The computer mouse has been around for nearly as long as the computer has — the first trackball was invented as part of a secret U.S. government military project back in 1952!

Since then, there have been many variants of the mouse, with most new iterations better than the last. We’ve written before about the surprisingly well-designed Microsoft Arc Mouse. And we love (and always travel with) an Apple Magic Mouse. But somehow every mouse we’ve used also has something about it that doesn’t feel quite right. We couldn’t figure out what exactly that something was until we tried the Evoluent VerticalMouse 4.

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All-in-one printers — printers that can scan, copy, fax and and produce photos in addition to, you know, printing out black and white text on a sheet of paper — are useful for multitasking. But they also tend not to perform any one function that well. And they occupy a huge amount of desk space.

The later drawback is what drew our attention to the Epson Expression Premium XP-800 multi-function printer. At 15.4 by 13.3 by 7.5 inches (390 x 340 x 190mm for those metrically-inclined), we wouldn’t exactly call this printer compact. But it is less space hogging than it’s competitors. And it looks pretty cool too.

So how does the XP-800 compare in terms of quality? Spot Cool Stuff take a look:

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You needn’t be an international banker, royal family member or Scarlett Johansson to want to keep your private files private. Basic digital security is something everyone should (do but few people actually do) practice.

One easy step you can take: When you save your files to an external disk drive, especially one you are likely to travel around with, make it a biometric drive. Like the LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Fingerprint-Secured External Hard Drive.

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Black is the color of nearly every iPhone (and other cell phones), iPod (and other MP3 players), iPad (and other tablet computers) and Kindle (and other e-book readers). So putting a skin covering on your electronics devices is as much about making it distinctive as about protecting it. Fortunately, GelaSkins has you covered in both regards. Their skins are both durable and personality-full.

Gelaskins are available for a huge variety of gadgets, including virtually every major smartphone, all the recent models of the iPod and Zune and the most popular ebook readers, gaming consoles and Apple MacBooks variations. You can even get a skin for a Magic Trackpad.

For each of those, you can choose from hundreds of pre-designed skins or—and we find this very cool—design your own.

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Today almost all laptops store data on one of two types of devices: a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

In almost every way the solid state drive is the higher quality of the two. Because SSDs use flash memory they are significantly faster than HDDs. They use no moving parts and so are more durable. Compared to HDDs, they are also a bit quieter and less battery-draining.

The problem is: An SSD is much more expensive than a hard disk drive. A good 500GB 5400 rpm laptop HDD will set you back a mere $60. A faster, high-end 7200 rmp HDD can be had for around $85. But a 500GB SSD? That’s a whopping $2,000 or more!

If only there were a drive with the speed of an SSD but with the price of a HDD, you may be wishfully saying to yourself.

Now there is: The Seagate Momentus XL.

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These speakers are the design equivalent of one of those cool nightclubs that have metallic beams and exposed pipes.

Spot Cool Stuff previously reviewed the Sorapot, a teapot designed by Joey Roth, under the headline Form Meets Function.

The exact same headline would applies to American designer’s second commercially available product: The Joey Roth Ceramic Speakers.

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What took so long? In a technological world in which all manner of gadgets can run apps and connect to the internet it wasn’t until late 2009 that someone came out with a printer capable of such—HP did it with their Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web All-in-One Printer.

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In tough economic times there’s a special need for gifts that come at a cheap price but that feel expensive. So here are 10 items with a low cost and high WOW factor. As with our other gift guides, friends and family of Spot Cool Stuff are advised to read no further lest you ruin the surprise of your gift this holiday season. The rest of you, carry on . . .

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