Desiree

Mouse Calls
Wasim Ahmad, Vice president for marketing, Voltage Security
Sony Vaio Mouse Talk VN-CX1; $80; www.sonystyle.com

Skype's Internet phone service has been a great way for our company to keep its long-distance bills down, but the sound quality was rather poor on my laptop's built-in microphone. I tried a pair of high-end headphones, but they were a pain to carry around. So I spent some time browsing online and stumbled across this clever new device, which does double duty as a USB-connected computer mouse and clamshell phone. A blue LED lights up when a call comes in; I just flip open the mouse and--presto--it becomes a traditional handset. The scroll wheel then acts as the volume control. You can still use the touchpad to work on the computer when you're on a call, especially since the mouse has a speakerphone mode. I keep one in my travel bag and another plugged into my laptop at home. Best of all? The sound quality is nearly as good as on a landline phone.

Desiree

The previous post i made was the direct quote of the presiddent of the compnay you can only purchase these from over seas and the cost is rather swell what i couldnt figure out was IS THAT IN US DOLLARS?

cliffdodger

That's not a bad device. I would never expect a laptops built in mic to have good voip quality unless you have a really high end laptop. On a separate note I'm surprised we still cling to wireless mice that are stuck to the desk all day when we should be swinging them through the air (and air mice aren't quite there just yet) or using gesture controls already.