17 ms·

Mouse Box

167 points by mhlakhani 12y ago

jawarner 12y ago
That's neat, but there aren't that many situations where I have access to a monitor and keyboard, but am missing a computer.
- nicolasehrhardt 12y ago
  Agreed. Plus, that's a computer that you shake and keep in your warm palm all the time... That will need to have a really good cooling system.
  - gargarplex 12y ago
    Does the iPhone have a really good cooling system?
    - mikeash 12y ago
      No, and you'll see lots of pictures online of iPhones that shut themselves down and refuse to do anything until they cool down.
- aosmith 12y ago
  The idea is that there should be. This could be awesome for colleges... Stop buying physical machines and start having students buy their own "mice".
  - mintplant 12y ago
    Awesome for the colleges, maybe, but not so much for the students onto whom they'd be pushing the cost.
    - cbd1984 12y ago
      > Awesome for the colleges, maybe, but not so much for the students onto whom they'd be pushing the cost. 1. This is a political problem, first and foremost. 2. How much it costs depends on what the school does with its network. If it offers cloud storage as part of the tuition (to offset the cost of not having much storage on the little mice) and gives the more computationally-intensive majors access to a compute cluster for the price of tuition (same reason), it could be a nice little setup. Students would always have most of their files on them all the time, the school could buy more keyboard-laptop pairs than it buys actual computers to reduce the pressure on the public labs, and the mice could be fairly cheap if bought in bulk and resold. (OK, I know, but in theory.)
  - mikeash 12y ago
    Is there much difference between that and simply having all students buy a standard notebook computer?
    - cbd1984 12y ago
      Easier to carry around, fewer parts to break, and it's cheaper for the school to buy a ton of keyboard/monitor pairs to reduce the pressure on the public computer labs. I mean, all of those arguments can be argued against, but it isn't hard to see some potential up-sides here.
- IkmoIkmo 12y ago
  Right, it's my problem with the Intel compute stick, too, only that needs a mouse as well.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
gargarplex 12y ago
"Don't be discouraged if what you produce initially is something other people dismiss as a toy. In fact, that's a good sign" Paul Graham http://www.paulgraham.com/organic.html http://www.paulgraham.com/organic.html
- _Adam 12y ago
  I agree with Paul, but there's a few caveats: a) First, for something to be a "toy" it has to be fun. Putting a computer in my mouse is not fun; it's frankly rather boring. b) It's only a good sign if you (the founder to which Paul is speaking) have a future in mind where your product scales from toy to appliance. There are fundamental problems with this product that prevent it from scaling in such a way. Display connectivity is a big one. IMO, this whole concept is rendered obsolete by the "computer on a stick" form factor that a few big names have released. By plugging directly into the HDMI port on the display, the highest bandwidth link is physical, and peripherals connect wirelessly.
jsonmez 12y ago
Just one thing I don't understand. Ok, in the video, the dude's boss comes by and he switches his screen so his boss doesn't know his mouse is actually a PC and he's really browsing pr0n while at work. Ok, I get that part. But, then he goes into a meeting and connects his, seemingly innocent mouse, to the projector... Game over dude. How dumb is his boss? Guess what happens the next time you are sitting at your desk playing with your... mouse? Yeah. Not so slick now buddy are you?
- Scarbutt 12y ago
  If you want to be pedantic about it, sure.
- dragos2 12y ago
  If we're analyzing the video ad, it's worth mentioning the fact that people don't usually go to a coffee place with a monitor and keyboard.
  - ljk 12y ago
    also the way she walked into the coffee shop was pretty unnatural
    - IkmoIkmo 12y ago
      What? That's how we all walk in Europe!
      - chris_wot 12y ago
        That's awesome and yet awful all at the same time.
- amadeusw 12y ago
  When other companies show slacking at work they are at least humorous. This one was not funny and not tasteful.
ilaksh 12y ago
This is great. Being able to so easily take your whole computer with you is amazing. I am a bit more into touch screens these days. I would like to use a small SoC computer, something like the Mouse Box or one of the few existing fully capable Android smart watches, and plug it into a touch screen display. Basically instead of a full tablet I want just a dumb display/touch input module that can easily interface with a separate small SoC computer. A bit perhaps like project Ara but I don't want to use it just a phone and I am more focused on carrying the core around and plugging in different displays. I guess I could get a Chromecast or something and plug my smart watch/small SoC HDMI into the cheapest tablet available and that would achieve basically the same thing, but it is a waste because I wouldn't be using the other parts of the tablet aside from the display and touch.
- rasz_pl 12y ago
  you want this http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B00BMLQPG4 http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B0... ?
aosmith 12y ago
How much does this thing weigh? How heavy is an hdmi cord vs. usb?
jebediah 12y ago
I am okay with the general concept(though I guess it would be a lot better to put a computer on a keyboard, or seriously, on a phone), but I think that claiming this is the future of computing is ridiculous, pretty much the only thing this seems to be good at is being able to procrastinate at work, and once people are aware that you can put a computer on a mouse, that goes away
- jay_kyburz 12y ago
  yeah, why can't I plug my android phone into a large monitor and use it like a trackpad!
  - bane 12y ago
    If you have something like an Nvidia Shield tablet, you can basically do this. Bonus, it has a stylus so you can use it as a drawing tablet. There's also things like this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuff.touchpad&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuf...
  - morganvachon 12y ago
    The Motorola Photon 4G had an entire Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux distro packed into the ROM image, and they sold a docking station for it that basically turned the phone into a full fledged computer when connected to an HDMI capable monitor. Its cousin, the Atrix, did the same thing using a laptop-style dock. A company called Cybernet has been putting full computers in keyboards since at least the early 90s (think Commodore 64 but with x86 guts). In other words, this Mouse-Box is evolutionary, not revolutionary. I like it, but I'm not blown away.
