of optical with the precision of laser for remarkable tracking on virtually any surface; Leave the plug-and-go Nano transceiver plugged in when you're on the go, or stow it in the mouse; Use your mouse without power interruption for up to 10 months on a single battery; Battery status indicator tells you when battery power is low; Windows Flip in Windows 7: Easily switch between open windows with the click of a button; Get quick access to the media, programs, and files you use most often with four programmable buttons; Scroll four ways for greater efficiency and comfort with Tilt Wheel Technology

The Comfort Mouse 4500 is the first wired mouse featuring BlueTrack Technology, making it a great choice for people who never want to deal with changing batteries. Like its wireless counterparts, the Comfort Mouse 4500 will track on virtually any surface² and will be available in black as well as three fresh special-edition colors: Sea Blue, Poppy Red and Strawberry Pink.

Pricing and Availability

All the new mice are available for pre-sale on Amazon.com today. The Wireless Mouse 2000 and Comfort Mouse 4500 will be available for $29.95 and $24.95,¹ respectively, and will ship in March when they are widely released. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 will be available for $29.95¹ and ship in April when it is widely released. All three mice are backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty. More information about this and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.

Halo 3

Can’t wait to jump into the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta on May 3? You’re in luck, because a thrilling first look video of “Halo: Reach” multiplayer action is now available. The “March Multiplayer Madness” video was captured from the game’s alpha build and offers a glimpse of…well, we don’t want to give away all the surprises do we?

Rest assured that more info is coming down the line as the launch of the public multiplayer beta nears. As a reminder, players will be able to access the beta, which launches in just two months, through “Halo 3: ODST.” Developed by acclaimed studio Bungie, “Halo: Reach” is being published by Microsoft and launches in autumn 2010 exclusively on Xbox 360.

The “March Multiplayer Madness” video is available now on Halo.Xbox.com, Bungie.net and Xbox LIVE.

LOCATION: Your living room

WHEN: 3 – 24 March 2010

WHAT:

Microsoft Xbox LIVE 4000 Points Redeem Microsoft Points in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for unique content, including games, demos, trailers, and more; Use the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as a download center for game add-ons, demos, HD movies and TV shows, music videos, and more

Xbox LIVE presents the biggest, baddest bash in town: The Xbox LIVE Arcade House Party! Throughout March, Xbox LIVE will launch a new downloadable blockbuster game every Wednesday that is sure to ramp up the multiplayer action *. Today, Xbox LIVE is excited to announce the final details of the hottest party in town offering you some really great deals! Whether you’re sitting on the same couch, or on the other side of the globe… invite your friends because this is one party you don’t want to miss!

• Thank You Gift: Xbox LIVE would like to say thank you for coming to our party! Buy all three House Party titles and download the free “Game Room” app and receive 400 Microsoft Points back to your account**! And for Xbox LIVE Gold members, the deal gets even sweeter, by purchasing all three House Party titles and downloading the “Game Room” app for free, you will not only be credited with 400 Microsoft Points, but you’ll also get an extra month of Gold membership absolutely free**!
• Extra Tickets: We don’t want anyone to miss out on the great multiplayer action House Party will bring you and your friends! From 1700 GMT March 26 – 1700 GMT March 29, House Party is making it easy for you to play together with a special Xbox LIVE House Party Multiplayer Unlock weekend! For this weekend only, we’re unlocking the online multiplayer features of all House Party titles for Xbox LIVE Silver Members to play for free.
• Attire for your Avatar: Starting on March 3rd, stop by Xbox LIVEAvatar Marketplace to ensure your avatar is decked out in the best House Party attire! From cola hat dispensers and plaid shorts, to plastic jelly shoes, your Avatar will party in style this March. You can even pick-up a BBQ grill so your Avatar won’t go hungry over the course of the month-long party.
• Guests of Honour: Most parties only have one star of the show, but Xbox LIVE Arcade House Party has four blockbuster guests we’re celebrating them in style!

