By Marvin the MartianPosted Thursday 12th July 2007 11:36 GMT
I tried to help a guy use his computer (you know, for mailing and browsing on the wild side, collecting worms), a few years back, and he never mastered the mouse.
The strange thing was that due to some eye/hand coordination thing, he could look at his hand and things would be fine, but when looking at the screen his arm inexorably lifted so that the mouseball pointlessly hung there. In the end there's tricks for everything, but this device would probably be the better solution.
Not sure his type form a large part of the population, his genes weren't spreading really anyhow.
By Anonymous CowardPosted Thursday 12th July 2007 11:51 GMT
This is hardly a new thing. In my work I came across gyroscopic "presentation" mice four or five years ago, which can be used on the desk like a normal optical mouse or waved about in the air like a Wiimote. They came with a Bluetooth keyboard as well, and cost about £80.
By Simon WardPosted Thursday 12th July 2007 13:55 GMT
"Gyration were doing something like this a year or more ago - definitely pre-Wii"
Pre-PC, even - the old farts amongst us (myself included ;-) ) may be able to cast their minds back to the mid-80s when some company released a joystick which used mercury tilt-switches rather than the more usual microswitches or leaf-spring contacts (can't for the life of me remember the company though - can anyone remember?)
Needless to say, the product bombed and you sure as hell couldn't play 'Daley Thompson's Decathlon' with :-)
By Anonymous CowardPosted Thursday 12th July 2007 17:04 GMT
First the news of O2's 'new' sim-only contracts, and now this! Either I'm a Time Traveller from the future, or we've had this before, I have something very similar in my hot little hand right now! Logitech's Surfman/Trackman Live, wireless, hand held presentation device/mouse. Bought mine (the first one anyway) in 1997 for about 40 quid. Cracking little thing, beautifully simple and yet configurable, and lovely to hold.
By Neil AndersonPosted Thursday 12th July 2007 19:37 GMT
I helped an 80-year-old set up her first-ever computer — an iMac. The first time she held the mouse she waved it around and pointed it at the screen like a TV remote.
Logitech's hardware is unbeatable, but if it requires drivers or software from Logi, forget it. Until standard "gesture recognition" software is being shipped with Windows, I'll pass.
All (and I mean all) of my computer's peripherals are from Logi, because they make nice hardware. Their software? Bleah! I keep waiting for a release of the G15 keyboard software that will consistently load the correct game's macros. Etc. Since this product basically requires software support, I smell trouble. (And it'd be too tempting to throw the darn thing when it acts up.)
By Paul GauntPosted Friday 13th July 2007 06:36 GMT
Got 2 Gyration airmice (1 always on charge) would never use anything none gryo again. Software could be much better in the gesture area. Keyboard could be better. The kby/mouse combination is not compatable with KVMs that do usb kby via emulation when u want to switch PCs.
By john DurrantPosted Friday 13th July 2007 09:13 GMT
First year ravensbourne College Interaction Design students have been doing most of this with a Wii controller pretty much from the off. they cost gbp32.
Comments on: Logitech launches Wii Mote-like 'in-air' mouse
Too expensive #
By David England Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 11:21 GMT
Useful for the weirdly levered. #
By Marvin the Martian Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 11:36 GMT
Nothing new under the sun #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 11:51 GMT
Not entirely new #
By Dogbyte Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 12:00 GMT
Re: Not entirely new #
By Simon Ward Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 13:55 GMT
PS3??? #
By Gary Littlemore Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 15:16 GMT
Uk screwed again #
By Stu Reeves Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 16:18 GMT
Oh my.. #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 17:04 GMT
Problem solver #
By Neil Anderson Posted Thursday 12th July 2007 19:37 GMT
Does it require their software? #
By tom Posted Friday 13th July 2007 01:30 GMT
Gyration Rule #
By Paul Gaunt Posted Friday 13th July 2007 06:36 GMT
nothing new here #
By john Durrant Posted Friday 13th July 2007 09:13 GMT