Voices

Hand-Gesture Technologies Wave Bye to Desktop Mouse

A race to liberate computer users from the mouse is kicking into high gear, inspired by the potential of turning hands and other body parts into digital controllers.

Searching for a Mighty Mouse? Here Are Three Options.

Wireless, touch-friendly mice from Microsoft, Logitech and Hewlett-Packard.
Microsoft TouchMouse

Essay: Jobs’s Departure as CEO of Apple Is the End of an Extraordinary Era

Why the day Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple isn’t like the day a typical CEO resigns.
Walt Mossberg and Steve Jobs share a laugh at D5.

Three Funky Mice Made for Laptops

Katie looks at three computer mice made for laptop users. Their designs make them simple to pack in a bag, use while sitting on the couch or recharge directly from the laptop.
mk_arcblk_large

The iPad Now Can Take Command of Computers

Walt looks at two apps that let the iPad take control of a PC or Mac remotely.
control

Exclusive: Digg Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer Departs for Start-Up

Chas Edwards, the publisher and chief revenue officer for Digg, the social news discovery service, is leaving the San Francisco company, according to sources. The exec, who came to Digg in May of 2009 from Federated Media, will move to a start-up called Pixazza, a photo-tagging site for advertising, “by enabling consumers to simply mouse over images to learn more and see related products.”

Apple Adds Touches to Its Mac Desktops

Katie reviews Apple’s latest gadget, the $69 Magic Trackpad, which is essentially a large, freestanding touch pad that brings multi-touch features to desktop Macs.
macpad

Voices

Almost Famous: Ben Zotto of Cocoa Box Design

This week, we coffee’d at Coupa Cafe on the Stanford University campus to interview Ben Zotto. He’s the mind behind Cocoa Box Design, the app company responsible for Penultimate, a sleeper hit at the iPad App Store. Ben is developing popular software that is just a little outside of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s vision for his “magical” device. That doesn’t seem to bother Zotto though.

BoomTown Prediction: Chasing Away the Mice (And Keyboards Too)

The Washington Post, where I once toiled, asked me to do a short piece recently for a spring-cleaning feature in its Outlook section. It was titled “Twelve Things the World Should Toss Out,” and BoomTown’s choice was physical computer keyboards and mice. Before you go all technical on me, be warned: I wrote the piece on an Apple iPad with a virtual keyboard and touchscreen. And frankly, if I could have all my blog posts downloaded directly from my noggin, it would be okay by me.

An iPad Review Roundup

A handful of iPad reviews published online moments ago and they’re largely positive–with some expected caveats about its lack of a camera and support for Flash and multitasking. Consensus seems to be that Apple has a great shot at creating a new category of device with the iPad. After the jump, excerpts from eight early reviews.

Apple FCC Docs Hint at iMac Refresh