| |
Introduction
In
an industry that seems to be changing faster than
most of our wallets and purses can compensate for
there are few things that have stood the test of time
unchanged. Until recently the humble mouse had seen
very few improvements over the original X-Y
Position Indicator created by Douglas Englebart back
in 1964.
In
more recent times the mouse has seen two innovations
that have massively increased its accuracy, reliability
and its functionality, these being the scroll wheel
and the advent of optical motion tracking which was
developed by Agilent Technologies and introduced back
in 1999, finally sounding the death knell for the
troublesome ball.
The
star of today's review however takes the mouse to
a whole new level. Not only will it work on your desk
like any other mouse, you can also pick it up and
use it in midair! It comes packed alongside a compact
but high quality cordless keyboard and the whole package
is known as the Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Suite.
At
the heart of the mouse lies the MicroGyro 100. This
compact and low cost inertial sensing unit is already
integrated into a range of pointing and remote control
devices, and will almost certainly make an appearance
in a lot more. A vibrating beam is driven using electromagnets
which also sense slight variations in its position
as a result of movement. Internally the whole assembly
is cushioned meaning no additional external damping,
and thus bulk and weight, are required.
The
radio side of things is based around an eight channel,
65,000 digital security address system. The eight
channels means you can have multiple GyroMouse users
in close proximity without them interfering with each
other. 65,000 addresses allow for a suitably interference
free address to be located, which in simple terms
means reliable and error free data transfer. Remarkably,
the RF unit in this mouse has a power on time under
1 mSec, meaning the RF module can actually power down
between individual packets of data, thus offering
considerable power savings. The mouse is rated at
just just 3.3v, 22mA.
About
Gyration
Specifications
Mobile
Keyboard Features
|
|
- RF
range of up to 30 m* with no line-of-sight
limitations
- Standard
88-key keypad with high-quality tactile feel
includes special Windows Start and drop-down
menu keys
- 15
conveniently located Internet and multimedia
hot keys
- 8
channels* and 36,800 unique addresses provide
transmission security
- Small,
lightweight design makes it the perfect keyboard
for traveling presenters
- Snap-on
keyboard cover is included to protect keys
during transport
- Uses
standard Windows keyboard drivers - no special
software required
- Receiver
connects to computer via USB port
See
how Gyration's Mobile Keyboard measures up to
the competition:
|
|
Ultra
Cordless Optical Mouse Features:
 Extra long 7.6 m radio range.
Line of sight not required!
- Use
up to eight devices with one receiver with
digital security features
- Optical
- no moving parts to wear out
or get dirty
- Gyroscopic
motion sensor for use off the desktop
- Long
life rechargeable battery with
convenient desktop charging cradle
- Windows
and Mac compatible scroll wheel
- Plug
'n play USB, no special drivers or
software needed
- Ergonomically
designed for comfortable desktop and in-air
use
- 2-year
limited parts and labor warranty
*Wireless
IntelliMouse Explorer from Microsoft Corporation
and Wireless MouseMan Optical from Logitech
Inc. have been referenced for competitive comparisons.
Competitive information was obtained in June
2002 and deemed accurate using standard test
procedures.
|
|
|
