Logitech have today launched a new gesture-enabled mouse called the Logitech Touch Mouse M600.

Set to take on the Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse and Apple's Magic Mouse, it has a touch-sensitive top surface that lets you swipe and scroll through web pages and image galleries.

The mouse is also designed for ambidextrous use, meaning both left and right handed users can swipe away in comfort, with the left and right mouse buttons easily configured through the bundled software.

"People are growing accustomed to using fingertip gestures to navigate on their smartphones and tablets," said Todd Walker, brand manager for Logitech.

"In fact, for many people these gestures have become second nature. The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 reflects this evolution in how we interact with the digital world and extends to the computer what have become natural, intuitive motions."

Hitting Dixons group stores exclusively for a three month period, the M600 will cost £59.99

Those looking to battle it out with Modern Warfare 3 on the PC should take a look at today's latest goodies from Logitech. They're launching COD-branded Gaming Keyboard G105 and Laser Mouse G9X gear, helping gamers up their frag-count with gaming-optimised settings

First up is the G9X mouse, pictured above and priced £69.99. Boasting "game-changing precision", it'll scroll 165 inches a second, for quick-turn kills, with an adjustable DPI switch to fine-tune scroll speeds on the fly. A wired USB mouse, it also has an adjustable weight-tuning system, letting you add lighten or increase the load of the mouse for a more comfortable glide.

Next up is the G105 keyboard. It's sporting "military-style, night-vision green LED backlighting" which should make it a winner when playing at night, as well as 6 programmable G-keys (each with three mode states), multi key input that allows for five simultaneous key presses to register and an array of media controls. It'll set you back £59.99.

"The Logitech Gaming Keyboard G105 and the Logitech Laser Mouse G9X are perfect for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 enthusiasts who want the best in precision and customization for their gaming experience," said Chris Pate, senior product marketing manager for gaming at Logitech.

"Both devices let you jump right into the action with the power to perform complex manoeuvres with confidence."

Modern Warfare 3 touches down on Xbox 360, PC and PS3 on November 8th. Hit here to have a look at our recent hands-on preview session.

Name: Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Albino

Type: Customisable gaming mouse

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £89.99 from Game Shark

Part PC peripheral, part customisable Autobot Transformer lookalike, Cyborg's R.A.T. 7 Albino gaming mouse is one of the most unique pointers on the market. But is it comfortable, and most importantly, will it up your frag count come the end of the online deathmatch? Read on to find out.

An updated version of last year's excellent R.A.T 7 gaming mouse, the new Albino version draws gasps of "oooo" and "aaaah" from anyone that lays eyes on it. In some respects it's barely recognisable as a mouse, with its chunky, space age matte-white finish alongside cogs and gears sticking out at all angles. It looks like a long-lost Transformer character that's been making a living by masquerading as a PC peripheral.

The Albino's unique looks are more about function than fashion however. Cyborg have made a highly customisable mouse here; nearly every part of the Albino can be tweaked to your own preferences.

We're not just talking about custom DPI settings and the 5 programmable buttons (which we'll get onto in a minute). The actual mouse hardware itself can be physically altered to better fit your grip. Slotted in the underside of the Albino is a small screw-in key that can be used to adjust the width of the mouse and angle and positioning of the left hand side buttons, as well as opening up a spring-loaded compartment that houses five 6-gram removable weights, allowing you to make the Albino as heavy or light as you find comfortable.

The adjustments continue further with a sliding palm rest that lets you tinker with the length of the Albino. This piece itself can be swapped out with one that better fits lefties, as well as an alternate palm piece with a rubberised grip finish. Likewise, the right hand side pinky area can have a rubber piece attached, or swapped out for a sloping finger rest, giving the Cyborg a wide wing shape.

Now, all this tinkering wont be for everyone. Though the Albino remains a plug-and-play device, to really get the most out of it you're going to have to spend a few hours play messing about with different physical configurations to suit your hand. It's very easy to make an RSI-inducing monstrosity if you get too addicted to clipping bits on all over the show. However, once you've found your own personal sweet spot, you'll likely never find a more comfortable gaming mouse, even if it's not the most practical of pointers for everyday OS tasks.

