However, most engineering effort with computer mice has been directed toward I/O interface (ADB, USB) and tracking sensor (optical, laser) advances and more recently wireless technologies (RF, Bluetooth), as well as improved ergonomics. Multi-button mice with scroll wheels became the standard configuration (although not with Apple mice) in the mid-’90s, popularized by Microsoft’s IntelliMouse Explorer, but with a few exceptions like the minuscule trackball on Apple’s 2005 Mighty Mouse, scrolling hardware technology didn’t change much between 1996 and 2006 when Logitech unveiled its MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel.

Steam-Age Technology Revisited

The MicroGear wheel represented refinement more than revolution, with the wheel itself fashioned of relatively heavy metal instead of lightweight plastic. While enhanced durability would be a side-benefit, mouse scroll wheels have not been prone to failure from wear, and the engineering rationale behind what is essentially a heavy flywheel — steam-age technology revisited — is that when in freewheel mode physical inertia keeps it spinning and able to whip through long documents with minimum effort. If you prefer standard scroll wheel click detents, they can be toggled on and off by pressing down on the scroll wheel.

All of that works just fine with Apple’s standard OS X mouse drivers, but if you install Logitech’s Control Center driver software, the MicroGear mouse will also support lateral scrolling by pressing the wheel to one side or the other, and a raft of programming options. The Logitech MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel is used in a wide range of Logitech mice, such as the Logitech V550 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse and it represents the high water mark on mouse scroll wheel technology so far in my experience.

Wheel-Less Scrolling

However, while the MicroGear scroll wheel, as noted, is arguably the most perfected implementation of generic analog scroll wheel technology, there’s something new and different in mouse scrolling available this fall, namely the new wheel-less Touch Scroll four-way optical scrolling technology Targus has introduced with its new line of “for Mac” computer mice. To actuate Touch Scroll and its Quick Scroll function, you move your fingertip laterally or longitudinally on the optical sensor that takes a place of a conventional scroll wheel at the center top of the mouse.

Scrolling speed is determined by how quickly and far you move your finger. I’ve tested two different Quick Scroll Targus mice, Bluetooth Laser and RF, and find that it works very well, although I found scrolling in small increments for precision tasks wasn’t quite as easy to modulate as it is with a good scroll wheel like the MicroGear (although better than some conventional scroll wheels I’ve used), but I think that could be partly a matter of getting used to this mode of scrolling. It’s actually quite intuitive, and lateral (sideways) scrolling requires no proprietary driver software, although Targus does offer the latter for a variety of programmable button functions with these mice.

Touch Scroll is available with the $49.99 Targus For Mac Wireless Mouse and $69.99 Bluetooth Laser Mouse.

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So, are you, like many, taken with the new MacBook (and there are plenty of reasons to be), but wondering how you could get along without FireWire? A new product from Targus could be your solution.

That is if your main concern about going FireWire-less is how to handle fast, computer-to-computer file transfers. The Targus USB 2.0 High-Speed File Transfer Cable for Mac can’t help you with connecting to your FireWire video camera or scanner, but it’s a surprisingly slick and satisfactory substitute for the file transfer aspect of FireWire Target Disk Mode, in some respects even more convenient.

Supports Both USB 2 and USB 1.1

The High-Speed File Transfer Cable is designed to facilitate transferring large (or small) amounts of data from computer to computer via their USB ports, and its arrival on the scene is timely for those with FireWire-bereft MacBooks and MacBook Airs. It works with either USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 ports alike. USB 1.1 is pretty slow for moving large files, although I found it works just fine for moving a document or two from one computer to another on my old Pismo PowerBooks which support only USB 1.1, either connected to each other or to my USB 2-equipped PowerBook G4.

This cable can also substitute for other forms of media like CD’s or DVD’s for data transfers and it’s a lot faster and more convenient that burning to disks. A maximum nominal transfer rate of 480 Mbps is claimed but unlikely to ever be attained in real world use, with something like 260 Mbps more likely on most machines. However some testers have reported that USB throughput on the unibody MacBooks seems to be faster than we’re accustomed to.

The genius of the Targus High-Speed Data Transfer Cable is that it includes built-in file transfer software called EasySuite in versions that work with both Mac OS X and Windows OS, and can be used to transfer files cross-platform as well as from Mac-to-Mac or Windows-to-Windows, the latter which is of course not supported by FireWire Target Disk Mode, and one of the computers doesn’t have to be shut down and restarted in order to set up file transfers, so connect/disconnect is quick and convenient. The EasySuite software requires no installation, as it lives stored on 2MB of flash memory inside the larger of the cable’s two USB connector plugs.

Easy File Transfers

When you connect the cable, the EasySuite “CD-ROM drive” icon appears on the computers’ respective Desktops. Open the drive window and double-click the EasyMacCopy icon to start the file transfer application. Once EasyMacCopy has started up on both computers (takes but a few seconds), file transfer windows open showing the remote computer in the top panel and the local computer in the bottom panel.

Now you can select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to transfer using standard OS X Finder navigation, and drag & drop it to the destination drive window. When all transfers are complete, quit the EasyMacCopy applications and eject the virtual “drives.”

All versions of Mac OS X are supported, as well as Windows XP and Vista. The Targus File Transfer Cable has a MSRP of $49.99.

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This hub allows you to connect up to four USB devices through a single USB port on your computer.

“So what?,” you’re probably saying, “there are dozens of 4-port USB hubs that do that.”

However, what makes the Bend-a-Hub distinctive is its literal flexibility plus its two specialty connectors; one of which can adjust to a 90-degree angle for better accessibility — able to be oriented either horizontally or vertically, making it ideal for connecting a flash thumb drive or iPod. Moreover, another of its four USB ports folds out to reveal a mini USB connector of the sort used by many digital cameras, mobile phones, and PDAs. The Bend-a-Hub’s flexible form factor makes it easy to accommodate a variety of larger USB devices.

It may also be possible to charge devices through the mini USB port if the connecting device supports charging through a mini USB connector. The unit works with both USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports and supports both Mac OS X and Windows (2000, XP, Vista).

The Bend-a-Hub’s flexibility makes it convenient to roll it up and tuck it in your pocket, laptop case, or backpack for road warrioring, and it weighs just an easy-to-carry 1.8 ounces.

Note, however, that there is no provision for self-powering using an AC power adapter, so the device is dependent upon whatever amount of power your computer is able to supply through a USB port. The amount of power output by many computer USB ports may get spread a bit thin with multiple devices attached, especially on certain Mac laptops, including recent Intel models.

The Bend-a-Hub is nicely finished, looks well-constructed, and the cables that connect the ports and plug to the central distribution module are generously sized with husky anti-fatigue collars where the cables enter the port and plug modules.

While it may look a little odd, the Targus Bend-a-Hub offers substantial versatility advantages over conventional USB hubs, especially for road warrioring, with the caveat above-noted regarding bus-powering. The only thing I found not to like about this product was that the female USB port modules were a bit snug, requiring more effort to insert and remove than I would prefer, but that will probably improve with repeated use.

The USB 2.0 4-Port Bend-a-Hub with Mini USB Adapter is 9″ in length, weighs 1.8 oz, and sells for $19.99.

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