    - recursive 12y ago
      I owned one of those and I never knew that.
- bsimpson 12y ago
  Everyone with a Kickstarter thinks he's Steve Fucking Jobs. When Steve said things like "magical" and "revolutionary" every presentation, it was annoying as hell, and he came a lot closer to actually revolutionizing the world than Mousebox ever will.
fortytw2 12y ago
This is hilarious and incredibly impractical. Unless the mouse part itself is stellar, there's almost no way this could supplant using a real computer/mouse - using a bad mouse makes using a computer awful IMO, and the likelihood of the actual mouse being very good is incredibly slim (not to mention how heavy it'll land up being)
- tomlock 12y ago
  To be fair on the heaviness point though, people add weight to their mice for wireless ones in the form of batteries, and for gaming ones actual literal weights. The raspberry pi is only 45 grams, so it is at least conceivable that this mouse will be a suitable weight. I do however totally agree that a first-time mouse making company probably won't do a great job of making a mouse.
- mark-r 12y ago
  And which part of the system is most likely to break down first? I'd hate to have the computer tied to that part.
UnoriginalGuy 12y ago
Cool. How much is it? I'd totally get one if it was in my "fun but wasteful" price range. So for example something like a Raspberry Pi is an easy purchase, as is something like Intel's Compute Stick at $89. Really under $100 and it is an easy buy just for fun and because it is different/unique. However I don't see a price and an order page, so I don't think this "Mouse Box" exists yet. I guess they're just testing the waters? For me price is a key part of this product's success. It might have legitimate uses, like presentations, but realistically it is a novelty and people have a budget for novelty gadgets. So if they can hit the sub-$100 price point and appear on sites like ThinkGeek as something to show off to your friends/colleagues, they'll do pretty well. If it is like $200-300 then frankly I can just plug my smartphone into HDMI and use a bluetooth mouse which costs under $30 for the same effect.
- stevenjohns 12y ago
  It appears to have 128 GB internal storage, which I believe would easily bump it over the $100 range. I think the real limitation is not the price, however, but rather the operating system. Since its ARM based, it would probably have some sort of Debian distro installed as opposed to a more mainstream OS (Windows etc). I wonder if we'll see a revision with an x86 Atom processor or something in the future.
- bane 12y ago
  I can definitely see a road warrior sales type buying this and a roll-up bluetooth keyboard or something for putting in his daybag to make presentations, etc., then just using his smartphone for on-the-move stuff.
- rasz_pl 12y ago
  there is no price, it doesnt exists, its a render and an idea they will use to milk $100-200k out of indiegogo suckers (no KS in Poland)
userbinator 12y ago
My smartphone is more powerful than PCs several years ago and only slightly larger than a standard computer mouse, with the majority of its internal volume being the battery, so I'm not surprised this could be done. It's not like the idea of putting the majority of the computing power in one of the peripherals is new either - many early home computers like the C64 and ZX did this with the keyboard, and early game "consoles" appeared with most of their circuitry located in the controller.
kylec 12y ago
A few things: I hate wires coming out of my mice. I can tolerate the thin braided cables coming out of most high-end mice, but that's about it. With Mouse Box, I'd have display, USB, and a bunch of other stuff sticking out of the mouse making it much harder to move around and use. The mouse itself looks unexceptional. It's not especially ergonomic (my Logitech MX Revolution looks much more comfortable to hold), and the button set is pretty limited. It's fine for basic use, but it would kind of defeat the point if I felt compelled to plug a mouse into my Mouse Box. Mice wear out. Mine collect dust and scuffs on the bottom and sweat and dirt on the top. I guess the mouse itself could conceivably outlive the usefulness of the computing part, but it seems like a bad idea to put the computer in a consumable device. The use cases seem a bit contrived. I might accept the projector one because clicking to advance through slides is something that people do, but surreptitiously using it at work by connecting it as a second input to the monitor sounds pretty far-fetched.
- xtracto 12y ago
  I had the same thought about the cables... the marketing images look like a lot of today's electronics which are full of cables (like chromecast and/or clones, etc) which look "beautiful" in paper but are choked with cables once you really want to use them. I think it would be a better idea to have a keyboard-box (PC inside a keyboard). You would have more space to work and it doesn't have to move due to its very nature. A keyboard the size of the Apple wireless keyboard would be excellent ( https://www.apple.com/keyboard/ https://www.apple.com/keyboard/ ).
  - soylentcola 12y ago
    That just brought back memories of some of the promo material that came with our Commodore 128 when I was a kid. One of the images showed a guy in a suit carrying his Commodore instead of a briefcase as he walked across some corporate campus. As a kid I thought it was so cool that someday you'd just carry your computer instead of some boring box full of papers. Of course now we have Penny's "computer book" from Inspector Gadget so it's not quite as mindblowing as it was for 8-year-old me.
- midnightmonster 12y ago
bane 12y ago
I think it's a pretty cool idea. Where I work, they supply flexible work locations with desks and cubes all configured with monitor, network/wi-fi, keyboard, mouse and Dell standard dock. I could see some enterprises like mine going for something like this. Except now they don't have to supply the dock, mouse or computer. If it has RDP support they could even supply corporately managed Windows desktops for people to remote into. Day 1: Welcome to Synergydyne Corp. Here's your equipment. hands new employee one of these Find an empty seat and get to work!
bikamonki 12y ago
