Logitech Intros Accessories, Ships Billionth Mouse

By Lisa Johnston and John Laposky On Dec 15 2008 - 8:00am

Logitech used December to introduce two CE accessories, as well as announce it had sold its 1 billionth mouse.

The company debuted the ID Grip for its G9 laser mouse, allowing users to have the image of their choice printed on the palm area of the grip. Game-specific artwork or a selection from a gallery of designs created by Logitech can be chosen, or consumers can use an image they provide.

In response to concerns about the image wearing off, Logitech said, "The rub- and fade-proof image is applied with a specially designed custom printing process that infuses it into the surface of the grip. The result is a high-quality, high-resolution color image."

The ID Grip is also designed to provide additional palm and wrist support. It's currently available for a $19.99 suggested retail.

The second accessory Logitech introduced this month, the Comfort lap desk for notebooks, is engineered to provide a stable base and help protect against laptop heat.

The Comfort lap desk features a four-layer, heat-shielding design, with the bottom layer's fabric and an air-flow chamber between the lap desk's base and top combining to further minimize heat, the company said. The arched base makes contact with the legs in just four places, said to improve air flow.

To provide a stable surface, the lap desk has a non-slip glossy finish on its top, meant to prevent the computer from sliding around. Its 12 degree angled riser positions the notebook to a height that supports neck and leg comfort (when used in a seated position), Logitech said.

It's scheduled to be available in January for a $39.99 suggested retail.

Finally, Logitech announced this month it had sold its 1 billionth mouse. According to the company, it introduced its first retail mouse in 1985 and reached the 100 millionth mouse mark in 1996. Sales of Logitech mice topped 500 million seven years later. Today, Logitech sells mice in more than 100 countries worldwide and manufactures an average of 376,000 mice per day and 7.8 million every month.

"During the last few decades, the way people use computers has changed dramatically — what was once strictly a business tool has become highly integrated into our personal lives," said Gerald Quindlen, "Logitech president/CEO. Logitech has continually pursued innovations to meet those changing conditions, introducing — in the last five years alone — the world's first laser mouse, hyper-fast scrolling and the nano receiver."

In celebration, Logitech is launching a contest that invites people to follow the travels of its billionth mouse — from the manufacturing line to its final destination — and to try to figure out where in the world it will end up. The mouse's journey will be chronicled on Logitech's Blogitech blog (blog.logitech.com.)