LAVAPAD MOUSE PAD

LarvaPad Xtreme Gamers Illuminated Mouse Pad, retail $29.99 (http://homepage.mac.com/tikimac...)
Manufactured by Flexiglow Lighting (www.flexiglowhk.com)
Last updated 11-09-10




The Lavapad is a color changing LED mouse pad for your computer. The mousing surface appears to be a hard plastic with a very light texture; said to be suitable for both optical and balled mouses.

At the outer perimeter of the LavaPad is a clear, transparent acrylic material with a lot of tiny, champagne-like bubbles in it; this is where the light you see comes from. Not the mousing surface itself (it's black), but this border. See the photographs lower on this page for examples of how the LavaPad emits light.

The LarvaPad has a small rubbery pushbutton on its upper surface that allows you to select any of 7 colors, or an eighth mode that cycles through most of them at about a 0.7Hz rate (one complete cycle approximately every 1.3 seconds).


SIZE



To use the LavaPad, set it down where your old mouse pad (or mouse mat, for non-US users) used to be, and plug the end of its USB cord into any free USB plug on your computer. The LavaPad will automatically cycle through all of its colors and flash on & off for several seconds as a self-test routine, then it will turn itself off.

Press and release the small rubberised button near the upper edge of the LavaPad's mousing surface to first turn the green LEDs on. Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off. Press and release it again to turn the red LEDs on. Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off. Press and release it again to turn the blue LEDs on. Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off. Press and release it again to turn the red and green LEDs on (yellow). Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off. Press and release it again to turn the red and blue LEDs on (purple). Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off. Press and release it again to turn the green and blue LEDs on (cyan). Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off. Press and release it again to turn all LEDs (red, green blue) on. Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off. Press and release it again to allow the LEDs to cycle automatically through the colors. Press and release it again to turn the LEDs off.
Just like the back of the shampoo bottle reads: lather, rinse, repeat. In other words, the next time the button is used, the green LEDs will come on.

The instructional material included recommends you turn your LavaPad off when not using it. I'll leave mine on for awhile and see what happens. Only when I need to download photographs from my digital camera (that needs the USB receptacle) will the LavaPad be unplugged.

The LavaPad comes with two extra stick-on "feet" that you may attach to the LavaPad's existing feet for added stability if you desire.



The unit plugs into and is powered from a USB port on your computer, so this section can and will be skipped.

The LavaPad can be plugged in or unplugged without having to first turn off your computer. This is known as "hot swappability".



Because the LavaPad is a computer peripheral and not a flashlight, I won't try to drown it in the toilet, stomp on it, swing it against a steel rod, run over it with a 400lb Rascalator, or inflict other punishments on it that I might inflict upon a regular flashlight.
So this section will be a bit on the bare side.

The instructional material that comes with the LavaPad advises you to avoid dropping it, and to avoid subjecting it to "unreasonable force". I believe this means try not to step on it, and for heaven sakes please don't try to twist or flex it.

The instructional material also advises you to not dump coffee or pop on it. Since coffee and pop are mostly water, I'd better not try to run the LarvaPad under the faucet or let the dog go potty on it.
The instructional material also advises you to not leave the LavaPad in direct sunlight or close to extreme heat - such as from a radiator or a space heater.

The abundance of tiny, champagne-like bubbles in the acrylic edges are where most of the light scattering occurs. This is NOT a defect; the bubbles are there on purpose. So please don't return your LavaPad because of these bubbles - they're supposed to be there.

To clean your LavaPad when necessary, use a lint-free cloth moistened with warm, mildly soapy water. Do not use harsher cleaners or solvents on the LavaPad.

The bullet points on the packaging are:
  • Gaming enthusiast approved mousing surface
  • Smooth wrist action on non wearing easy glide surface
  • 8x Custom color options with dazzling super bright LED's
  • Works with optical or ball mice




Shown with the green LEDs illuminated.



Shown with the red LEDs illuminated.



Shown with the blue LEDs illuminated.



Shown with the yellow (red and green LEDs) illuminated.



Shown with the purple (red and blue LEDs) illuminated.



Shown with the cyan (blue and green LEDs) illuminated.



Shown with the white (all LEDs) illuminated.

IMPORTANT: The light appears brighter in these pictures than it does in real life.




Video on YourTube showing how my LarvaPad has failed.
It runs its resident diagnostic program, but that's it.
This clip is approximately 4.121117567894 megabytes (4,296,634 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than twenty one minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.





TEST NOTES:
Test unit of the LarvaPad was purchased on 05-26-04, and was received on 06-14-04, and is now being tested. I don't have anywhere to put it yet (without queering the test in progress on a flashlight at this moment), so I have not yet tried it with a computer mouse.

(Edit, around 7:57pm PDT the same day)
I briefly tried it with the optical mouse on this computer, and it works just fine, thankyouverymuch.


UPDATE: 06-15-04
I installed the LavaPad in front of the lab computer, where my CPF mouse pad used to be. It works fine with the mouse on that computer too, but it is another optical mouse. I don't have a balled mouse handy to try it on.


UPDATE: 08-01-06
My Larvapad has quit working. It still performs its resident self-diagnostic routine at power-up, but the unit stays dark whenever the button is pressed.


UPDATE: 01-21-08
Forgot to alter its rating on this website after it pooped out in summer 2006...oops!





PROS:
Appears to be reasonably durable
LED light sources are cool and should be long lived
All color modes are bright enough to be noticeable, but not so much as to be distracting
USB cord is long enough that you won't have to jimmy-rig something


CONS:
Not water-resistant - but most computer peripherals aren't meant to be. Will not affect rating.
Not flexible - there goes half the star
Product has inexplicably failed - that's where the rest of the stars went


    MANUFACTURER: Flexiglow
    PRODUCT TYPE: LED-illuminated mouse pad
    LAMP TYPE: 3mm LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 12 (4 red, 4 green, 4 blue)
    BEAM TYPE: N/A
    SWITCH TYPE: Small rubbery pushbutton on upper edge of mousepad
    BEZEL: Acrylic bezel surrounds rubbery mouse pad
    BATTERY: N/A
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER- AND PEE-RESISTANT: Light splash-resistance only
    SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
    ACCESSORIES: Two stabilising feet
    WARRANTY: 90 days

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





LavaPad LED Illuminated Mouse Pad * www.flexiglowhk.com






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