Mouse, R.I.P.

New touchscreen and voice recognition technologies may make the mouse obsolete after 40 years of pointing and clicking. Here are some products that offer a different method of scrolling around software.

The touch interface allows you to flick through photos, download an egg-timer app, or play chess with your fingers. Features 25.5-inch wall mountable screen and Blu-Ray player.

During a hands-on test, we found that the screen responded quickly to any input, such as flicking a photo or ending a call. Features the new Palm webOS.

Demoed at CES, but hasn't officially shipped in United States. The T91 weighs 2 pounds, is less than an inch thick and features an 8.9-inch convertible touchscreen. This convertible notebook is set to take touch technology to a new level. The table-top interface allows you to browse photos with your fingertips.

The Latitude XT2's touch screen allows two-fingered gestures, such as clicking down on the screen and rotating a photo at the same time. This device features a 12.1-inch display and weighs in at 3.6 pounds.

The new version of Microsoft Sync will be available in Ford vehicles later this year, featuring a new voice called Samantha.

The GraceNotes CarStars system actually lets you speak to your stereo. In a hands-on demo, I was able to play songs by speaking the name, and listening to the actual artist make suggestions.

The Garmin Nuvi 855 is one of the most advanced speech recognition devices available for your car. You can speak any term shown on the screen, use your voice to search for local businesses and find other points of interest.

Nuance has accumulated a vast "speech vocabulary" over the past several years and the product does a much better job of detecting words.

The first Android-powered phone by T-Mobile is a proving ground for innovative applications, including mapping applets and speech applications.

Yes, it's a mouse, but it doesn't sit on a mouse pad. Using laser technology, you can hold the mouse in your hand and move the cursor on a PC across the room.

At CES, Hitachi showed off an HDTV equipped with infrared sensors and a 3D tracking camera that can track your movements, so you can wave at the screen with your hands and make the channels change, rather than using any type of physical remote control device.

Photo by Jamie Larson