Mouse pads were primarily used to protect the surface of your desk from getting scratched or worn off because of the computer mouse ball. Well, there are no ball mice any more except maybe in some collectors' houses, but we still use mouse pads . This is because they are very comfortable and offer a clean, flat and secure surface for our computer mice. Besides, optical mice can have some problems with trackking on shiny or transparent surfaces like glass and mirror and even polished wood. So they work much better on a good mouse pad.

I was talking in general terms by now , but I want to talk about work station mouse pads right now. What are work station mouse pads? As far as I know they are really big mouse pads that cover the entire area of your desk or your work station. But why should anyone cover his whole desk or work station when all he needs is a small mouse pad for his computer mouse? Some people, for example gamers or artists, designers, need a lot of space when working on the computer, a whole lot more than the usual people who only use the keyboard and the mouse only in its place - there on the small mouse pad. Gamers for example move the mouse a lot around the surface of the desk according to the game they play. But if the game involves a map with a wide range of space and the player has to run quickly around this map and shoot at his enemies at the same time for example, he will have to make some ample moves with the computer mouse . Imagine that it would be very difficult for such a computer user to stop in the middle of the game and move the mouse pad together with the mouse.



Or he will certainly let the mouse pad standing in its initial place and just use the surface of the desk as a mousing surface. We all know that this is not the best solution, as the performance of the mouse might be reduced during this time and hence the performance in the game. Plus, as I said before, sometimes the polished surface of the desk may cause lag and jitter for the optical computer mice. On the other hand, if this particular computer user I was talking about uses a very large mouse pad that covers the entire area of the desk , he will have no problem using the mouse all over the place and even change the mouse from one hand into another, without bothering to move the mouse pad for that. The same thing applies to computer designers and artists who use special software and applications that require wide hand movements and if they stopped during these moves their work might be affected. They need to make uninterrupted moves in order to get the best result and this is possible only if they use a work station mouse pad.



Work station mouse pads may have different colors, usually dark colours to allow a better tracking. But sometimes they can have beautiful pictures printed on them : prints of nature, famous paintings or simply nice looking photos. That is exactly the case with this particular work station mouse pad that you can admire in the picture above. It is a beautiful picture of Craco Vecchio, an ancient Italian castle like village printed on the nice work station mouse pads offered by the Cafe Press online store!  This king sized mouse pad is covered with cloth and thus allows a perfect durable surface for mousing and the rubber backing prevents the pad from sliding.  Besides its mousing features it is also machine washable if you accidentally spill some liquids on it. This can be a great gift for anyone who uses a computer, being both useful and pretty. If you want to visit the Cafe Press store to view the products or purchase this item click here .



But work station mouse pads are not used exclusively for normal computers and computer mice: you can always use them for your laptop. Some people prefer still using a computer mouse with their laptop, even if it has a touch pad incorporated and this is for various reasons. Any way the laptop is a portable computer by definition, so latop users are almost always on the way, so they must use the laptop in various places.But these places are not always suitable for laptop use, that is why they need a work station mouse pad in order to protect their laptop and also to use the mouse properly. So work station mouse pads are really useful in these circumstances, but what about carrying one all over the place with you? Somebody has already thought of a solution for this. Redmaloo offers nice felt laptop cases that can also be unfold and used as very comfortable work station mouse pads, as you can see in the picture below. Redmaloo's felt laptop cases are modern and also available in beautiful colours, and they are totally innovative. They do not use zippers, these felt cases unfold and un-velcro to a flat panel, which in turn becomes your workstation, mouse pad and all. The design of these cases is so simple, yet efficient , that you can use it in different circumstances when you have to pack and unpack really fast, like when you pass the security in an airport for example.

Quiksilver Premium Workstation ($154) is a great laptop bag that can turn into a very useful workplace when you are always on the roads. You do not even have to find a table or a desk as you can use your laptop even on the grass in a park for example. The bag unfold and unzipps and becomes a very large and protective surface for mousing, and an additional pocket of the bag can be detached and used as a mouse pad. It was meant to be like that from the very beginning, as it is compression molded and a bit harder as surface. The protective design and structure of this workstation/laptop bag will ensure your laptop's safety and also make sure your working environment is a clean one. Quite innovative, right?