"An incredible combination of the two most important elements in a computer set – a computer and a mouse." In a system, by definition (at least according to Ackoff), the value/function rises from the interaction/inter-operation of its parts/components. So, there are not 'most important' elements, all are equally required for the system to work (yes, you could use a computer w/out a mouse or a keyboard but that is a different system, like you could use a car without gas in the middle of the road as a very uncomfortable motel room). Furthermore, the mobility argument breaks in two links: - To move your computer system (set) you'd need to move the kb and screen as well. How would I use the MouseBox on a plane flight? Laying on my couch? On the park? Laptop, tablet, phablet and smartphone are portable computer systems. - Nowadays mobility of the hardware elements of a computer system are secondary, what needs to move is data (OS, apps and files). Cloud emerges then. I can read/write email from anywhere on a different device. Paradoxically the software elements of the system are not moving per se, they live on a server, but being ubiquitous accessible they are "like" moving. This reminds me of that night ride in that car (with gas this time) and a full moon following me everywhere. Your product is somewhat cool but IMHO it would have been much better to do the kb-trackpad-box, like this one but with a CPU: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Multi-Touch-Touchpad/dp/B005DKZTMG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421987140&sr=8-3&keywords=wireless+keyboard+and+mouse+combo; http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Multi-Touch... and still it would under-perform other existing portable computing devices already mentioned b/c those come with a screen.
- tomphoolery 12y ago
  I'd suggest they make an entire computer that fit in the form factor of a keyboard, but theoretically we've already done that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II ;-)
  - ferrari8608 12y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 Also, more recently: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64x http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64x
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
rasz_pl 12y ago
Extremely stupid dick in a box idea :/. What exactly is the point of putting $40 Android hdmi stick in a mouse when you could use that stick and wireless mouse separately? Maybe its for people that love cables? Its one of those 'Im hip young and talented with big ideas, lets get money first and think how to do it later', or rather 'lets get some cheap shit from china, repackage it and make tons of money'. Reminds me of Soap router (lets put android tablet in the router). Soap scam got >$300K combined out of crowd funding suckers, and delivered ... new car to founder and money to cover bankruptcy filled _between_ two campaigns. http://www.cepro.com/article/both_owners_of_indiegogo-funded_soap_filed_for_bankruptcy_recently/K5 http://www.cepro.com/article/both_owners_of_indiegogo-funded... This is this big computing revolution in a nutshell: http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B00BMLQPG4 http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B0...
- api 12y ago
  Mmmm haterade got electrolytes.
api 12y ago
What OS does this run? Linux or Android? I guess you could put either of those on it, maybe also Windows RT for ARM. I would perhaps consider this for a work desktop or a presentation box. Would be great for meeting rooms!
- rasz_pl 12y ago
  it doesnt run any os, it doesnt exist yet, its all renders and a cute marketing video.
  - IkmoIkmo 12y ago
    Although on all the videos it's Ubuntu, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd end up with that.
- joezydeco 12y ago
  Whatever Beaglebone is running right now, it seems.
solocshaw 12y ago
Won't this become hot as fuck in my hand? edit: I can see this being a fun vertical mouse RasPi project. But this?
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- cmdrfred 12y ago
  Does your cellphone? Mine gets warm but never 'hot' at least to my touch.
rocky1138 12y ago
I love this idea and want one!
melling 12y ago
I just want a computer stick form factor like the Chromecast. Maybe a couple of USB 3.1 reversible mini-connectors on it. Ideally I want to be able to choose my Bluetooth keyboards, mice, trackballs, microphone, some future version of the Leap Motion, a Myo, a Wacom tablet, etc.
johansch 12y ago
If you liked this, you might also like these other fantastic two-in-one gadgets! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hpq_spQnVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hpq_spQnVM (Letter Opener and Pencil Sharpener) http://www.designboom.com/technology/the-first-mobile-phone-with-a-cigarette-lighter/ http://www.designboom.com/technology/the-first-mobile-phone-... (Mobile phone and Cigarette lighter) http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/Press_Centre/Press_Releases/Consumer_News/Calculators/X_MARK_I_MOUSE.aspx http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/Press_Centre/Press_Releases/... (Mouse and Calculator) http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/aft-icarta-stereo-dock-for-ipod-and-bath-tissue-holder/ http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/aft-icarta-st... (iPod dock and Bath Tissue Holder)
- yebyen 12y ago
  Surely you have seen the combination phone/shaver/projector/voice translator/harmonica/coffee-maker http://www.pomegranatephone.com/ http://www.pomegranatephone.com/ (seems to be down) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e4X10hOh9o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e4X10hOh9o
noelwelsh 12y ago
I think the text could use some work. First paragraph doesn't ever get around to clearly stating what the product is. It's an entire computer in a mouse, right? Say that in the first sentence. Here is the current first paragraph. Look at the blah blah blah, then finally, in the last sentence, a hint (but not a direct statement!) of what the product actually provides. "At the beginning moving computers was a real challenge. The problem was not just their quite big weight, but also their size which made it difficult to put them in a right place even though it was possible to lift them. Computer portability has been improving along with developing a PC. However, it still isn’t ideal as it is necessary to transport a lot of its parts – a monitor, a keyboard, a CPU and a mouse. The approach to computer design and appearance has been the same until today. We are introducing Mouse-Box, a computer different than ever before. An incredible combination of the two most important elements in a computer set – a computer and a mouse."