As mentioned previously, the customisable elements of the R.A.T 7 extend to the device's buttons too. On the left hand side are two regular "back/forward" mini buttons and another round red button called the "Precision Aim button", which we'll detail in a second. Just below the left mouse button is an unusual chrome roller, which when turned left or right can represent a key or macro in either direction. Linking keys and macros to the buttons and roller is easy thanks to the ST software that can be downloaded form the Cyborg website, also allowing you to tweak DPI settings. Making use of a mode-switching button adjacent to the left mouse clicker which scrolls through 3 sets of programmable key settings, you've in theory got access to a whopping 15 separate programmable input commands packed into the Albino alone. It's worth noting that both the mouse and the software are Mac compatible this time around too.

In terms of movement precision, the Albino makes a sizeable jump from the original R.A.T 7. The first iteration had a max DPI of 5600; the Albino jumps up to 6400DPI with its twin-eye laser sensor. This effectively lets your mouse cover a 6 metre range in just one second. In other words, you'll be able to make lightning-fast adjustments to your aim on the battlefield. These settings don't necessarily have to remain fixed either; a rocker switch immediately below the mouse wheel lets you scroll between 4 custom DPI settings which can be set using the software described above, letting you quickly jump between slower and more responsive settings on the fly. Opting for a wired USB connection over wireless to cut down on even the smallest amounts of lag time, you'll be pleased to see Cyborg have put in a braided white cable, rather than a tangle-prone plastic one.

There's also a dedicated, programmable DPI toggle button on the left hand side which Cyborg call the "Precision Aim button", mentioned earlier. We prefer to call it "The Terminator button" thanks to the robot-like efficiency it adds to your aim. The button lets you switch to a super-low DPI setting when held down, letting you fine tune your aim minutely and make every bullet fired potentially a headshot. It's so effective it's practically cheating.

Verdict:

It takes some tweaking, but once you've got the R.A.T 7 Albino to fit your playing style, you'll find this flexible, responsive pointer gives you a real edge over the competition. The new white finish is stunning in our books, and that fact that this improved model ships for the same price as last year's original R.A.T 7 just sweetens the deal.

Logitech are launching the Wireless Touchpad, a touch and gesture control alternative to the traditional mouse for PC users.

Much like Apple's Magic Trackpad, the Wireless Touchpad uses multi-touch input to allow you to scroll through windows, with two-finger up and down and three-finger forward and back swipe movements.

Using the wireless 2.4GHz channel, the TouchPad uses a discreet wireless USB dongle to pair with your machine.

"The Logitech Wireless Touchpad is perfect for people who want to surf the Web in a more fun and natural way," said Rory Dooley, Logitech's senior vice president.

"It lets Web surfers flick through websites and effortlessly scan long pages - making browsing easier than ever."

Hitting stores later this month, you'll be able to pick the Wireless TouchPad up for £44.99.

Do we really need a mouse/scanner hybrid? We're not sure, but the world's getting one anyway thanks to LG, who are planning to show off just such a device next week at the IFA 2011 conference with their LSM-100.

Pretty much the size of your average mouse if a little on the chunky side, it features a dedicated scanning button, which when pressed allows you to scan any document that you run the mouse over, turning them into images in a number of formats.

Optical character recognition is included in a device which LG are stressing is more than just a gimmick.

"The LSM-100 is also a top-end mouse," the Korean tech giant states in its press release.

"The laser sensor is accurate and durable, and the stylish design lends itself to easy, smooth motions as well as providing an ergonomic, comfortable grip."

I guess it makes sense maybe for business travellers? Or those with really tight work spaces? Pricing will almost certainly decide whether or not this is a worthwhile addition to the army of mad PC peripherals already out there.

Wires; who needs 'em?

Certainly not PC or Mac users. Where once wireless mice and keyboards were an expensive indulgence, plagued with signalling issues and lag, these days it's possible to pick up top-notch wireless input devices at little-to-no extra cost from their wired counterparts.

However, it's a wide and varied market, with plenty of great gadgets vying for your attention.

Rather than claiming to pinpoint a handful of "the best" mice and keyboards, we instead thought we'd pick ten items based on different users and usage scenarios.

