On the test bench today are two brand new products to hit the market: the CorePad DeskPad XXXL and the XTracPads Ripper XXL.

I think it’s only fair to start this article off with "I do not use a mouse. I use an optical trackball (thumball)" I have since the beginning of time, and I always will. I hate mice. They’re cumbersome and need far too much real estate. I understand I’m in the minority, save your hate mail :)

So you may be wondering why I would possibly be writing this article. That’s simple. The items I have for you today are NOT mouse pads. They’re DeskPads. What’s the difference you ask? About 24" in width and 6" in height! More on that later.

Today I’ll be reviewing two of the most functional items, for me personally, that I have come across in a long time. I have literally been waiting years for this product to hit the market and not only did "it" hit the market, but TWO of them did at the same time!

I’m talking about the new humungous desktop surfaces from CorePad and XTracPads. They may be made from the same material as a mouse pad, but they are far more functional than a tiny square you stick next to your keyboard. These babies are HUGE! Both units measure in at just about 3 feet wide and nearly 18" tall! You can put much more than your mouse on this, you can put your keyboard too with tons of room to spare. Let’s take a closer look at the 2 newcomers...