Get the lowdown on the featured titles below:

Toy Soldiers

March 3 | 1200 Microsoft Points

Fight for survival in this intense, action-packed game on Xbox LIVE Arcade! Enjoy world-class visuals as you put your foot soldiers and fighter pilots to the test in vintage WWI dioramas. PEGI rated 16+

Scrap Metal

March 10 | 1200 Microsoft Points

With guns blazing, drift around corners and take out legendary competitors in this fast-paced top-down racer. Customise your car to help you blast through enemies, or race against your friends to crush their cars in one of the many pulse-pounding online multiplayer matches. PEGI Rated 7+

Perfect Dark

March 17 | 800 Microsoft Points

Microsoft Xbox LIVE 1600 Points Redeem Microsoft Points in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for unique content, including games, demos, trailers, and more; Use the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as a download center for game add-ons, demos, HD movies and TV shows, music videos, and more

The classic sci-fi shooter has made its way to Xbox LIVE Arcade and is ready for you to download and hit the ground running.  Digitally remastered with better frame rates and updated graphics, now you and your friends can experience every twist and turn in this heroic story. PEGI rated 16+

Game Room

March 24 | Free to Download

240 to 400 Microsoft Points for game downloads | 40 Microsoft Points for single gameplay

Xbox LIVE Arcade is kickin’ it back to the old school, with “Game Room.” Now you can relive the glory days of playing classic arcade games in their original forms. Download the free “Game Room” app for your Avatar and purchase and play some of your favourite retro games from Intellivision, Activision Inc., Konami Corp. and Atari Inc. with friends. PEGI rated 12+

Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System Premier Xbox 360 console comes packaged with a massive hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, and a premium black finish for the console; Also includes a black wireless controller and Xbox LIVE headset; Sleek black finish of the high-performance wireless controller matches the style of the console, it has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of 30 hours; Now available in black, the headset lets you strategize while playing together online or trade taunts with your opponents; Xbox LIVE Silver Membership: With this, gamers can chat with friends online, collect achievements and gamer scores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, HD movies, and TV; One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold: An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience

For children, learning to program at an early age can open up a lifetime of creativity and opportunity. And with Kodu, a new game unveiled by Microsoft at the recent 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), they can learn the skill of programming while having fun creating and playing their own games.

Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach watches as 12-year-old Sparrow shows off her programming skills on the new Xbox Live Community game Kodu. Jan. 7, 2009, Las Vegas. Click for high-res version.

Kodu will be released this spring on the Xbox Live Community Games channel and will help people of all ages program their own games in addition to exercising their logic and problem-solving skills, says Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division. “It started as a way to help kids learn how to program, but what it’s turned into is a way to not only learn how to program, but to create your own games,” he says.

Kodu is built around a game-friendly programming language that is simple and icon-based. Players can choose from 20 different game characters – including flying saucers, submarines, and a Pac Man-like Kodu main character – then use an interactive terrain editor, a bridge and path builder, and other tools to create their own game world. Players also have the option of using pre-loaded worlds.

Kodu is a product of Microsoft Research, where it was developed over the past two years by principal program manger designer Matt MacLaurin. His goal: Create a game his four-year-old daughter could use to both have fun and learn something about programming.

MacLaurin said he and others on the project were fans of the Logo programming language, which was created for educational use, and believed there was something to be accomplished with it in the area of programming and gaming. In 2006, Microsoft Research teamed up with Girls Inc. and the University of Santa Barbara to create an after-school Kodu program to accurately measure the influence educational games have in the fields of math, science, and comprehension. The team logged hundreds of hours of Kodu research with creators from ages five to 45 to ensure that it is easy for beginners, but maintains a depth of content for those who are more advanced.

Players begin by choosing from a set of almost 200 visual building blocks and then use an image-based creator menu to build a world based on physical action and reaction – when a character performs an action, the game world reacts to it. Gamers have the ability to use hearing, vision and time to control their character’s behavior. Though the game is aimed at a younger demographic, people of all ages have played and enjoyed Kodu, MacLaurin said. “We wanted to share with kids the ways in which programming is fun,” he says. “We consider it a game and a creative tool, and I think one of the things that makes it magical is that it is both.”

Microsoft Xbox360 Live 12 month Messenger Gold Pack Xbox 360 with Project Gotham Racing Get the Xbox LIVE? party going strong with the Messenger Gold Pack. Play multiplayer games online and use the chatpad for easy texting or voice chat on the wired headset while you play. You can even share photos and slideshows and use your chatpad to instantly fill your friends in all the juicy details. The Xbox LIVE Messenger Gold Pack makes it easier than ever to connect with friends and family no matter where they are. 12-Month Gold Subscription lets you play online games with friends; Chatpad attaches to the Xbox 360 controller for easy texting; Use the wired headset for voice chat; Added bonus: full version of Project Gotham Racing 4 included

Kodu can be used and played on either a PC or an Xbox 360.