- laurent123456 12y ago
  My thoughts exactly, they've probably invested a lot of time and money in this product, and it is wasted over the very poor presentation. For less than a $100, they could hire a copywriter to write a proper description.
rdsubhas 12y ago
Cool, but its sorely lacking a Use Cases part. Its like a RaspPi-class (computing power wise) PC with a mouse. Where would I use it? Home PC? No, I want more power to play games. Autonomous (like HTPC, IoT, etc)? I don't want a mouse. Office? More power. Mobility? It needs a monitor. So what's the use case? Edit: some additions and clarifications
- monk_e_boy 12y ago
  This product solves a problem no one has! Fail fast and iterate fast! Seriously, who the hell ever said, "Damn, as much as I love my iPad, the problem of an integrated touch screen and lack of mouse really annoy me! What I want is a PC and mouse without a screen!" Said no-one. Ever.
- joezydeco 12y ago
  It looks like a BeagleBone Black (AM335) directly reworked to fit in a mouse.
vonklaus 12y ago
I don't understand, they say "all you need is a screen". What about they keyboard. You need a wire, a screen, and a keyboard. This seems ridiculously impractical, i would rather carry a tablet or a laptop. Where, in normal circumstances, am I going to show up to a place that has a keyboard and a screen, but not a computer?
- gambiting 12y ago
  Your own office. You plug it into your own monitor and keyboard at work, then pack it up and take home.
- grimman 12y ago
  Work places where you'd normally dock a laptop, for example. But I'd rather carry a laptop, quite frankly. While the MouseBox would be far more portable, it would not offer anywhere near the same freedom as a laptop would, and it would be underpowered by necessity. A further problem is that some people simply don't like your average cheapo mouse, and some people prefer very light mice. It's a weird concept.
  - pionar 12y ago
    Yeah, I'm very particular about mice. I don't really care about my keyboard, but my mouse has to be perfect. I have a Logitech Anywhere MX, and it's the best mouse I've ever had. This mouse looks like the cheapo ones you see tech stores giving away on black Friday.
placebo 12y ago
I commend the team for the entrepreneur spirit but personally find the idea of showing off the ability to secretly do things which are against the policies of your workplace and presenting that as some sort of feature quite distasteful. From a visionary or marketing point of view I think it is petty and short sighted, and from a personal point of view my recommendation for anyone frustrated with the policies of their workplace is to invest their time on finding a better workplace rather than wasting it finding ways to be sneaky in the current one. As for the product, I can see some use cases that would make it marketable without resorting to advertising sneaky and morally questionable scenarios.
- esamek 12y ago
  Same, although excusable since they are new.
- thiagoc 12y ago
  I thought the same thing.
- dyeje 12y ago
  Yeah, I felt it was pretty tone deaf.
- gglitch 12y ago
  I had the same first response, but then, purely in the interest of stimulating conversation, wondered why I'd viewed the situation in moral terms at all. Shouldn't a rational agent in a free market be doing everything possible to extract value from this relationship? ...With that said, undoubtedly, if he's free and able to do so, yes, this character is better off finding a relationship that requires less risk to extract similar value from.
- MrDom 12y ago
  If you've never worked outside of Tech, I can understand why you would think that. If you have, then I apologize for the miscategorization, but I find this attitude prevalent in Tech in general. Most BigCos have two fundamental rules: you can't use any non-approved software[0] and you're to be at your desk at all times, even when you have no work to do. Given those restrictions, this makes perfect sense (although, a stealth switch works better[1]). Believe it or not, most companies outside of tech are very controlling of what their employees can and cannot do with their computers. As an example, my first job out of college was with a NY branch of a multinational swedish-owned corporation that made airplane engines. One day, a top ranking employee walked out of the office with all of their blueprints on a usb drive and gave it to their biggest competitor[2]. Ever since then, they've forbidden any kind of physical data transfer, going so far as to pull all the cd and dvd burners from all desktops and disabling the USB drives (as much as possible). anyone frustrated with the policies of their workplace is to invest their time on finding a better workplace That's not an option for some. Not everybody works as a programmer. Aeronautical engineers, for example, have a limited number of employers. If you're not willing to relocate away from friends and family or you're not built for the city life, same thing. [0]: Some even do network scans to check for unauthorized software programs on your hard drive [1]: http://stealthswitch.com/ http://stealthswitch.com/ [2]: Yes, it's illegal, but I imagine he was paid enough ttraino risk it and even if he wasn't, it doesn't matter: once the blueprints are compromised, they can never be uncompromised.
bryanlarsen 12y ago
Everybody already carries a computer that powerful around with them continuously -- their phone. And that phone is powerful enough to run office applications, web browsers and video games. Soon every monitor will be a docking station for both phones and laptops. A USB 3.1 type C connector will carry power, displayport and legacy USB. The only remaining problem is software: iOS and Android aren't well suited for a keyboard+mouse+big screen interface. I bet that both Apple & Google are working on that. Ubuntu obviously is.
- a3_nm 12y ago
  Ubuntu even tried to make this concept real, but the effort did not reach its (ambitious) crowdfunding goal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Edge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Edge
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
txu 12y ago
my dad has been telling me he wanted a computer with a built-in projector and laser keyboard for at least 5 years, and I agreed. the challenge seems to be fitting all those things into one reasonably small space and it takes time for Moore's law to get us there...
mark-r 12y ago
Could you imagine using this with all 3 connectors wired at the same time? I thought the trend was for wireless.

