If you liked the circuitboard coasters, you’ll probably love the Circuitboard Mouse Mat. It’s made out of actual discarded circuitboard, which would’ve ended up in a landfill otherwise, so you might be doing a little something for the planet by buying one of these.

(Is manufacturing & shipping one of these less harmful than throwing it away? I hope so. Reusing things is a very good thing in my book, anyway.)

Becase they use real circuitboards, each mouse pad will be unique.

But there’s one thing you should be advised about: these pads are not optical mouse-friendly. If you really want to get one, you might have to dig out your old ball mouse.

How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$16 on Red5.co.uk.

Via Coolest Gadgets

We all know what April 1st means – we’ve been planning the pranks for months in advance, or fear being the victim, or are waiting eagerly to see what our co-workers come up with. This Top 5 April Fools’ Pranks under $30 is for everyone. Yes, even the victims. If you’re forewarned you won’t fall for it if the mouse starts moving (aparently) on its own.

5. If you’re not feeling particularly evil, you can just give someone a little scare. They’ll realize soon enough that the Fake Parking Tickets won’t get them a fine (but they’ll probably be pissed off if they read the whole insulting message…)

4. If you’re into childish pranks, the Revenge Toilet Paper is for you. Just replace the existing roll with this and snicker away when the poor victim strolls out of the bathroom and tells the tale of the mysterious paper which doesn’t tear. One of these in every company toilet stall would wreak a nice amount of havoc – at least until enough people realize there’s something wrong.

3. But my favorite type of prank involves more technology than these first two. For example, the Mouse Jiggler. You only have to plug it into an USB port and it will start to randomly move the mouse pointer. Since most of us are so dependant on our computers, seeing them apparently go crazy can be a very distressing experience. It’s up to the prankster to decide when to end the torture and reveal the trickery involved… (Of course, s/he can also become an office hero by “fixing” the “malfunctioning” computer with his/her 1337 skills.)

2. If the designated victim is a couch potato with an unhealthy interest in soap operas, Jerry Springer or football… well, they deserve it, right? The Micro Spy Remote makes it easy to play with their nerves a little, because it allows you to control the TV. Turn it off, change the channel, mute it… The sky’s the limit. Or the patience of the victim. If you’re seen barely controlling your laughter, they will know something’s wrong.
(Alternately, do this in a bar. When a game’s on. You’ll be more difficult to spot and you’ll annoy more people.)

1. Since the office is where we spend most of our time, number 1 is another gadget for computer-related madness. The Phantom Keystroker uses an USB port and makes the user’s mouse and/or keyboard go insane. Random cursor moves and gibberish text will have the poor victim feel like s/he’s the victim of a virus or an electronic ghost.

Although this is supposedly sold as a device to prevent your computer from going to sleep and is aimed at computer forensics investigators and IT professionals, I think its best (and most entertaining) use is co-worker torture.

The name makes it obvious: the Mouse Jiggler jiggles your mouse. Well, not physically, but it makes the cursor move across the screen with no input. It comes in two versions: slow and fast. I suppose you can imagine what happens when Bill from Accounting finds his cursor keeps jumping from one place to another, although he’s not touching the mouse. The slow Jiggler is not impressive prank-wise, but on fast… he’ll be screaming in frustration in minutes. You just have to plug this baby in an USB port and watch.

(Or you can use it to prevent your screensaver from starting and forcing you to relogin. But that’s not as much fun.)

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 on Amazon.com.

A mouse is an essential device for any computer user… So why do people try to make them difficult to use?

Why would I want a Super Slim 3D USB Optical Mouse? It’s a regular mouse, except it was cut in half so it measures just under an inch in width, which sounds painful for my hand. Even laptop mice still have a normal shape (and they are not very comfortable either). The scroll wheel is on the side, and it has one button on top for back/forward navigation.

I’m sorry, but innovation is not my cup of tea if it takes away functionality. I want a comfy mouse with all the buttons where I am used to them.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $11.32 on DealExtreme.com.

Via Coolest Gadgets

Bad circulation is one of my problems, so in winter my hands are frozen half of the time when I’m working. Windows that don’t close properly, thermostat set too low, work-mates who were born in the Antarctic… all of these have made me at one time or another wish for something that could warm my hands and allow me to work at the same time.

