Makers of glass tables or highly polished desks don't worry about the traction of computer mice with laser beams, but computer users know the problem. Now new mouse-tracking technology from Logitech promises to make the mouse-on-glass issue a thing of the past.
The Logitech Darkfield Laser Tracking technology, announced Tuesday, allows the company's mouse products to be used "virtually anywhere you want," including on clear glass -- at least four millimeters thick -- or on any high-gloss surface.
Performance or Anywhere Mouse
The new technology is available in either the Logitech Performance Mouse, a full-sized unit, or the compact Anywhere Mouse, for use with notebooks.
The Fremont, Calif.-based company said its research shows that 40 percent of people have a glass surface at home, but glass is only part of a slippery problem. Other highly polished surfaces, such as granite or lacquered wood, can also make a computer mouse lose its bearings.
Rory Dooley, senior vice president at Logitech's Control Devices unit, said "until now, no mouse has been able to match" the flexibility that laptops afford -- the ability to compute  anywhere, anytime.
Ordinary laser tracking needs to detect textural details on a surface, Logitech said. The more the irregularities, the easier to identify reference points so the laser can accurately measure motion. But high-gloss surfaces don't offer many irregularities.
Enter the Darkfield technology. It uses dark-field microscopy that can detect and track microscopic particles and micro-scratches on top of a surface, rather than the surface itself. In other words, dust and scratches now have some value. They are used by a Darkfield mouse to track exactly where it has moved.
Logitech said both mice models with the new technology feature its hyper-fast scrolling, as well as click-to-click mode for more precision in going through lists, slideshows or photos.
'No More Mouse Pads'
Laura DiDio, an analyst with industry research firm Information Technology Intelligence Corp., said she was "not surprised" that Logitech, "a pioneer in this area," has come out with this technology.
Such a mouse, she said, could be "a very useful tool for everyone" -- gamer, road warrior, or someone just trying to surf the Net on the kitchen counter. "I love the idea of no more mouse pads," DiDio said.
Logitech said the Performance Mouse MX is expected to be released in the U.S. and Europe later this month at a suggested price of about $100. It features a micro-USB charging system that works from a computer or a wall outlet, four customizable thumb buttons, and force-sensitive side-to-side scrolling. The Anywhere Mouse MX, with a price of about $80, has a similar schedule for release to market.
Logitech, a Swiss company, has been a key player in the peripherals market since its founding in 1981.
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