Geek gadgets

"Want to review this back shaver?" Scrolling through inboxes full of product pitches on a daily basis, PC World editors are swamped with all sorts of geeky--and in some cases, straight-up strange--gear submissions. (I'm serious about that back-shaver pitch I got from a PR person.) But there are plenty of things that we don't usually get to cover that we should. Did you get a chance to check out Tom Spring's early sneak peek at some sweet holiday gear? That's just the tip of the iceberg, my friends. This week's Casual Friday column is a gadget grab bag of some cool, useful, and goofy gadgets. All are 100 percent geek-approved. And if you're curious about what I want for the holidays, keep reading.

My Mouse Blues

I'm still trying to find a happy middle ground with mice. Do I want my mouse to be weighty, like a professional gamer's Logitech G9? Well, yes, but I also want it to work on any surface. That's where Microsoft's new BlueTrack Mouse comes into play: The company promises that this little critter will function on just about anything. Really? So if I ran it over hot coals, it would work? On a mirror? Okay, maybe not every surface, but I'm curious enough to want to try it out.

A Trip to the Carcade

This one isn't a product pitch I've received--but I sure wish it was. Carcade is a concept project involving in-car video gaming for the vehicle's passengers. A Webcam reads how the driver is moving, and the game changes as a result. (Guess you won't see this option in NASCAR.) Imagine you're on a road trip, and on a window you can start shooting down space invaders. In the sample game, the player navigates a rocket. When the driver speeds up, the game gets tougher.

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