Laptops were gaining popularity, but they featured trackballs that got grimy and were easily lost.

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The Swiss firm Logitech(13, LOGI) is a small but leading company in PC peripherals like mice, trackballs, keyboards, Web cams, headsets and network music systems--with particular clout in cordless devices.

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Even small changes like RIM's shift to optical trackpads instead of trackballs in its new devices should improve profit margins by decreasing warranty costs, UBS analyst Phillip Huang said in an August note.

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