Click below for our round up of wireless mice and keyboards for all occasions.

Getting a great PC gaming rig together can be a bit pricey; if you're not shelling out for a Direct X 11 graphics card, you're updating RAM or buying a monitor with ultra-fast response times. As a result, your pistol-wielding mouse can sometimes be skipped a much-needed upgrade.

That doesn't always have to be the case though! Logitech have today announced the launch of the G300 gaming mouse, designed to give greater gaming precision, but at an affordable price.

Sculpted to fit the hand comfortably, it features nine programmable controls, and configurable memory profiles which can be assigned colours to the onboard lighting system, ensuring you can always identify which configuration you're currently using.

A 2500 dpi sensor should allow for smooth, accurate control, while automatic game detection boots up the correct configuration for each game automatically.

"The Logitech® Gaming Mouse G300 is perfect for PC gamers who want intelligent features that give them real benefits in-game" said Chris Pate, senior manager of product marketing for gaming at Logitech.

"Whether you need more programmable buttons for your MMO, better precision for targeting enemies in an FPS, or a compact, comfortable shape to get you through hours of gameplay, we've got it covered."

As we hinted at earlier, best of all is the price. Set to go on sale in September, the G300 mouse will retail at £29.99, leaving you with plenty of change to indulge in the bumper schedule of AAA PC releases this Autumn.

If ever there was a movie that was crying out for a load of tie-in PC/gaming accessories, that movie would be Tron Legacy. The whole thing is about being sucked into a video game, and which manufacturer wouldn't want to be associated with an experience as immersive as that??

Not Razer anyway, as they've just launched the official Tron gaming mouse. Not merely a fancy shell around a mediocre pointer, with a 5600dpi 3.5g laser sensor the Tron gaming mouse could up your game considerably over standard kit. You also get seven "Hyperesponse" buttons and an ambidextrous design, which should please those lefties out there.

Priced at 100 bucks, there is also a keyboard and mousemat in the works too.

Light cycles and neon jumpsuits sold seperately...

Microsoft have today revealed the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000v2, a nifty budget offering that will give you a penny change back from £20.

Sure, it's not quite as exciting as Apple's Magic TrackPad, but it has a lot going for it for a budget mouse. So much so that Microsoft are touting it as the "perfect accessory to any notebook, laptop or PC".

A standard three button scroll wheel set up, the 3000v2 has up to 10 months battery life and can be used at a range of 30 feet. 1,000 dpi, the mouse connects over a 2.4GHz connection.

It's out now, priced £19.99. Pity Microsoft's timing wasn't as good as their pricing.

These days you can hook a keyboard and mouse up to anything from a games console to even a few hacked smartphones. Still, it's a chore fumbling around behind your desktop PC for a tangle of mouse and keyboard wires, so wireless gear is essential for a mobile set-up.

But boy, do they drain batteries. Logitech seem to have answered that bugbear with their MK710 Desktop keyboard and mouse bundle. They claim their gear can run for THREE YEARS without changing the batteries.

Connecting to a Unifying Receiver dongle, the mouse and keyboard aren't without their fair share of features either. There's a status-displaying LCD on the keyboard, which also sports comfortable Incurve keys and a squishy palm rest. The mouse itself has a frictionless scroll wheel, numerous side buttons and side-to-side navigation.

The Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 is available now, priced $99.99.

Via: Logitech Blog

If you're a PC gamer feeling a bit left out by all this buzz surrounding motion control, relax; Razer and Sixense have you covered.

The two peripheral manufactures have teamed up to bring motion sensing controllers to your Counter Strike death-match.

Like a Frankenstein mix of Project Natal and Wiimotes, the device uses gestures like swipes and tilts to get your gaming done.

PC gamers are very particular about their peripherals, with the hardcore shelling out wads of cash for low-latency, high accuracy mice. Razer are well respected in the field, but will have to pull off something special for this to appeal to any but the most niche of audiences.

Head over to Engadget for a look at the device at work.

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It's all very well having the Xbox but, what with the notebook market currently under explosion, you can understand why Microsoft might not be feeling the love in the PC hardware market.