167 points by mhlakhani 12y ago

That's neat, but there aren't that many situations where I have access to a monitor and keyboard, but am missing a computer.

nicolasehrhardt 12y ago
Agreed. Plus, that's a computer that you shake and keep in your warm palm all the time... That will need to have a really good cooling system.
- gargarplex 12y ago
  Does the iPhone have a really good cooling system?
  - mikeash 12y ago
    No, and you'll see lots of pictures online of iPhones that shut themselves down and refuse to do anything until they cool down.
aosmith 12y ago
The idea is that there should be. This could be awesome for colleges... Stop buying physical machines and start having students buy their own "mice".
- mintplant 12y ago
  Awesome for the colleges, maybe, but not so much for the students onto whom they'd be pushing the cost.
  - cbd1984 12y ago
    > Awesome for the colleges, maybe, but not so much for the students onto whom they'd be pushing the cost. 1. This is a political problem, first and foremost. 2. How much it costs depends on what the school does with its network. If it offers cloud storage as part of the tuition (to offset the cost of not having much storage on the little mice) and gives the more computationally-intensive majors access to a compute cluster for the price of tuition (same reason), it could be a nice little setup. Students would always have most of their files on them all the time, the school could buy more keyboard-laptop pairs than it buys actual computers to reduce the pressure on the public labs, and the mice could be fairly cheap if bought in bulk and resold. (OK, I know, but in theory.)
- mikeash 12y ago
  Is there much difference between that and simply having all students buy a standard notebook computer?
  - cbd1984 12y ago
    Easier to carry around, fewer parts to break, and it's cheaper for the school to buy a ton of keyboard/monitor pairs to reduce the pressure on the public computer labs. I mean, all of those arguments can be argued against, but it isn't hard to see some potential up-sides here.
IkmoIkmo 12y ago
Right, it's my problem with the Intel compute stick, too, only that needs a mouse as well.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

gargarplex 12y ago

"Don't be discouraged if what you produce initially is something other people dismiss as a toy. In fact, that's a good sign" Paul Graham http://www.paulgraham.com/organic.html http://www.paulgraham.com/organic.html

_Adam 12y ago
I agree with Paul, but there's a few caveats: a) First, for something to be a "toy" it has to be fun. Putting a computer in my mouse is not fun; it's frankly rather boring. b) It's only a good sign if you (the founder to which Paul is speaking) have a future in mind where your product scales from toy to appliance. There are fundamental problems with this product that prevent it from scaling in such a way. Display connectivity is a big one. IMO, this whole concept is rendered obsolete by the "computer on a stick" form factor that a few big names have released. By plugging directly into the HDMI port on the display, the highest bandwidth link is physical, and peripherals connect wirelessly.

jsonmez 12y ago

Just one thing I don't understand. Ok, in the video, the dude's boss comes by and he switches his screen so his boss doesn't know his mouse is actually a PC and he's really browsing pr0n while at work. Ok, I get that part. But, then he goes into a meeting and connects his, seemingly innocent mouse, to the projector... Game over dude. How dumb is his boss? Guess what happens the next time you are sitting at your desk playing with your... mouse? Yeah. Not so slick now buddy are you?

Scarbutt 12y ago
If you want to be pedantic about it, sure.
dragos2 12y ago
If we're analyzing the video ad, it's worth mentioning the fact that people don't usually go to a coffee place with a monitor and keyboard.
- ljk 12y ago
  also the way she walked into the coffee shop was pretty unnatural
  - IkmoIkmo 12y ago
    What? That's how we all walk in Europe!
    - chris_wot 12y ago
      That's awesome and yet awful all at the same time.
amadeusw 12y ago
When other companies show slacking at work they are at least humorous. This one was not funny and not tasteful.

ilaksh 12y ago

This is great. Being able to so easily take your whole computer with you is amazing. I am a bit more into touch screens these days. I would like to use a small SoC computer, something like the Mouse Box or one of the few existing fully capable Android smart watches, and plug it into a touch screen display. Basically instead of a full tablet I want just a dumb display/touch input module that can easily interface with a separate small SoC computer. A bit perhaps like project Ara but I don't want to use it just a phone and I am more focused on carrying the core around and plugging in different displays. I guess I could get a Chromecast or something and plug my smart watch/small SoC HDMI into the cheapest tablet available and that would achieve basically the same thing, but it is a waste because I wouldn't be using the other parts of the tablet aside from the display and touch.

rasz_pl 12y ago
you want this http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B00BMLQPG4 http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B0... ?

aosmith 12y ago

How much does this thing weigh? How heavy is an hdmi cord vs. usb?

jebediah 12y ago

I am okay with the general concept(though I guess it would be a lot better to put a computer on a keyboard, or seriously, on a phone), but I think that claiming this is the future of computing is ridiculous, pretty much the only thing this seems to be good at is being able to procrastinate at work, and once people are aware that you can put a computer on a mouse, that goes away

jay_kyburz 12y ago
yeah, why can't I plug my android phone into a large monitor and use it like a trackpad!
- bane 12y ago
  If you have something like an Nvidia Shield tablet, you can basically do this. Bonus, it has a stylus so you can use it as a drawing tablet. There's also things like this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuff.touchpad&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuf...
- morganvachon 12y ago
  The Motorola Photon 4G had an entire Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux distro packed into the ROM image, and they sold a docking station for it that basically turned the phone into a full fledged computer when connected to an HDMI capable monitor. Its cousin, the Atrix, did the same thing using a laptop-style dock. A company called Cybernet has been putting full computers in keyboards since at least the early 90s (think Commodore 64 but with x86 guts). In other words, this Mouse-Box is evolutionary, not revolutionary. I like it, but I'm not blown away.
  - recursive 12y ago
    I owned one of those and I never knew that.
bsimpson 12y ago
Everyone with a Kickstarter thinks he's Steve Fucking Jobs. When Steve said things like "magical" and "revolutionary" every presentation, it was annoying as hell, and he came a lot closer to actually revolutionizing the world than Mousebox ever will.

