Mouse Arena

Is that Logitech MX Air mouse giving you a hard time with its buggy drivers? Don’t worry, that’s not the only air mouse out there. Gyration has a similar product that might be better than the Logitech solution.

The Gyration Go features the 2.4GHz wireless technology that is able to boost the signal over 30’ away. It also integrates the latest in RF technology and digital security signature that comes with an 800 channel radio transmitter/receiver. The mouse works fine in the air but can be used on plane surfaces, as well.

It includes a miniature USB dongle receiver and has quite a few buttons for you to program. In this sense you get the usual left and right buttons, a clickable scroll wheel, 2 user programmable buttons and a SWIPES button for motion activated control and effects, all of these allowing for more than 20 programmable commands.

The package contains a rechargeable battery, recharging cradle, power supply, plus you get the GyroTools Media Control software and mouse drivers for Windows and Mac OS.
CNET tested it and came to the conclusion that, although the air gestures still need some improvement, the Gyration Go mouse performs flawlessly on a desk and ideal for use in a conference room or with a Media Center PC.

Amazon has this for $38.83.

There are quite a few obscure mouse makers out there and I tried to find them all and present their products for you here. But I never thought AOpen would come up with their own gaming mouse.

The newly designed AOpen MMO-310 mouse is a comfortable digital rodent with an excellent ergonomics design. It appears that the AOpen MMO-310 mouse is suitable only for right-handed users. In order to improve ergonomics, AOpen added a rubber coating to the thumb area of the mouse, further improving the mouse control, as well. This is specifically targeted at gamers, especially when the palm is sweating due to an intense firefight in a FPS game or an MMORPG.

Although it is designed for gamers, the optical technology included with the mouse doesn’t seem too fit for a gaming-grade mouse. Nonetheless, it should be good enough for the majority of people who use computers in office environments.

The AOpen MMO-310 mouse also comes with blue LED lights on its top, adding for an overall fashionable design. AOpen’s new mouse is available in three different colors. Details on pricing and availability are practically non-existent for the moment, but the mouse is expected to hit the Asian market this summer.

Returning to laptop mice, I thought I should let you know that Kensington has an interesting looking rugged-like mouse to go with you wherever you may roam.

Kensington Si670m Bluetooth Optical looks a bit sharky, if you know what I mean. It integrates a 4-way (horizontal and vertical) tilt scroll that lets you quickly maneuver through documents and graphics just by moving your fingertip. It features a mid-size body design with sculpted, rubberized grips so you can comfortably use this mouse in prolonged work scenarios. Being a laptop-oriented device, you also get an on&off button, which lets you shut off the mouse when not in use. This way you preserve power and you don’t have to recharge it too often. The wireless connection ensures that you won’t ever get tangled up in nasty cords.

Moreover, you don’t need a special receiver if you use it with a wi-fi laptop. .The LED indicators confirm your connection and warn you when your battery's low, while he Bluetooth 2.0 Wireless technology gives you 30-foot effective range. The mouse is accurate enough, sporting a 1000 dpi optical tracking system. Si670m is suited for both right-handed and left-handed people and is compatible with Windows and Mac computers.

You can get this one online from Amazon for $44.24.

It’s been a while since I last presented a mouse concept. The problem is mouse manufacturers don’t really want to come with revolutionary designs, as people have got used to the 40-year old one and, as it happens with many human-related things, many are afraid of the winds of change. What you’re about to see isn’t that revolutionary, as far as features are concerned. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the ergonomic design itself, sort of a cosmopolitan appearance combined with hi-tech materials.

The City Mouse (can’t really figure out why they named it like that… are we supposed to proudly show it off it every time we take a trip downtown?) is designed by d-Vision, which came up with an interesting ergonomic shape. This is supposedly much more in tune with how our hands are themselves shaped and how we intuitively move them, which should be translating into more precise movement and fewer repetitive stress injuries or carpal tunnel problems.

Apparently, in order to move the cursor and interact with the graphic user interface on your PC, you don't drag this mouse around. Instead you tilt it on its curved bottom to move around. This is just a concept, so I can’t tell if it works or how it really works, though. Hopefully, the design will get commercialized soon, if only for the looks of it.

Although it’s not as big as Logitech, Kensington manufactures some of the best trackball mice on the market, and it’s known for ingenious mice designs, as well. Clearly, the trackball mice aren’t intended for gamers, but there are many laptop users that would find Kensington’s Expert Optical Mouse useful, especially in those places where you can’t really find enough room to operate a classic optical mouse.

Of course, Kensington is boasting a bit saying that this is the best trackball around, but that seems to be the truth if we take a closer look at the Expert Mouse. Designed for PCs and Macs, the new Expert Mouse integrates Kensington's Diamond Eye optical technology for smooth, precise cursor movement.

Surrounding the ball, there’s a brand new implementation of Kensington’s award winning Scroll Ring technology that puts scrolling right at your fingertips, literally. Plus you get 4 customizable buttons around the ring, too. The guys over at Kensington even provide extended ergonomics, including a soft new wrist rest-right. The Expert also provides full USB support.

Here are some more highlights for the Expert Mouse:

• Largest ball of any of the mainstream, consumer devices
• Great momentum and virtually frictionless rotation
• Detachable wrist rest cradles your hand in comfort

Amazon has this one for about $66.24.