gHacks technology news » computer mouse http://www.ghacks.net A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:56:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Block Mouse And Computer Keyboard On Hotkey http://www.ghacks.net/2009/03/23/block-mouse-and-computer-keyboard-on-hotkey/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/03/23/block-mouse-and-computer-keyboard-on-hotkey/#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:45:46 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/03/23/block-mouse-and-computer-keyboard-on-hotkey/ There might be special situations where you want to block all input devices from sending signals to the computer system. Block Input (via Shell City) is a small portable software program that can block both the computer mouse and computer keyboard for a certain time. The software application is hotkey driven and will disable the input devices for the configured amount of time.

In which situations might this come in handy? In all were mouse and computer keyboard usage might interfere with another process, be it statistical analysis or programs that react immediately on mouse or keyboard input and where this is unwanted.

The time that the computer mouse and keyboard are blocked can be defined in the program’s options. There is also an option to change the hotkey that starts the blocking from CTRL Q to another hotkey.

computer keyboard mouse

The program will display a tooltip next to the mouse cursor that is counting down the remaining seconds that all input devices are blocked on the computer system. The software program adds itself automatically to the Windows System Tray. A right-click will open a context menu that provides links to the program’s options. It uses roughly 4 Megabytes of computer memory while running and should be compatible to most versions of the Windows operating system.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/03/23/block-mouse-and-computer-keyboard-on-hotkey/feed/ 6 Computer Mouse Head Control http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/14/computer-mouse-head-control/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/14/computer-mouse-head-control/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:17:46 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=9883 HeadMouse 2 is a interesting software program for computer users who cannot or do not like to use their hands when controlling the computer mouse. The software is compatible with most Windows operating systems including Windows Vista or Windows XP. The only other requirement is a webcam with a minimum resolution of 640×480. The program will initiate a user face detection during first run to calibrate the webcam for best results. All that is needed to do in this phase is to move the head until a drawing of a face appears in the middle of the computer monitor.

That’s the end of the calibration phase and HeadMouse 2 can be used from then on to control the computer mouse. The mouse cursor can be moved by turning the head into the direction it should be moved. Turning the head to the left side would move the cursor to the left while turning it up would move it up.

There are three different methods to perform a mouse click. A mouse click can be initiated by closing the eyes, opening the mouse or not moving the head around for 1.5 seconds. At least one method has to be activated. Objects like windows or icons can be moved using the very same principle by clicking once on the object to activate it, moving the head to move it and clicking again to place it.

head mouse

There are several occasions where HeadMouse 2 could come in handy. It provides the means to control the mouse with a webcam and movement of the head. While it is not as fast as using the hands to control the computer mouse it provides sufficient means to work with the computer.

HeadMouse2

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/14/computer-mouse-head-control/feed/ 8 Reduce The Computer Mouse Speed http://www.ghacks.net/2008/09/13/reduce-the-computer-mouse-speed/ http://www.ghacks.net/2008/09/13/reduce-the-computer-mouse-speed/#comments Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:55:53 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=6969 Some software programs demand sensitive mouse movements under certain circumstances. A graphic designer who is working on an image needs to make pixel-based changes to images that he is working with and a mouse on steroids does not help that much when trying to hit that pixel that needs to be changed.

SlowMousion comes to the rescue. The software sits quietly in the system tray upon installation and provides the user with one feature: To slow down the computer mouse speed. It makes use of a global hotkey to slow down the computer mouse. By default that hotkey is the Windows key but it can be changed to other keys, and the left-, middle- and right-mouse buttons.

The mouse speed is reduced to a fraction of the normal speed upon pressing the hotkey which has to be pressed continuously for the effect to last.

SlowMousion does not (unfortunately) come with options to adjust the slow down factor which would definitely be a recommended setting for an updated version.

The software program is compatible to windows2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista.

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