Peripheral-maker Belkin has released some eye-catching new styles lately, and that definitely includes this line of three just-announced mice. All are in the Comfort Mouse line, and have a downward-sloping shape that's designed to fit the hand more naturally.

The Wireless Comfort Mouse (pictured above) comes with a USB dongle that connects to your laptop. When moving from room to room, you can hook the mouse onto the dongle, so that it stays in place and travels with you. It includes a power save mode that puts it to sleep after eight minutes of inactivity to save battery power. It comes in midnight blue, pitch black, fuchsia, and candy red, and lists for $29.99.

The Bluetooth Comfort Mouse connects via a 2.4GHz Bluetooth signal and offers a laser optical sensor for working on different surfaces. It comes in black and white, and lists for $49.99.

The Retractable Comfort Mouse includes a retractable cable that snaps back when not in use. It comes in pitch black, midnight blue, fuchsia, and candy red, and lists for $19.99.

All three new mice work with both Windows and Macintosh computers. The Wireless and Bluetooth models will arrive in U.S. stores this month, while the Retractable debuts in August.

Today Toshiba released their latest flock of external USB hard drives to the market. Targeted at complete backup, the 500GB ($149.99 MSRP) and 320GB ($119.99 MSRP) capacity drives have the space for the files on your laptop or desktop.

The Toshiba Portable Hard Drives come with both Mac and Windows software, including a Drive Space Alert that tells you that your drive is getting full, and 256-bit software based encryption. The drives come with NTI Backup Now EZ for Windows PCs, which can either backup the whole hard drive for disaster recovery, or can be set to search for and backup just your personal files (Outlook, photos, videos, etc.) which is quicker. The drives come with NTI Shadow 4 for Mac, which can search for and backup files. Toshiba's hard drives support Time Machine built into Mac OS X 10.5+ for total backup.

The drives are available today from www.toshibadirect.com and through major retailers and online outlets. The drives are available in an array of color choices, such as Vivid White, Liquid Blue, Komodo Green and Rocket Red.

Dell has launched an "InkSave" program, where consumers can return used ink cartridges for an automatic replacement.

The model seems similar to that used by Netflix, where customers return movies using a prepaid envelope, and receive the next preferred movie on their list.

InkSave is similar: Dell's printers ship with a pre-filled ink cartridge installed, and a spare. When the original ink cartridge is exhausted, the Dell customer simply returns the original cartridge in the prepaid envelope, and Dell sends the customer a new one. The customer is automatically billed for the new cartridge, a Dell representative said in a blog post.

Users can sign up for free on the Dell Web site. After doing so, Dell will send a welcome kit with an ink cartridge and the envelopes. 

Monster kicked off the Consumer Electronics Association's New York showcase with the introduction of several new products, including a super-thin cable for HDMI, high-speed cables for HDMI, a tabletop universal remote, and new speed tiers for its PowerNet networking solution.

The SuperThin cables are the first products to come out of Monster's collaboration with chipmaker RedMere. Monster utilized RedMere's MagniEye technology, which requires no external power supply and sends HD signals directly to the cable.

As a result, the cables do not need heavy-gauge copper and are about 65 percent slimmer than normal HDMI cables, measuring 3.5 mm in diameter, Monster said.

They are available in 4-, 8-, and 16-foot versions via the company's DigitalLife line of products for $89.95, $99.95, and $119.95, respectively. An 8-foot SuperThin cable for camcorders will cost $99.95.

Monster will also offer the SuperThin cables as part of its Core line in 1-meter, 2m, 4m, and 5m lengths, ranging in price from $79.95 to $119.95.

Monster has also teamed with THX to produce faster THX certified cables for HDMI.

If you're looking for a way to draw me to your booth during a product line show, get your device to play "Smoke on the Water." It worked with the Air Guitar Rocker, way back when, and it worked again today with the Light Glove, when a representative from the company was using the device to perform an air piano version of the song.

The device is probably most simply described as bringing Wiimote functionality to your PC. It's basically an armband and a sensor that hooks up to your computer. The wristband features a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope to detect motion. A built-in LED sends information back to the sensor. The company is working on a newer prototype of the device that communicates via Bluetooth (pictured above).

Light Glove has big plans for the device that stretch beyond simple computer apps, including gaming, door locks, ATMs, personal electronics, and more. With the recent spate of interest in gestured-based technologies (as evidenced by the Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft keynotes at E3), we're likely to see this technology hit retail shelves sooner, rather than later.

Check out a video of the Light Glove, after the jump.

PCMag's erstwhile editor-in-chief Michael Miller is currently in the middle of a whirlwind Asian journey. While in Tokyo, he took some time out to do some tech window-shopping--and sent us photos of some of his discoveries.

Writes Michael:

One thing I've always liked about visiting Japan is looking at different kinds of electronics.  There are neighborhoods devoted to the latest gadgets. The yen is so high so that bargains are hard to find, but you'll certainly see things you would be unlikely to see in the U.S. 

