First impression? This mouse is heavy. Seriously, my hand and wrist ached after my first full day of using it. But while it is in the heavy side, the Apple Magic Mouse has a lot to offer in its sleek, uniform, button-less little body. Use it as a standard mouse, then use a variety of finger gestures to scroll up and down, side to side, go back, right click, drag and drop, and more. I’ve accidentally discovered a few of these settings as I’ve gone along; others I’ve configured via System Preferences > Mouse.

Another thing I found is that the Apple Magic Mouse is on the slow side. I have my Windows trackpads and mice revved up to almost the fastest speed offered; the Apple Magic Mouse crawled in comparison — even the trackpad was faster! Fortunately, a bit of Googling turned up MouseZoom, a piece of Mac software designed specifically to address the issue of slow trackpads and mice. Simply install and then run to configure the desired speed(s) for your trackpad and/or mouse, and you’re good to go!

In summary, the Apple Magic Mouse is heavy and will be a bit of a strain to use at first, but it’s sleek and offers some super-sexy features. Well worth the $69, in my opinion.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

What makes the Ergomotion Laser Mouse different from other standard and even ergonomic mice is that the mouse itself is mounted on a base. While mounted sturdily enough, the mouse itself can still angle and pivot freely, both from front to back, side to side, and any angle imaginable. The mouse was developed by Smartfish Technologies and New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery. An actual surgeon participated in the patented design and creation for the sole purpose of creating a mouse that would not only reduce but also eliminate mouse-related overuse and stress — also known as RSI (Repeated Stress Injury). Normally computer users must contort both their hands and wrists unnaturally in order to navigate a computer with a mouse. The Ergomotion Laser Mouse corrects this issue by doing the contorting for you, via the pivoting motions. With the elevated and freely moving mouse moving your hand and wrist to an elevated, more natural position, stress, overexertion and inflammation are eliminated.

I have been using the Ergomotion Laser Mouse for nearly a week and a half now, and I have to say, I am in love. I have routinely dealt with aching, numb and tingling in my wrist and hand due to extended computer use — and from what I suspect, using a regular computer mouse. When I initially began to use the Ergomotion Laser Mouse, it felt comfortable, yet my hand was aching. Within a day or so that dissipated, and as my hand and wrist got used to the “new” way of using a computer mouse, I was suddenly much more comfortable. And since the adjustment period I haven’t had any physical pains or any other sign of discomfort in my hand or wrist. Needless to say, this is my favorite mouse, and one I’d highly suggest as a must-have for any computer user’s Christmas list.

Video review:

You can purchase the Ergomotion Laser Mouse directly from its product page for $49.95, or from Amazon for $49.99.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: Smartfish Technologies provided me with a free product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Enter the ErgoMotion Laser Mouse by Smartfish Techologies. The ErgoMotion Laser Mouse is a computer mouse that features a patented pivot base that moves them ouse around at varying angles — so that you don’t have to. Traditional mice require you you adapt your hand and wrist in order to follow through with various angled and pivoted movements. The ErgoMotion Laser Mouse, with its pivoted base, does the adapting for you.

I received the ErgoMotion Laser Mouse last Friday afternoon, and I can’t wait to continue testing it throughout this week! I’ll be posting a review soon!

• External hard drive — your choice of 320GB or 500GB in platinum (white) or graphite (dark gray) with robin’s-egg-blue accents
• Streamlined dock allows you to securely dock and stabilize the external hard drive
• Detachable, take-with-you 4GB USB key (also features an attached cap, so you don’t have to worry about losing it
• Port on front of dock allows you to magnetically attach the USB key — no fumbling with ports!
• Included LifeStudio software makes it easy for you to set up synchronization, backups, file organization, connections to social networks — and more!
• Included USB keys make it easy to set up your external hard drive, either with or without the dock
• Free 3GB online storage with Hitachi Backup

LifeStudio Mobile Plus is a must-have if you’re looking to have a “set it and forget it” method of backing up your important data. Simply connect the external hard drive to your computer, run the installation, and then configure what you’d like to be backed up to your external hard drive and when (choose automatic if you’d like the software to automatically detect and backup changes to your folder(s), or use the scheduled backup feature). Make use of the 4GB USB key to not only back up data on your laptop or netbook while you’re on the go, but to then automatically sync it with the external hard drive when it’s next connected to it! Choose between a 1-way backup or a 2-way sync — handy if you like to keep important documents on hand at all times.

(Cloud Backup is Hitachi Backup)

(The endless 3D wall in action!)

I had the opportunity to review LifeStudio Mobile Plus, and I can confidently say that it is the best choice in file backup and sync that I can think of. Whether you choose the 320GB drive or the 500GB drive, you’ll have more than enough space to store backups of all of your important and treasured files. From irreplaceable photos to important work documents to emails that you’d like to hold onto, LifeStudio Mobile Plus can automatically back it all up for you — and organize it, too!

Speaking of organization, the included LifeStudio software automatically organizes all of the media and documents on your computer’s hard drive, and then displays it all in a stunning, never-ending 3D wall. Use your mouse to scroll back and forth; you can also navigate through categorized folders within the software to narrow down the display to just the type of media you’re looking for (photos from 2009, for example; or music from artists whose names/bands begin with the letter F). The LifeStudio software also allows you to integrate your social networking connections, including Facebook and Flickr, so you’ll never be out of the loop or out of touch!

Want to learn more? Watch the video:

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Disclosure: Hitachi sent me LifeStudio Mobile Plus free of charge, in exchange for my honest review of their product.

ArtsCow.com provides all sorts of customizable templates and styles, the checkout process was a piece of cake, and as you can see, the mouse pad is of decent quality. I would definitely use Artscow.com again!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First impression: tiny! This has to be the tiniest mouse I have ever used. But so far it works pretty nicely. I’ll let you know later this week what I truly think of it.

The LG Super-Multi Portable Slim Rewriter connects to computers via USB, and requires no external power (though if for some reason one USB port can’t provide enough power, there is a secondary USB cable attached to the drive which can be plugged into a second USB port) to work — it draws everything from the computer.

It reads CDs and DVDs, and burns CDs at 24x and DVD+R discs at a nice 8x speed. The optical drive also offers LightScribe direct disc labeling (something I didn’t realize until now, since it wasn’t a feature I was interested in).

In terms of size, the LG Super-Multi Portable Slim Rewriter is definitely slim! It’s amazingly lightweight — so lightweight, in fact, that when I first picked it up I wondered if it would be up to the task of reading and writing discs. But so far it has performed flawlessly. I haven’t had the chance to test out its LightScribe capabilities, but I have used the drive to install Windows 7 and several software programs on my netbook, and it’s definitely up to speed. It also burns basic data to blank DVD+Rs quickly, and never seems to get overly loud or hot.

There is one thing I don’t like about the LG Super-Multi Portable Slim Rewriter, and that’s the design of it. To be more specific, the finish. Glossy black finish on an item that is going to be frequently handled is never a good idea! But that’s just an issue with the design, which obviously doesn’t impact the function!

Bottom line? I’d definitely recommend the LG Super-Multi Portable Slim Rewriter as a basic external optical drive to have for use with your netbook!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars