I'm going to make this short and sweet. Well, there's only so much waxing lyrical one can do about a lump of metal whose sole function is to keep a piece of cord up in the air. If you've ever wanted to have a cord in the air, well this may just be the thing you have been looking for. Wires are every where around computers and the one device where the wire infringes the most is the very device where the wire is most important. There are wireless mice out there, and very good some of them are reported to be, but you won't find me trusting my men's lives to the fallibility of batteries, interference and lag. But that damn wire can get in the way, or tangle itself up right at the point in time where you need unhindered movement so as to deliver that rocket precisely to where it hurts the most. So that's where this little nugget comes in. Loosen up the grommet, place the cord in the groove, find a wee spot for it to go and your mouse's cord will never bother you again.

The Cordholder is a smart looking little thing. Fashioned out of a single piece of stainless steel with a little black screw to keep the cord in place it is neither over the top or gimmicky looking. It's also rather heavy so there's no real chance of it slipping out of place. It certainly stayed put despite my wildest of gesticulations, (it will also double as a very capable paper-weight). There's no need to clip it on to anything or make any other kind of concession. It does its job unobtrusively and stylishly, making the Cordholder a solid recommendation for anyone who wants to tame their mouse. It was particularly helpful for me as I have my mousemat half on the arm rest of my easy chair and half on a stool/yellow pages combination. The Cordholder took my mouse wire away from its delusions that it was an anchor chain and put it in a good home, where it is happy and safe and no longer impedes the movement of the mouse itself. My mouse wire now drops in from above and stays nice and tidy, the Cordholder noticeably reducing the amount of dicking about that I needed to do to keep things running smoothly. And the dog-eared corner of the Yellow Pages has now flattened out.

The Cordholder can be bought for a smidge over 17 Euros at www.steelpad.com which makes this an extra for the wealthier among you. It's debatable whether the cord problem is worth spending this kind of money on, but if you are feeling flush and want the sexiest solution out there then go for it. While there I urge you once again to think about buying a Steelpad 4D.

By Sam Gibson