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The
Mouse
It
seems anybody these days can make an optical mouse,
but despite the fact that most of them source the
optical unit from the same small group of companies
they're not all created equal. Adding wireless to
the equation complicates things even further, now
not only does the mouse need to work well, it needs
to transmit what it's doing to a reciever in order
that this information can be passed to the computer.
Gyration
had a few tough decisions to make when they set their
design team on improving the original GyroMouse design.
One of the potential stumbling blocks is that a design
suitable for holding in your hand and waving about
in midair isn't necessarily much good for using conventionally
on your mouse mat and vice versa. There was also the
question of size, smaller and lighter is best for
off-desk use while too small makes for uncomfortable
desktop use.
I'm
no industry consultant on ergonomics but I think they
got the balance pretty close to spot on. It is perhaps
a tiny bit on the narrow side to be really comfortable
for long term on-desk use but somebody with slightly
smaller hands than mine may disagree completely. Size
aside, I was thrilled to see that build quality hadn't
become a casualty of the redesign process, the new,
improved GyroMouse, or "Gyration Ultra cordless
mouse" as it's now been unimaginatively rebadged,
retains all the feel of quality of its forbearer.
The surface finish is lightly dimpled to aid grip
but isn't so matt that it'll polish up too badly in
the heavy wear areas. It also feels very solid in
the hand and has a good weight to it.
One
of my criticisms of the original GyroMouse was the
lack of a scroll wheel in a time when they were becoming
very popular and lo and behold! the new mouse features
a very nicely weighted wheel that isn't too slack
or too stiff to turn and which also functions as an
additional mouse button. The wheel is either rubber
or it has a rubber coating but is just a little smooth
for accurate use if your hands are sweaty from the
heat of battle. Further back from the scroll wheel
is a green status LED that flashes to denote charging
and lights steady when data is being transmitted.
With
her flipped on her back (leave it!) we can see the
first signs of what makes this mouse unique. To the
front (top) of the mouse are two buttons, "Channel"
and "Teach". The "Channel" button
unsurprisingly sets the radio frequency (RF) channel
and "Teach" button is used in combination
with the "Learn" button on the receiver
unit to synchronize them. Pressing the two buttons
simultaneously puts the mouse into "deep sleep"
mode which to the likes of you and Me means "off".
In this mode the mouse is unresponsive to any button
clicks and remains this way until both buttons are
pressed again. The small square hole between the two
buttons features a red LED and seems to be a proximity
sensor to determine when the mouse is being used in
the air and when it's on a mousing surface.
Further
back we find the "Activation Trigger" which
basically changes your mouse from a dull, boring desk
dweller to something far more Harry Potter like. Behind
this is the optical motion sensor or "magic eye"
as it's sometimes referred to. I couldn't find any
reference of the resolution of the optical sensor
but none of that would matter if the data transfer
rate is too low. The data transfer rate is the number
of times per second (Hz) that a data packet is sent
to the reciever with information on the mouse's activity.
By opting for an industry leading 80Hz data transfer
rate Gyration have a product that in use was at least
as responsive as my corded Intellimouse Optical, in
fact I had to turn the pointer speed down a notch
in Control Panel.
The
friction pads or "feet" are a bit of a worry
as they're quite small and not particularly thick
so unless they're extraordinarily hard wearing I can't
imagine they'd last very long on one of the heavily
textures mousing surfaces like a Ratpadz for example.
Unlike
the original GyroMouse which features an easily replaceable
3.6v NI-Mh
battery pack of the type often found in cordless telephones,
Gyration have decided this time to incorporate the
battery into the back of the mouse casing itself.
This could be viewed as a step in the wrong direction
from a user's point of view but who am I to complain
that Gyration have created an additional revenue stream
for themselves when just about every other manufacturer
does the same, besides, at just $12.95 for a replacement
it's unlikely to bankrupt anyone.
From
the side you get a better idea of just how unique
the mouse design is, in fact we've nicknamed this
mouse the Anteater! My sole complaint in the design
is to do with the activation trigger which, because
of its angle needs to have a heavier texture or a
rubberised finish applied to it to help with grip,
again particularly when your hands are sweaty. It
could even be molded into a more trigger-like shape
withoit spoiling the curves too much.
And
finally we take a look at the charging cradle. Like
the rest of the kit it looks and feels very stylish
if a touch on the light side when you want it to stay
put. Apart from the Gyration logo the only notable
features are the two spring loaded charging contacts
and a green status LED on the lower edge that's not
visible in this picture.
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