I found one of the answers a while ago in the USB Heating Gloves., but the problem is that they’re a perfect target for office jokes. Today’s product, the USB Infra-Red Warmer Mouse, at least won’t get you funny looks.

The mouse has a infrared generator inside, and a switch turns the function on or off, allowing the surface to heat to 40-45°C (104-113°F). As for the rest, it’s a normal 800 dpi mouse with no other special features. Another novelty item, obviously, but it could come in very handy if you have issues with the cold and don’t mind a mediocre pointing device.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $22.99 on USBFever.com.

Via OhGizmo!

How would you feel to pass by your faithful employees and realize they were not, in fact, hard at work at that report, but instead they were engaged in a thrilling game of multiplayer Hearts? Not happy, I presume.

Sorry, there’s no solution for preventing this (except for deleting all games, filtering internet access etc.), but there is a way of making you at least think they’re working. A month ago we all saw the Phantom Mouse. Now we’ve got the USB Smart Privacy Mouse. The principle is the same: look busy by pushing one button.

You can choose from one of its three modes: hide current window, hide all windows and hide all windows except the ones defined by you, which I find very useful. Just make Yahoo Messenger dissapear and Excel pop up – Hey boss, this report is taking longer that I thought!, or hide that *ahem* interesting website from your mum and act like you were just writing the paper for tomorrow.

Besides, it’s cheaper and looks much better than the Japanese version.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on USBFever.com.

Via OhGizmo!

I’m sorry, I can’t help it. It’s another wacky mouse. This time, it sucks. Literally. Well, figurately too, to an extent.

Without further ado: the USB Vacuum mouse. As basic 3-button mice go, it’s very ugly. Even the cheapest mice I ever owned looked better than it. But what’s supposed to make it special is its special function: vacuuming. If you often use your desk as a table and get crumbs all over it, the Vacuum mouse could help you. Just flip a switch and the mouse turns into a miniature vacuum that gets rid of all the mess.

It might be useful… but I can find much easier ways of cleaning my desk. Decent mouse + a tissue > Vacuum mouse. No thanks, Thanko.

How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$19 on Thanko.jp.

Via ubergizmo

Here’s another item in the series of weird mice. This time, it’s actually interesting – though I doubt it works very well.

The innovation of the Wrist Pad Optical Mouse is the silica gel rest for the wrist, which is supposed to make using the mouse more comfortable. Great idea, I say. I haven’t (yet) got any Repetitive Stress Injury, but working on the computer all day in a not-very-good position is not very nice for my hands.

However… I think it would be difficult to move the mouse around if you have the wrist pad trailing after it. I hope I’m not right, though, because I really love the idea of being able to use my laptop with no pain even when I want to lounge on my couch instead of sitting at a desk.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on USBFever.com.

Via Gadgetizer

I’m starting to this it’s a competition to invert the craziet mouse ever. A finger mouse, a mouse with speaker and microphone (?!)…

The Phantom Mouse is a little crazy, but at least it does something (sort of) useful. It’s a normal mouse in all aspects, only it has an extra button. Therein lies all its appeal: the button can be programmed so that, when you click, a certain application is brought to the front or all the windows get minimized. An anti-boss tool if there ever was one. Now you can play Solitaire all day and you’ll only need one click to make it look like you were hard at work doing that report.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24 on Thanko.jp.

Via Coolest Gadgets

Some people have a thing for “n-in-one” products, even when it’s pretty obvious they aren’t any good and. I personally am a bit suspicious of too-many-in-one things, because many times it just means that, instead of having one good function, you get 3 or 5 crappy ones.

Unfortunately, the 3-in-1 Mouse with Speaker and Microphone seems to be the perfect example. First of all, why would you need your mic on a mouse?! It would have to be a pretty damn good one, unless you’re willing to keep your face at desk level during a conversation (so you won’t see the display, so you won’t be able to use the mouse) or to lift the mouse (so you won’t be able to use the mouse, again). And, at $15.99, I doubt it can perform one function well enough, let alone three.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $15.99 on USBFever.com.

Via Gadgetizer