It is a mouse that doubles as a stand-alone calculator that has its own screen.

What an ingenious product engineering effort!

Apparently it is the first of its kind of “hybrid” mouse that has hit the Japanese market. Now, why haven’t anyone come up with such a great idea before Canon does? Probably because engineers have noticed that when one uses a mouse, he or she is usually working with a computer and computers usually come with preinstalled software that try to mimic the functionality of calculators. And when one is not in front of a computer, he or she usually has a cellphone nearby that also has some sort of capabilities to do simple calculations. Speaking of cellphones, I must confess the picture of the mouse opened up as a calculator almost got me as a cellphone. Maybe engineers at Canon are already working on a cellphone that can double as a mouse. Imagine the convenience of navigating your computer and talking on the phone at the same time by moving the cellphone around your ear. What a space saver.

The only thing missing in this “hybrid” design is wireless. But I am sure there will be a wireless version in version 2.

Product details of the mouse available at http://cweb.canon.jp/calc/lineup/mouse/index.html.