On stage at CES, Bach had help demonstrating the game from 12-year-old Sparrow, who tested the game during its development and is now a whiz at Kodu. She briefly showed a bemused Bach how to program aspects of a game she made up, and then they played it together.

“What I love about Kodu is that I can do everything myself,” said Sparrow as she rapidly and expertly programmed the game, making the keynote crowd chuckle at her speed and proficiency. “It’s fast to build and different from the other games I play. I can do cool, silly things in it!”

She and Bach then competed in the simple game she created, which involved gathering shiny rocks and taking them to a little house. She, as the kids say, “pwnd” Bach, beating him at her game in minutes.

MacLaurin said working in Microsoft Research, and the entire Kodu-creating experience, was “awesome.”

“It’s great. I’ve spent a lot of my career in research, incubations, and commercial projects,” he says. “So much of the time you have to choose (between) the thing that’s really cutting edge, or the thing that’s going to ship. This crosses over both.”

Kodu tested well with kids, educators, and parents, an impressive feat for a video game.

Kodu features a visually-based creation wheel, allowing users to create their own logic-based game.

“For kids, it’s super empowering. They spend so much time in these game worlds and don’t get to have any say in how the game looks or feels,” MacLaurin said. “Now they can build something that’s really new. That’s the most exciting thing for me – they really do appreciate the creative empowerment.”

Another benefit of the game, one its creators hadn’t fully considered, is how well it teaches problem solving skills. In testing, MacLaurin watched youngsters debug their own programming code. He realized they were creating and then solving their own problems.

“It’s exciting to watch,” he says of the process. And it can have big payoffs later. “The concept is that mental skills you use in programming are used in other aspects of life. (Building) brain skills that are actually as useful for writing a business plan as they are for writing code. There’s a growing appreciation there.”

In 2006, Microsoft Research teamed up with Girls Inc. and the University of Santa Barbara to create an after-school Kodu program to accurately measure the influence educational games have in the fields of math, science, and comprehension. The team logged hundreds of hours of Kodu research with creators from ages five to 45 to ensure that it is easy for beginners, but maintains a depth of content for those who are more advanced.

Bach says there has been an outpouring of creativity since the Xbox group launched its Community Games Channel, which allows independent developers to create and share games. Since its launch this past November, the Community Games Channel has gained a following among both consumers and game-makers, and there now are more than 100 community-created game titles available.

The Happy Hour Watch is designed with a certain type of person in mind. Specifically, the type of person who looks forward to drinking at exactly 5pm every day. It only has the 5 o'clock hour marked on the analog part of the watch, which is OK. But the real fun is on the strap.

Yes, there's a built-in bottle opener on it. Now I'm no boozehound, and I think the face of this watch is pretty ugly, but I sure wouldn't mind having a bottle opener on my watch strap. It's just always there and totally convenient. Come on, Rolex, get with the program.

Happy Hour Timepieces via Uncrate

The centrifuge is a genuinely terrifying device. The lights dim when it is switched on. A strong wind is produced as the centrifuge induces a cyclone in the room. The smell of boiling insulation emanates from the overloaded 25 amp cables. If not perfectly adjusted and lubricated, it will shred the teeth off solid brass gears in under a second. Runs were conducted from the relative safety of the next room while peeking through a crack in the door.

Neil Fraser via Neatorama

Taking really long showers is a great way to waste a whole lot of water. But it's so easy to lose track of time in there, what with it being so warm and nice. You just need a reminder to turn the shower off.

The Waterpebble does just that. It sits on the floor of your shower and flashes an LED light at you so you know how much water you've used. It goes from green to yellow to red, telling you when it's about time to get out and just when you go from simply cleaning yourself to becoming a water-hogging eco-destroyer. It's a subtle yet important distinction.

Waterpebble via Design Blog via Gizmodo

It looks like adult apps aren't the only ones Apple is looking to cut from its App Store. According to Softpedia, developer of WiFi-Where — an app which allowed users to quickly find nearby Wi-Fi hotspots that were open, find out exactly where they were by using a GPS unit, and even save export those findings to a memo pad for sharing with others — the company's app has been removed from the App Store.

