mouse pad ==>
mouse mat
<hardware> (U.S.: "mouse pad") A small sheet with a special surface for a
rolling ball mouse to move on. Most mouse mats are sheets of rubber or foam
about 20cm by 25cm and about 5mm thick with one side covered with cloth or
sometimes hard plastic. Deluxe versions come combined with a wrist rest.
It is rare to find a mouse mat which does not carry some form of advertisement
for some company or other. They are such a common free gift that few people
actually have to buy one.
Mats are supposed to provide better traction and a clean, lint-free surface over
which to move but it debatable whether they are useful at all, or whether any
appropriate surface (preferably hard, even, flat, and clean) is as good.
Howevever, some mice which use optical (e.g. Sun) or radio-frequency sensors
(e.g. ?) to detect motion (instead of using a rolling ball) will only work on
specially designed mouse mats. Critics may consider this to be part of the
connector conspiracy, though the designers would claim greater reliability due
to the absence of moving parts.
(1997-04-14)
Nearby terms:
mouse belt « mouse droppings « mouse elbow «
mouse mat
» mouse pad » mouse trails » mouso
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