fortytw2 12y ago

This is hilarious and incredibly impractical. Unless the mouse part itself is stellar, there's almost no way this could supplant using a real computer/mouse - using a bad mouse makes using a computer awful IMO, and the likelihood of the actual mouse being very good is incredibly slim (not to mention how heavy it'll land up being)

tomlock 12y ago
To be fair on the heaviness point though, people add weight to their mice for wireless ones in the form of batteries, and for gaming ones actual literal weights. The raspberry pi is only 45 grams, so it is at least conceivable that this mouse will be a suitable weight. I do however totally agree that a first-time mouse making company probably won't do a great job of making a mouse.
mark-r 12y ago
And which part of the system is most likely to break down first? I'd hate to have the computer tied to that part.

UnoriginalGuy 12y ago

Cool. How much is it? I'd totally get one if it was in my "fun but wasteful" price range. So for example something like a Raspberry Pi is an easy purchase, as is something like Intel's Compute Stick at $89. Really under $100 and it is an easy buy just for fun and because it is different/unique. However I don't see a price and an order page, so I don't think this "Mouse Box" exists yet. I guess they're just testing the waters? For me price is a key part of this product's success. It might have legitimate uses, like presentations, but realistically it is a novelty and people have a budget for novelty gadgets. So if they can hit the sub-$100 price point and appear on sites like ThinkGeek as something to show off to your friends/colleagues, they'll do pretty well. If it is like $200-300 then frankly I can just plug my smartphone into HDMI and use a bluetooth mouse which costs under $30 for the same effect.

stevenjohns 12y ago
It appears to have 128 GB internal storage, which I believe would easily bump it over the $100 range. I think the real limitation is not the price, however, but rather the operating system. Since its ARM based, it would probably have some sort of Debian distro installed as opposed to a more mainstream OS (Windows etc). I wonder if we'll see a revision with an x86 Atom processor or something in the future.
bane 12y ago
I can definitely see a road warrior sales type buying this and a roll-up bluetooth keyboard or something for putting in his daybag to make presentations, etc., then just using his smartphone for on-the-move stuff.
rasz_pl 12y ago
there is no price, it doesnt exists, its a render and an idea they will use to milk $100-200k out of indiegogo suckers (no KS in Poland)

userbinator 12y ago

My smartphone is more powerful than PCs several years ago and only slightly larger than a standard computer mouse, with the majority of its internal volume being the battery, so I'm not surprised this could be done. It's not like the idea of putting the majority of the computing power in one of the peripherals is new either - many early home computers like the C64 and ZX did this with the keyboard, and early game "consoles" appeared with most of their circuitry located in the controller.

kylec 12y ago

A few things: I hate wires coming out of my mice. I can tolerate the thin braided cables coming out of most high-end mice, but that's about it. With Mouse Box, I'd have display, USB, and a bunch of other stuff sticking out of the mouse making it much harder to move around and use. The mouse itself looks unexceptional. It's not especially ergonomic (my Logitech MX Revolution looks much more comfortable to hold), and the button set is pretty limited. It's fine for basic use, but it would kind of defeat the point if I felt compelled to plug a mouse into my Mouse Box. Mice wear out. Mine collect dust and scuffs on the bottom and sweat and dirt on the top. I guess the mouse itself could conceivably outlive the usefulness of the computing part, but it seems like a bad idea to put the computer in a consumable device. The use cases seem a bit contrived. I might accept the projector one because clicking to advance through slides is something that people do, but surreptitiously using it at work by connecting it as a second input to the monitor sounds pretty far-fetched.

xtracto 12y ago
I had the same thought about the cables... the marketing images look like a lot of today's electronics which are full of cables (like chromecast and/or clones, etc) which look "beautiful" in paper but are choked with cables once you really want to use them. I think it would be a better idea to have a keyboard-box (PC inside a keyboard). You would have more space to work and it doesn't have to move due to its very nature. A keyboard the size of the Apple wireless keyboard would be excellent ( https://www.apple.com/keyboard/ https://www.apple.com/keyboard/ ).
- soylentcola 12y ago
  That just brought back memories of some of the promo material that came with our Commodore 128 when I was a kid. One of the images showed a guy in a suit carrying his Commodore instead of a briefcase as he walked across some corporate campus. As a kid I thought it was so cool that someday you'd just carry your computer instead of some boring box full of papers. Of course now we have Penny's "computer book" from Inspector Gadget so it's not quite as mindblowing as it was for 8-year-old me.
midnightmonster 12y ago

bane 12y ago

I think it's a pretty cool idea. Where I work, they supply flexible work locations with desks and cubes all configured with monitor, network/wi-fi, keyboard, mouse and Dell standard dock. I could see some enterprises like mine going for something like this. Except now they don't have to supply the dock, mouse or computer. If it has RDP support they could even supply corporately managed Windows desktops for people to remote into. Day 1: Welcome to Synergydyne Corp. Here's your equipment. hands new employee one of these Find an empty seat and get to work!

