Skype Mouse Combines Mouse and Phone – Unclutter your Desk

Since the arrival of Skype and other internet telephony services, many of us are saving a great deal on our phone bills. Since the arrival of Skype, though, yet another device – a phone handset – has to be connected to the PC with yet another cable, anything but decreasing the clutter on our work desks. The USB Skype Mouse takes care of the second problem for you.

 

 

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Why It’s Cleve

Even if I have sufficient USB ports on my PC, the number of cables and devices on my desktop is slowly getting out of hand. And for the very mobile among you, this also means packing/unpacking and connecting/disconnecting all your stuff at every stop.

This device combines at least two functions, which might seem inconvenient at first, but after some experience I really came to appreciate it.

First of all, it's a normal optical wheel mouse with a convenient form and size – nothing special about that.

The great part, though, is that, when you open it, it also doubles as a telephone handset for the internet calls you place via different providers, such as Skype. It has a built-in display and keypad that you can use for instance with Skype, but you can also use it as a plain USB handset with "any" software you'd like. The microphone/loudspeaker works as a standard Windows device just like any other handset, you just lose the keypad/display function when it's not compatible with your telephony SW. And who wants to dial from the handset anyway when you have a convenient directory on the PC in most cases?

Now I hear you thinking "How can I control my PC during a phone call?" Well, most laptops allow you to use the integrated touchpad and the external mouse simultaneously. Meaning, when you are on the phone, you revert to the touchpad to control your PC. When you've finished calling, you use the more convenient external mouse.

It's also great for travel: You have one small and light device to take with you anywhere, and you have both a phone handset to make free calls from your hotel room and a mouse to get some serious work done.

Summary

• Optical mouse and phone handset in one USB device
• Also works with other telephony SW, but without keypad/display control
• Control PC via touchpad during a phone call
• Headset connection
• Speakerphone function (not too great, though).

Tips

Especially useful for mobile people or people working in more than one office. If you sit at your desk all day and make lots of phone calls, you might consider a dedicated phone handset.

There are alternative models in the meantime – just look for USB Skype Mouse on the Internet. You'll find cheaper Chinese products and pricier alternatives from retailers such as Sony.

Where to buy

You can buy the Skype Mouse everywhere on the Internet.

Approx. price: $30

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Categories: multimedia, space-saving