So, today, they set aside their Lifecams and announce a slightly pointless laptop cooling station for the price of $29.95 when it's out in July. So, basically, it's a tray with a fan in it. It tilts your machine up at a very slight angle, tethers it to the wall and generally chips away at the wonderful simplicity of form that is a notebook. Not on my Christmas/birthday list.

On the other hand, if anyone wants to buy me one of their Arc Mice, which now come in a spectrum of exciting colours, I wouldn't have too much of a problem with that. You might though. They'll cost $49.95 from June.

The Softies

In a dark castle, somewhere in deepest Transylvania, HP's bosses squint into a crystal ball. "What do you see?" says one. "Everyone's in Barcelona at MWC" comes the reply. "Ah! So the last thing anyone would expect is for us to release five different mice and a webcam, with some targeted towards women!".

HP has just released four mice, a mouse-and-keyboard combo, and a webcam. They run the gamut of target audiences, from gamers to girls (not that those two audiences can't overlap) and they all look pretty, so I've stuck them in the gallery. Click on the flowery number below to begin.

Next up, it's Logitech's turn to show off its new products to the world. They've got the G19 keyboard, the G13 gameboard, the G9x mouse and the G35 surround sound headset. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the G stands for 'gaming', because these are all very squarely focused at PC gamers.

I'll start with the G19, which we spotted previously, but called the G18. In every other respect, though, it seems to be the same model - it's got the same 320 x 240 colour LCD, the same 12 macro keys, and the superb "game mode" switch that disables the Windows key so you don't hit it by accident at a crucial moment. No sign of that D-pad, though.

This is the world's smallest mouse. I'm not sure why anyone would want it unless they were some super-intelligent child baby or just a person with tiny, tiny hands but what with biology the way it is and Jeremy Beadle being dead, I don't think there's going to be much of a market.

The humble computer mouse has come a long way since the Sixties when it was first demonstrated, and though some believe that the advent of touchscreens and other new innovations mark the demise of it, Logitech doesn't think so.

Today it has announced that it has shipped its billionth mouse, and is looking forward to bringing out more innovating mouse-based input devices in the future.

Logitech's president and CEO, Gerald P Quindlen, said that the company's MX Air and diNovo Mini hinted at what the company has in store.

The computer mouse is 40 years old. Mine isn't, it's more like one, but the original concept prototype as built in 1968 by Doug Engelbart and his team from the Stanford Research Institute in California certainly is.

Sadly, Doug never struck it rich. His patent ran out just before Apple popularised the little gizmos but he did receive the National Medal of Technology from Bill Clinton. Not sure how much they're worth and I'd imagine Steve Jobs has probably got 12 of his own but one thing that the Apple dictator is without is his own inspired Top 10 Tuesday. So in honour of Doug, his team and all the little guys out there, I bring you the Tech Digest Top 10 Best Mice Ever.

Left click the picture below to begin.

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Movea has announced that its Gyration Air Mouse, which allows control of a PC both with and without a flat surface to work on, is coming soon to the UK.

When you've a desk in front of you, its laser-guided precision tracking works just like a normal mouse. However, when you're away from your desk, or feel like waving something around in the air while actually getting something useful done, its MotionSense technology provides precise in-air motion tracking. Giving the mouse quick flicks with the wrist can advance presentations, control multimedia, start and stop effects, change audio volume or TV channel, and more.

Microsoft have never gone for the sleek look that characterises products from Apple. Their gear is always more utilitarian - as many buttons and flashing lights as possible. That's not to say that they don't look good, however. The new Sidewinder X6 gaming mouse and keyboard have a definite style to them - even if that is a spiky, asymmetric style. The mouse isn't really that big, by the way - compared to the keyboard anyway.

Logitech has launched a new mouse today designed for those with annoying laptops or a fear of trackpads. The Logitech V550 "Clip-and-Go" sounds rather like a shampoo advert but is actually quite a neat little peripheral that sticks to the side of your notebook like a lone limpet while you travel from room to room or country to country or wherever it is your exciting mobile digital life takes you.

The mouse is blissfully wireless and works with an 8mm plug and forget nano receiver that clicks in but unfortunately does permanently use up one of your USB ports. I hope you've got one spare.