Digital data transfers just got a whole lot faster. Well, they will once you actually own a device with Intel’s new Thunderbolt protocol. Called Light Peak in its development stages, Thunderbolt is a transfer protocol that allows for 10 Gbps transfers in both directions. In other words, you’ll be transferring in seconds rather than minutes–Intel estimates less than 30 seconds for the transfer of an HD movie. Thunderbolt is capable of transferring data in both directions at the same time and it works with both PCIe and DisplayPort protocols.

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I can’t say I was too excited about the Logitech scanner-mouse that we saw yesterday, but the newly announced M515 from Logitech is much more practical for my needs. As convenient as wireless mice are, the short battery life is a killer. So it’s about time Logitech employed some smart technology to keep me from having to do a battery run every three weeks.

Logitech’s new mouse uses hand-detection technology, which means that it’s only draining battery power when you’re actually touching it. Otherwise, it sleeps and eases the strain on the battery. According to Logitech’s numbers, that means that batteries will last up to two years.

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Frankly, my mouse has enough trouble fulfilling its own highly limited role. Because the damn thing eats batteries like nothing else. I can’t imagine adding a secondary role to it would help that situation much.

But luckily the LG LSM-100 mouse appears to be wired. Actually not that lucky–wired mouses are pretty annoying. But at least it won’t feast on the world’s AA supply.

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You know, with all the different types of semi-redundant gadgets cluttering our lives–laptops, tablets, smartphones, set-top boxes, home gaming systems, portable gaming systems, MP3 players, PMPs, etc., etc., etc.–wouldn’t it be nice to get a little more out of each one?

Take the external hard drive, for instance. Sure it’s great at backing up your system for that disaster that may never happen, but other than that it’s just a big, hardware brick taking up space. Shouldn’t it do something else to earn its keep?

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Thanks to the recently released iOS 4.2 update, you can now wirelessly stream your iPhone/iPad video content to a Apple TV. But, if you don’t happen to have an Apple TV–or a 100-inch screen, you can go the pico projector route.

The MicroVision SHOWWX+ laser projector gives you up to 100 inches of virtual screen for your iOS videos. According to its founding company, the SHOWWX+ is 50 percent brighter than its predecessor, giving you better quality video than ever. You’ll get 15 lumens of video at a 5,000:1 contrast for up to two hours on a full battery. Footage comes in under HD at 848 x 480, but who really watches projector footage for its high resolution?

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As has been the trend of the past decade or so, Microsoft is pulling up behind Apple with a product all its own. In this case, it’s rumored that Microsoft will be launching a multitouch mouse to succeed its Arc Mouse.

Microsoft’s Arc Touch Mouse will launch in September, according to Neowin. This new piece of hardware is said to be the same piece of gear that Microsoft teased earlier this week in two pictures.

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This lovely little mouse here is called the G50 Vanguard. Taking the term ergonomic to another level, designer Damien Crossan has shaped the G50 just like a full hand–it’s like a computerized catcher’s mitt. Slide all five digits over the large, comfortable mouse and enjoy a much more intuitive man-computer interface.

Instead of slapping the scroll wheel in the middle of the mouse where you have to contort your pointer to access it, the G50 puts it on the right side where you can use your thumb–the one that’s not really doing anything anyway–to scroll. The mouse also includes 11 clickable controls for gaming, rather than your typical left-click, right-click.

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Computer users that love their notebook trackpad so much that they want to ditch the mouse and enjoy trackpad loveliness on their desktops have a new option. Delivering some of its Macbook Pro multi-touchery in a larger template, Apple announced that it will offer an add-on trackpad called the Magic Trackpad.

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There’s a 95 percent chance that you’ve never had any information sensitive or interesting enough to require a “self-destructing” USB drive. Yet, there’s a 110 percent chance that you want one anyway. So now you can get one–in Japan.

Reminiscent of the classic Mission: Impossible opening, the new Fujitsu drive is designed to store information up until it self destructs. Unlike the M:I recordings, it won’t actually go up in smoke but will self-erase. After all, what good is all our modern technology if we can’t destroy data while cutting out fire hazards. The Tamatebako as it’s been named over in Japan can be set to destroy the data on a desired time frame from 10 minutes to one week. It can also be set to destroy data should a wrong password be entered or if it’s plugged into an unauthorized computer. Very secret agenty.

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