CIO — Logitech, a leading producer of computer accessories, on Thursday unveiled its latest mouse, the Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse, and the company claims it can be used on a desktop like a traditional mouse or while sitting on the living room couch with no surface at all.

"The MX Air mouse offers a radically new way for people to control their PC entertainment," said Rory Dooley, Logitech senior vice president and general manager of the Control Devices business unit, in a press release. "It's for anyone who has listened to music on their PC and been frustrated by having to return to the desk to change songs or volume. It's for people who want to share vacation photos with friends and family without being tied to the desk. And it's for people with a living-room computer or media PC who want to navigate their media content on their terms."

Logitech's MX Air Mouse

The mouse could also be ideal for use in meetings or during presentations that include PowerPoint slides or other multimedia sharing.

Logitech says the MX Air mouse enables simple, in-air navigation via a combination of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, digital signal processing technology (DSP) and radio frequency (RF) wireless technology. Using these technologies, the MX Air lets users hold the mouse any way they please while pointing it in any direction, though they must be within 30 feet of their computers.

On top the freedom of movement offered by the MX Air mouse, it also responds to a number of "gesture-based commands." For instance, to crank up PC volume a user need only hold the appropriate button and gesture to the right. To turn it down, only a flick of the wrist to the left is necessary. To skip a track while listening to digital music, the MX Air mouse can be rotated to right, and to repeat a track users rotate the mouse to the left. Because many folks are prone to shaky hands, the mouse also uses algorithms to determine whether or not a movement was intentional or accidental, according to Logitech; though it remains to be seen how well this system actually works.

In place of the common scroll-wheel found on most traditional mice, MX Air has a touch sensitive "scroll-panel," which users swipe a finger across to activate. The speed of the user's cursor movement depends on how fast they move their fingers over the panel, according to Logitech.

The MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse comes with a separate charger cradle for power, and it can be used with desktop computers or notebooks. It's expected to hit retail shelves in the United States and Europe this August with a $149.99 price tag.

Images of the mouse can be found on Logitech's website.