Well, Steve started with the mouse, and so will we. Apple's got a new mouse, but you probably knew that already. It's based on the same Hewlett-Packard optical technology used in Microsoft's IntelliMouse Explorer, but you probably knew that too. Other things you already know: it's not wireless, it's not round, and it's got no buttons. But there are a few things about the Apple Pro Mouse that you may not know. For one thing, its casing is totally clear, so the bright red LED that gives the mouse its tracking ability glows visibly when it's in use. For another, it's not only going to be included with every Apple desktop Mac, but it's also going to be sold separately for $59. And one last thing you may not have known: we just got ours for free.

Okay, so you probably did know that last little tidbit-- or at least you could have inferred it from the widely reported fact that Apple gave every attendee of Uncle Steve's keynote presentation a free Pro Mouse just to be cool. Or perhaps it was a gesture of contrition for having unleashed the Puck upon an unsuspecting world in the first place; we couldn't say for certain. What we can say, though, is that each of the AtAT staff in attendance got a Pro Mouse upon leaving the hall-- and did we mention that (apart from the $195 spent to get into the keynote in the first place) it was completely, utterly, and fantastically free? Not to rub your noses in it, of course; we're just telling it like it is, figuring you'd like as much data about the keynote as possible. We'll try to stop mentioning it now. After all, while it may well have been the highlight of the event, there's certainly no reason to keep reminding you of the fact. We'll stop now.

We got free mousies and you didn't.

Whoops-- sorry about that, but we're just a little excited. The thing is, just a few hours before, we were slapping ourselves for forgetting to pack a mouse, because producing a full episode of AtAT on an iBook while relying entirely on the trackpad is kind of like cleaning your teeth with a popsicle stick: you can probably do it, but it'll take a really long time and it won't be a very pleasant process. We had fully planned on buying the cheapest USB mouse we could find once we got on the show floor-- but by the end of the keynote, it turned out we didn't have to. Due to the, er, "gratis nature" of the gorgeous Pro Mouse we're using right this second.

Oops-- we did it again. Soon you'll get the feeling that we're gloating or something. Nothing could be farther from the truth, honestly! It's just that we're so thrilled about this new mouse and its bevy of excellent features, such as its unique buttonless design, the twist-dial click sensitivity setting, the full ring of what we suspect to be oh-so-smooth Teflon protecting its base, and the fact that it was really, really, free. We may have mentioned that before, however.

Anyway, after using this thing for a bit, we can honestly say it's a very nice mouse; it fits the hand comfortably, the click action is really solid, the optical tracking technology even works on shag carpeting, and the eerie red glow is a welcome distraction when you really should be getting some work done. Our recommendation? If you hated the Puck (or even if you didn't), give the Pro Mouse a try. It's slick, solid, gorgeous, and worth picking up.

Even if yours isn't free.