LITTLE ROCK — I have a couple of critters to talk up this week, and they’re definitely not what you might expect.
By critters, of course, I mean mice. Two very unusual mice, as it turns out.
The first was from a company that may not be new, but it was new to me. The company is called SmartFish, a name I’m sure I’d remember. Their product is called the ErgoMotion Laser Mouse, and it’s definitely unlike any mouse I’ve seen before.
The ErgoMotion looks like a mouse mounted on a pedestal. That pedestal allows the mouse to pivot with the natural movements of the hand and wrist.
Despite the pedestal, the ErgoMotion still moves like a mouse. The pedestal slides across most surfaces and can read them easily thanks to its laser design. The mouse did a decent job of tracking across my mouse pad and an OK job on the bare desk. It connects to the computer via a tiny USB transmitter, which stows easily on the mouse. The pedestal has a standard mouse on top, with a left and right button and a scroll wheel.
The mouse’s shape is ambidextrous, which is good. However, it’s a tad too flat for me, making it slightly uncomfortable for my hand after a while, which sort of defeats the purpose. The tilting takes some getting used to, but it does help keep the wrist flexible.
I’ve had a touch of carpal tunnel syndrome for a while, so I’ve always been careful when choosing which mice I use. I found this mouse full of potential. I must admit, the tilt of the mouse does help keep my wrist loose, which is a big plus.
As I said, though, my hand tends to arch high in a relaxed position. So while the movement helped my wrist, the flat mouse didn’t help my hand.
The ErgoMotion is unique and different, and it has a lot of potential. However, it needs a bit more work on the mouse itself to make it truly comfortable, but I like the concept of the tilt to suit the wrist. It’s distracting at first, but the distraction dissipates as the natural movement takes over. It just wasn’t as comfortable as my usual mouse, so eventually I had to switch back.
That is, until the next mouse showed up. This one also was an eye-opener, and very different from the first mouse. The second mouse is from a familiar company, to say the least: Microsoft.
The Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse is made to be a companion to the Arc Keyboard released earlier this year.
Where the ErgoMotion adds to the standard idea of a mouse, the Arc Touch Mouse takes away from it.
Fat body? Gone. Scroll wheel? Bye-bye. Portability issues? Not a problem here.
The Arc Touch pops into an arch for use, and flattens out to slide easily into a computer case, purse or whatever else you might use to carry computer products. It carries a small transmitter underneath and uses Microsoft’s IntelliPoint software to program the buttons. The software can be downloaded from Microsoft’s website.
The touch part comes from what used to be the scroll wheel. A thin strip of material similar to a track pad separates the two main buttons. The strip doubles as a third button in addition to a scroll wheel. To scroll, you simply run your finger up or down the strip.
The mouse includes Microsoft’s BlueTrack laser technology, which means it does a good job of tracking on nearly any surface. It did have a bit of trouble on occasion, depending on the position in which I had the mouse.
I say position, because I tried several positions to get the right feel before finally settling on the full, deep arch. I like that the mouse is compact and travels well. The touch scroll also is a nice concept.
My biggest issue with this mouse is my two last fingers. The mouse I currently use lets me hold my ring finger to the side and drag the pinkie along the bottom to help guide the mouse. The Arc Touch mouse isn’t nearly as wide and has no sides of which to speak, so I kept feeling like I needed to do something with my fingers. After a while, it got flat-out uncomfortable. Once again, I ended up switching back tomy old mouse.
Maybe I’m just spoiled on the comfort of my old mouse, or maybe I’m just not ready for these new-fangled products. In truth, I think both of these products offer unique twists on an old staple. However, both could use a bit more tweaking of the design to make their products both innovative and comfortable.
I will say this: It’s nice to see companies thinking about bold steps to evolve a standard, outdated concept. They may need tweaking, but these mice offer promise for the future of computer accessories. If nothing else, I have to give them a thumb’s up for being off the beaten path.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Where it’s @
The SmartFish ErgoMotion Laser Mouse requires Windows XP or Mac OS 10.2.8 or later. The ErgoMotion retails for $49.95. The Arc Touch Mouse requires a PC with Windows XP or later (not listed as being Mac compatible) and 100MB on the hard drive. The mouse retails for $69.95. More information on the Ergo-Motion mouse is available at getsmartfish.com/productsmouse.php. More information on the Arc Touch Mouse is available at microsoft.com/ hardware/mouseandkeyboard, although some browsers on Mac computers cannot open that Web page.
Business, Pages 23 on 09/27/2010