bikamonki 12y ago

"An incredible combination of the two most important elements in a computer set – a computer and a mouse." In a system, by definition (at least according to Ackoff), the value/function rises from the interaction/inter-operation of its parts/components. So, there are not 'most important' elements, all are equally required for the system to work (yes, you could use a computer w/out a mouse or a keyboard but that is a different system, like you could use a car without gas in the middle of the road as a very uncomfortable motel room). Furthermore, the mobility argument breaks in two links: - To move your computer system (set) you'd need to move the kb and screen as well. How would I use the MouseBox on a plane flight? Laying on my couch? On the park? Laptop, tablet, phablet and smartphone are portable computer systems. - Nowadays mobility of the hardware elements of a computer system are secondary, what needs to move is data (OS, apps and files). Cloud emerges then. I can read/write email from anywhere on a different device. Paradoxically the software elements of the system are not moving per se, they live on a server, but being ubiquitous accessible they are "like" moving. This reminds me of that night ride in that car (with gas this time) and a full moon following me everywhere. Your product is somewhat cool but IMHO it would have been much better to do the kb-trackpad-box, like this one but with a CPU: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Multi-Touch-Touchpad/dp/B005DKZTMG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421987140&sr=8-3&keywords=wireless+keyboard+and+mouse+combo; http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Multi-Touch... and still it would under-perform other existing portable computing devices already mentioned b/c those come with a screen.

tomphoolery 12y ago
I'd suggest they make an entire computer that fit in the form factor of a keyboard, but theoretically we've already done that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II ;-)
- ferrari8608 12y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 Also, more recently: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64x http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64x

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

rasz_pl 12y ago

Extremely stupid dick in a box idea :/. What exactly is the point of putting $40 Android hdmi stick in a mouse when you could use that stick and wireless mouse separately? Maybe its for people that love cables? Its one of those 'Im hip young and talented with big ideas, lets get money first and think how to do it later', or rather 'lets get some cheap shit from china, repackage it and make tons of money'. Reminds me of Soap router (lets put android tablet in the router). Soap scam got >$300K combined out of crowd funding suckers, and delivered ... new car to founder and money to cover bankruptcy filled _between_ two campaigns. http://www.cepro.com/article/both_owners_of_indiegogo-funded_soap_filed_for_bankruptcy_recently/K5 http://www.cepro.com/article/both_owners_of_indiegogo-funded... This is this big computing revolution in a nutshell: http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B00BMLQPG4 http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Smart-Adapter-Mouse-CVD601/dp/B0...

api 12y ago
Mmmm haterade got electrolytes.

api 12y ago

What OS does this run? Linux or Android? I guess you could put either of those on it, maybe also Windows RT for ARM. I would perhaps consider this for a work desktop or a presentation box. Would be great for meeting rooms!

rasz_pl 12y ago
it doesnt run any os, it doesnt exist yet, its all renders and a cute marketing video.
- IkmoIkmo 12y ago
  Although on all the videos it's Ubuntu, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd end up with that.
joezydeco 12y ago
Whatever Beaglebone is running right now, it seems.

solocshaw 12y ago

Won't this become hot as fuck in my hand? edit: I can see this being a fun vertical mouse RasPi project. But this?

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
cmdrfred 12y ago
Does your cellphone? Mine gets warm but never 'hot' at least to my touch.

rocky1138 12y ago

I love this idea and want one!

melling 12y ago

I just want a computer stick form factor like the Chromecast. Maybe a couple of USB 3.1 reversible mini-connectors on it. Ideally I want to be able to choose my Bluetooth keyboards, mice, trackballs, microphone, some future version of the Leap Motion, a Myo, a Wacom tablet, etc.

johansch 12y ago

If you liked this, you might also like these other fantastic two-in-one gadgets! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hpq_spQnVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hpq_spQnVM (Letter Opener and Pencil Sharpener) http://www.designboom.com/technology/the-first-mobile-phone-with-a-cigarette-lighter/ http://www.designboom.com/technology/the-first-mobile-phone-... (Mobile phone and Cigarette lighter) http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/Press_Centre/Press_Releases/Consumer_News/Calculators/X_MARK_I_MOUSE.aspx http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/Press_Centre/Press_Releases/... (Mouse and Calculator) http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/aft-icarta-stereo-dock-for-ipod-and-bath-tissue-holder/ http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/aft-icarta-st... (iPod dock and Bath Tissue Holder)

yebyen 12y ago
Surely you have seen the combination phone/shaver/projector/voice translator/harmonica/coffee-maker http://www.pomegranatephone.com/ http://www.pomegranatephone.com/ (seems to be down) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e4X10hOh9o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e4X10hOh9o

noelwelsh 12y ago

I think the text could use some work. First paragraph doesn't ever get around to clearly stating what the product is. It's an entire computer in a mouse, right? Say that in the first sentence. Here is the current first paragraph. Look at the blah blah blah, then finally, in the last sentence, a hint (but not a direct statement!) of what the product actually provides. "At the beginning moving computers was a real challenge. The problem was not just their quite big weight, but also their size which made it difficult to put them in a right place even though it was possible to lift them. Computer portability has been improving along with developing a PC. However, it still isn’t ideal as it is necessary to transport a lot of its parts – a monitor, a keyboard, a CPU and a mouse. The approach to computer design and appearance has been the same until today. We are introducing Mouse-Box, a computer different than ever before. An incredible combination of the two most important elements in a computer set – a computer and a mouse."