For example, the portable TVs in the photo above. "One thing you see around Japan are portable televisions capable of receiving digital broadcasts even in places like subways."

More photos after the jump.

Want tablet functionality on your PC, but don't want to shell out the cash for a devoted system? The Tablo is a cheap little gadget that promises to turn your notebook into a tablet. The package features a special stylus and an infrared monitor that sits at the top of your monitor, plugging in via USB.

The SISO Tablo works with Microsoft Office, Windows Live Messenger, and a number of art programs, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Paint. It can run on XP and Vista. Expect to pay roughly $99.

Check out a video of the Tablo in action, after the jump.

Dads are supposed to be quirky; it's in the rulebook of life. Whether it's smearing zinc oxide on their noses and pairing tube socks with Tevas at the zoo, or pouncing on 2 A.M. Ginsu knife offers, fathers have been making their teenage children groan since the beginning of time. And if your dad's a geek, well... that just doubles the fun.

Father's Day is a day to embrace all those  personality quirks, so here's a list of goofy tech toys for your goofy old man. Check them out after the jump.

Ironically, laptop computers are not designed to be used on laptops, but on hard, flat surfaces. Nor do they work well on a bed, the lawn or many other places you might take them.

The answer is the Logitech Comfort Lapdesk for Notebooks. The padded, angled bottom feels comfortable on your lap, a sofa, a bed, or the backseat of a car. The surface is solid, so the computer stays stable and proper airflow is maintained.

Did you ever put a notebook on a bed? It may overheat because the ventilation gets blocked. I'm writing this on the living room sofa. Even though this notebook (a Thinkpad Z61p) is a big and heavy model, the use is comfortable because of the padded underside of the Comfort Lapdesk.

The Comfort Lapdesk sells for $39.99 at online and local retailers.

Motorola this week agreed to sell its DOCSIS 3.0-certified Motorola SURFboard SB6120 cable modems through Fry's Electronics stores. This is the first time consumers will have access to DOCSIS 3.0 modems, previously available only to cable operators. Internet users will be able to increase download/upload speeds up to 4 times faster with DOCSIS 3.0 modems.

The DOCSIS standard was developed in the late 90's and was quickly adopted by every cable service provider in the U.S. Today, cable operators use the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) to provide data access through the cable modem termination system (CMTS). This system combines data packets with RF signals so that homes can receive Internet and cable TV signals over the coaxial cables.

The CMTS is also capable of filtering and shaping network traffic, so providers can control the amount of data and speed of the cable network. Cable service providers can also provide VoIP-based phone service through CMTS. VoIP is offered through a piece of equipment called the embedded multimedia terminal adapter (EMTA). The VoIP service requires high speed Internet.

In addition to debuting ten new games for the Xbox 360, Microsoft today kicked of E3 2009 by introducing a number of new features for the console's online counterpart, Xbox Live, including partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM, and the U.K.'s Sky TV.

Music is coming to the platform thanks to an exclusive partnership with Internet radio provider, Last.FM.

The company introduced a number of additions to its existing partnership with Netflix, including the ability to browse categories directly from the Xbox, without having to go through a PC. And users in the U.K. and Ireland will be able to view  movies and TV shows thanks to a partnership with Sky, which offers live TV, including cricket and soccer games, available without the need of any additional hardware.

The platform's video offerings will be renamed Zune Video, offering video selections in full 1080p.  Zune Video will now be available in 18 countries, up from 8.

A newly announced partnership with Facebook will let users browse photos and enter status updates directly from their consoles. Xbox users will also be able to update users on their statuses via Twitter, thanks to a partnership with that company.

Do you ever think back to the glory days of gaming with the one button joystick? It was simple and classic.

Well dream no more, because this classic stick is up for grabs on thumbsupuk.com. Relive the old days on your Mac or PC with the USB joystick. The controller is compatible with Mac OSX and Windows versions 98SE up to Vista. The joystick is also compatible with any game that can utilize a standard gamepad controller.

The price is £19.99 and will be available until July 6, 2009.

Microsoft's SideWinder X3 (http://tinyurl.com/q5n563) may look unassuming but it boasts killer performance and on-the-fly resolution changes.

Luxury puts up a good fight, but necessity is still the true mother of invention. Innovations in assistive technology, such as Bluetooth hearing aids and Braille-input PDAs, are helping the physically and mentally disabled and impaired keep pace with our increasingly tech-dependent world--at least, for those who can afford them! Here's a look at some of the latest tech products for people with visual disabilities.

GW Micro makes a portable notetaker called the Braille Sense Plus, pictured above, that lets users input text using a Perkins keyboard--six keys that correspond to the six Braille dots, plus Space, Backspace, and Line Space keys. The device can then output messages via synthesized speech or its 32-cell Braille pad; the dots move up and down to produce scrolling lines of text.

With these features, even those with total blindness have access to email, MSN Messenger, word processing (with formatting), an address manager, a media player, and more. The 2-pound device goes for $5,995 (street). The Voice Sense, a smaller PDA without the Braille pad, weighs just over half a pound and costs $2,395.

More after the jump.