Review For a company that pioneered the widespread use of the mouse as a computer controller, Apple has a surprisingly bad record at making good ones, particularly since the return of Steve Jobs and, with him, industrial design as the prime driver of product creation.
Past Apple mice have either been ergonomic non-starters or have tripped up before even reaching the longevity hurdle. Who can forget the finger-crimping nightmare that was the circular ‘hockey puck’ mouse that shipped with the first iMac and the blue’n'white Power Mac G3?
Even its more hand-friendly successor was never entirely comfortable, thanks to its oddly pivoted button, which filled the entire upper surface of the mouse. That complete-surface button design was maintained when Apple introduced the Mighty Mouse. While adding the ability to – at long, long last – detect secondary, ‘right button’ clicks, this mouse also sported a tiny trackball that, initially useful, later stopped working properly as its mechanism filled with grease and dust. Read the rest of this entry »
Round-up Mice are probably the most common Peripheral in the computing world and any old one should perform the basic function required of it with a reasonable degree of competency. But which is the best? Which takes the concept of the mouse just that little bit further and pushes the proverbial envelope? Which indulges in a spot blue cheese thinking? Which sticks its tongue out at convention? Which is just plain cool? Or odd? To find out Reg Hardware has got hold of half a pound of metaphorical cheddar and is away behind the technical skirting board to track down a dozen of the best in the great mouse hunt.
3Dconnexion Space Navigator
The Space Navigator is not actually a mouse, but rather a 3D navigation aid aimed at artists, designers and folk who spend a lot of time nose-to-nose with CAD software. Admittedly, it should be used in conjunction with a conventional mouse; the idea being the right hand uses a mouse for mousy stuff, while the left operates the Space Navigator to manipulate images and models in 3D. The half kilogram device – it needs to be heavy so it stays put when you pull ‘up’ on the controller – comes with a very comprehensive set-up wizard so you can optimise it to your personal needs and tastes. It works with over 100 programmes including Google World, SketchUp and Photoshop and, while it takes some getting used to, after a little practice you will zipping around the globe and spinning your models with gay abandon and wondering how you ever got by without one. Fortunately, 3Dconnexion supply drivers for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Review Using a mouse in the wrong way for long periods of time will gradually and unremittingly put strain on your forearm. If you are unlucky, the damage may be permanent, leaving you in constant pain. So while you chuckle away at this funny looking mouse, bear in mind that it might just prevent years of suffering and save your livelihood.
Hippus’s HandshoeMouse: a design based on medical research
According to its Dutch manufacturer, Hippus, the HandshoeMouse was developed from ergonomic studies by university medical schools in Rotterdam and Maastricht. These studies show that conventional computer mice induce users to over-exert certain muscles in the hand and arm, which can cause problems all the way up to the neck. The objective, then, was to design a mouse that encouraged the hand to relax. Read the rest of this entry »