laurent123456 12y ago
My thoughts exactly, they've probably invested a lot of time and money in this product, and it is wasted over the very poor presentation. For less than a $100, they could hire a copywriter to write a proper description.

rdsubhas 12y ago

Cool, but its sorely lacking a Use Cases part. Its like a RaspPi-class (computing power wise) PC with a mouse. Where would I use it? Home PC? No, I want more power to play games. Autonomous (like HTPC, IoT, etc)? I don't want a mouse. Office? More power. Mobility? It needs a monitor. So what's the use case? Edit: some additions and clarifications

monk_e_boy 12y ago
This product solves a problem no one has! Fail fast and iterate fast! Seriously, who the hell ever said, "Damn, as much as I love my iPad, the problem of an integrated touch screen and lack of mouse really annoy me! What I want is a PC and mouse without a screen!" Said no-one. Ever.
joezydeco 12y ago
It looks like a BeagleBone Black (AM335) directly reworked to fit in a mouse.

vonklaus 12y ago

I don't understand, they say "all you need is a screen". What about they keyboard. You need a wire, a screen, and a keyboard. This seems ridiculously impractical, i would rather carry a tablet or a laptop. Where, in normal circumstances, am I going to show up to a place that has a keyboard and a screen, but not a computer?

gambiting 12y ago
Your own office. You plug it into your own monitor and keyboard at work, then pack it up and take home.
grimman 12y ago
Work places where you'd normally dock a laptop, for example. But I'd rather carry a laptop, quite frankly. While the MouseBox would be far more portable, it would not offer anywhere near the same freedom as a laptop would, and it would be underpowered by necessity. A further problem is that some people simply don't like your average cheapo mouse, and some people prefer very light mice. It's a weird concept.
- pionar 12y ago
  Yeah, I'm very particular about mice. I don't really care about my keyboard, but my mouse has to be perfect. I have a Logitech Anywhere MX, and it's the best mouse I've ever had. This mouse looks like the cheapo ones you see tech stores giving away on black Friday.

placebo 12y ago

I commend the team for the entrepreneur spirit but personally find the idea of showing off the ability to secretly do things which are against the policies of your workplace and presenting that as some sort of feature quite distasteful. From a visionary or marketing point of view I think it is petty and short sighted, and from a personal point of view my recommendation for anyone frustrated with the policies of their workplace is to invest their time on finding a better workplace rather than wasting it finding ways to be sneaky in the current one. As for the product, I can see some use cases that would make it marketable without resorting to advertising sneaky and morally questionable scenarios.

esamek 12y ago
Same, although excusable since they are new.
thiagoc 12y ago
I thought the same thing.
dyeje 12y ago
Yeah, I felt it was pretty tone deaf.
gglitch 12y ago
I had the same first response, but then, purely in the interest of stimulating conversation, wondered why I'd viewed the situation in moral terms at all. Shouldn't a rational agent in a free market be doing everything possible to extract value from this relationship? ...With that said, undoubtedly, if he's free and able to do so, yes, this character is better off finding a relationship that requires less risk to extract similar value from.
MrDom 12y ago
If you've never worked outside of Tech, I can understand why you would think that. If you have, then I apologize for the miscategorization, but I find this attitude prevalent in Tech in general. Most BigCos have two fundamental rules: you can't use any non-approved software[0] and you're to be at your desk at all times, even when you have no work to do. Given those restrictions, this makes perfect sense (although, a stealth switch works better[1]). Believe it or not, most companies outside of tech are very controlling of what their employees can and cannot do with their computers. As an example, my first job out of college was with a NY branch of a multinational swedish-owned corporation that made airplane engines. One day, a top ranking employee walked out of the office with all of their blueprints on a usb drive and gave it to their biggest competitor[2]. Ever since then, they've forbidden any kind of physical data transfer, going so far as to pull all the cd and dvd burners from all desktops and disabling the USB drives (as much as possible). anyone frustrated with the policies of their workplace is to invest their time on finding a better workplace That's not an option for some. Not everybody works as a programmer. Aeronautical engineers, for example, have a limited number of employers. If you're not willing to relocate away from friends and family or you're not built for the city life, same thing. [0]: Some even do network scans to check for unauthorized software programs on your hard drive [1]: http://stealthswitch.com/ http://stealthswitch.com/ [2]: Yes, it's illegal, but I imagine he was paid enough ttraino risk it and even if he wasn't, it doesn't matter: once the blueprints are compromised, they can never be uncompromised.

bryanlarsen 12y ago

Everybody already carries a computer that powerful around with them continuously -- their phone. And that phone is powerful enough to run office applications, web browsers and video games. Soon every monitor will be a docking station for both phones and laptops. A USB 3.1 type C connector will carry power, displayport and legacy USB. The only remaining problem is software: iOS and Android aren't well suited for a keyboard+mouse+big screen interface. I bet that both Apple & Google are working on that. Ubuntu obviously is.

a3_nm 12y ago
Ubuntu even tried to make this concept real, but the effort did not reach its (ambitious) crowdfunding goal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Edge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Edge

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

txu 12y ago

my dad has been telling me he wanted a computer with a built-in projector and laser keyboard for at least 5 years, and I agreed. the challenge seems to be fitting all those things into one reasonably small space and it takes time for Moore's law to get us there...

mark-r 12y ago

Could you imagine using this with all 3 connectors wired at the same time? I thought the trend was for wireless.