Mysmart Mouse Pad Offers Internet Training Wheels

For novice Internet surfers, the vast expanse of the online world can be daunting. Luckily, help has arrived in the form of an unusual product. Intended as training wheels for the Internet, the $20 Mysmart Pad is an electronic mouse pad (mouse not included) that connects to your PC's Universal Serial Bus port and comes complete with rows of programmable hot-keys and instant-access buttons.

Getting started is relatively easy, a process that involves running the included installation CD-ROM, creating a user name and password, and completing a four-step registration.

Mouse Pad Magic

You can change the look of your pad by using one of the inserts currently available from Mysmart.com. I tested the Comp USA pad, which included a Comp USA button preprogrammed to whisk you to that company's home page. You can choose from different seasonal motifs, or you can try a company-sponsored inlay from partner sites, if you need marketing reminders to use their services and Web sites. Personally, I'd prefer to skip the ads.

The pad--compatible with Windows 98, Me, and 2000--has buttons and keys galore. Using the preset function keys along the top of the pad, I found it easy to access partner specials, check e-mail, and find information on local news, events, and weather. With the nine programmable keys on the right side of the pad, I was able to store favorite sites--simply holding the button down for 3 seconds saves a site.

At the left of the pad are a set of five preprogrammed category buttons: News and Reference, Entertainment and Sports, Business and Finance, Home and Health, and Shopping and Travel. To get to the categories, you can either push the Mysmart Assistant button or push one of the buttons on the pad. When I selected the Entertainment and Sports category from Mysmart Assistant, a dialog box popped up and prompted me to pick from several subcategories, such as baseball, football, music, and movies. I picked baseball and was prompted yet again to select from another list. I ended up at Cooperstown, a site about the Baseball Hall of Fame.