Tech Universe: Tuesday 22 March

The Cellulon evoMouse sits on your desk and watches your hand movements. Photo / Supplied

EYE OF THE MOUSE: The Cellulon evoMouse connects via Bluetooth or USB to your computer. It sits on your desk and watches your hand movements, rather than you moving the mouse itself. That means you can tap on the desk, drag, scroll, use pinch and flick gestures, even right-click directly on the desk to operate your computer. Not bad for a device that looks more like a dog. More at Celluon and video on YouTube.

COLD DAY ON THE INTERNET: Where do you go in an Internet emergency? A data bunker, of course. Or not. But there are bunkers - secure hosting providers housed underground or behind blast-proof doors in case of emergencies like all-out war, or huge natural disasters. Many of the facilities are left over from the Cold War, scattered around Europe and the USA. I guess we Kiwis will be out of luck then. More at PCPro.

CHARGE TOP: Many people dream of never having to recharge their gadgets. A next best solution could be the Panasonic solar charging table. Solar panels in the middle of the table power wireless charging pads around the edge. Devices that use QI batteries could charge just by being placed on the table. Well, it's a start. More at AkihabaraNews.

BRAND QUAKE: Japan's recent earthquake has affected big brand names such as Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba and Canon. Their factories have had to stop production to carry out safety checks, while power supply problems are also causing interruptions. Plants in the worst affected areas have closed. The article didn't mention the staff, but we can only assume they're facing difficulties too. Details at the BBC.

PLANT PLASTIC: Pepsi's new PET plastic bottle is made entirely from plant material - no petroleum products are used. The bottles are made from things like pine bark and corn husks, but Pepsi have plans to also use orange peels, potato scraps and other leftovers. Live testing will begin next year. So do the bottles biodegrade well too? More at NPR.

- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz