Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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flip mouse

make the mouse flip open to reveal a number pad
  (+3, -1)
(+3, -1)
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One of the biggest irritations that I face when using my laptop comes when I need to use excel or some other number-intensive application. Notebooks are great because they are compact and portable, but the keyboard has no proper number pad! I was thinking, just about everyone buys an external mouse to replace that horrific touchpad; there are also devices which plug in to give the user a regular number pad. Why not combine them? Basically, you could have your average-looking mouse, but when you need to punch some numbers, flip it open like a flip-phone to reveal a number pad. Obviously the mouse would either need to be slightly large, or the numbers slightly small - but it would still be better than nothing. The x-y positioning would still be functional when "flipped open" so constant opening and closing wouldn't be necessary. However, when closed, it would be impossible to accidentally hit the numbers. Thoughts, comments, suggestions?
sped372, Feb 22 2004

Keypad mouse http://www.amazon.c...103-0754347-6330245
Available, no flip top cover. [half, Oct 17 2004]

(?) Keyboard Mouse http://www.halfbake...ea/Keyboard_20Mouse
Very similar halfbaked idea [half, Oct 17 2004]

(?) Tele-mouse http://www.chinabony.com/tele-mouse.htm
Sort of baked, and very silly. I want to see a picture of someone using it as a phone and a mouse at the same time. [omegatron, Nov 20 2004]

(?) One from 1997 http://www.byte.com...9704/sec15/art3.htm
[LostBrit, Oct 16 2005]

[link]






       great idea as described - no comments required
seedy em, Feb 23 2004
  

       Nice +
hazel, Feb 23 2004
  

       Actually, many laptops have a secondary key that when pressed, converts part of the keyboard to a touchpad (the numbers are written in blue on the keys and the normal are in white).
HypnoLobster, Oct 17 2005
  
      
[annotate]
  


 

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