From Softpedia:

We received a very unfortunate email today from Apple stating that WiFi-Where has been removed from sale on the App Store for using private frameworks to access wireless information. It also appears that all other competing Wi-Fi enabled apps have been removed as well. This is very unfortunate as the past 2-3 months have seen a handful of new Wi-Fi apps get approved. Hopefully Apple will allow this functionality in a future SDK.

While apps such as WiFi-Where would allow users to quickly find a wireless hotspot in a pinch, the flipside is that it could also encourage wardriving and other malicious behavior. Apple also removed several other Wi-Fi scanning apps, some which had been approved long ago, and others which ran into plenty of red tape.

So will Apple will be able to boast about a family friendly App Store, while Google will have its anything-goes open Android platform? If these bans keep up, Apple may have to turn its slogan around: "There isn't an app for that... Anymore."

Via Maximum PC

In an article titled "Why Ad Blocking is devastating to the sites you love," Ars Technica Editor-in-Chief Ken Fisher is making clear a subject that is probably foggy in all of our minds: what happens when you block the ads on a site? With ad blockers becoming easy to use and install, what impact does it have on the websites you visit regularly that rely on that ad revenue?

"There is an oft-stated misconception that if a user never clicks on ads, then blocking them won't hurt a site financially," Fisher writes. "This is wrong. Most sites, at least sites the size of ours, are paid on a per view basis. If you have an ad blocker running, and you load 10 pages on the site, you consume resources from us (bandwidth being only one of them), but provide us with no revenue."

Fisher isn't mad at you, though. Nor is he admonishing you so that you'll unblock the ads on Ars. It's part plea, sure, but at its core it's an informative look at the consequences of ad blockers. The decision is yours.

The site did run an interesting experiment with people who were blocking ads, however: "Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

How did it go? While some people subscribed and others showed support, "there was a healthy mob of people criticizing us for daring to take any kind of action against those who would deny us revenue even though they knew they were doing so. Others rightly criticized the lack of a warning or notification as to what was going on." Ars was only blocking the content temporarily and is no longer doing so. Those who deny Ars ad revenue for free content can still view that content. — at cost to the site.

Head on over to Ars to see Fisher's take in full.

Via Ars Technica

Well here's your head-scratcher for the morning: Chinese gadget website Shop Kami, which is kind of like the Mos Eisley of tech shopping, has a multiouch, 3G tablet computer running Windows 7 available now. Yes, now. It's called the Ezy Tablet, and no amount of coffee right now is going to make its existence make sense. Especially since all the pictures of it look like renderings done by a college student.

Stack up the Ezy Tablet to the iPad: 10.4 inches to the iPad's 9.7, a 1.6 gigabyte Atom processor found in many netbooks (iPad: the 1 gig, custom-tailored A4), 2 gigs of RAM upgradable to 4 (no official figure, but probably in the ballpark), and a 250 gig hard drive (a more tablet-appropriate flash drive, with up to 64 gigs capacity). The Ezy also has some things the iPad doesn't, such as three actual USB ports — the iPad only has a physical 30-pin connector, then requires you to use an adapter for either a USB port or an SD slot — and the Ezy also has a webcam built-in.

Looking at those specs, though, the Ezy probably runs a lot like a current generation netbook. Read: a little sluggish. Combine that will all the extra stuff it's trying to do, and you have to wonder how well it all works.

Still, it's available now. $680 for the base model, which includes 3G, though, curiously, if you read the fine print, doesn't include Windows 7. It'll be $860 for an Ezy with that. You can also buy them in bulk — if you buy 25 of them or more you can score each Ezy for a mere $52, apparently. Buyer beware, of course.

Shop Kami, via Chip Chick

For some of us, how a pair of headphones sound is our number one priority. For others, looks reign supreme. Street Headphones let you make your headphones look as cool as you want.

Street Headphones use a laser sintered, or melted, polyamide shell that can be etched to say whatever you want: your name, a message for your sweetheart, or just your favorite band or lyrics. If I was going to pay $1,140 for a pair of headphones, they better be the best-sounding headphones ever.

Freedom of Creation via Technabob