Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse Product Review

Go Air Mouse & Compact Keyboard Pros Light-weight, easy setup, no cord, works in three dimensions Cons A little awkward to use The Bottom Line A great tool.

Full Review

I'm not the type to run out and buy the latest tech toy just to say I have it. I'm not sure why, but the idea of a mouse that could be removed from the desktop and waved around in mid-air really appealed to me. I found one locally and plopped down my $75. Installing the mouse is easy. You plug in the cradle that holds the mouse when it's not in-use and charges the battery. A small receiver, which picks up signals from the mouse, plugs into the USB port on your machine. Once the battery is charged (8 hours), you simply pick up the mouse and press a couple of buttons. This 'teaches' the receiver how to communicate with the mouse. There are no drivers to install and it works right out-of-the-box. (On Windows XP Pro, anyway.) Using it is different than what you're used-to. It can work like a regular wireless mouse, if you want it to. Simply take it out of its cradle, put it on your desk and do what you usually do with a mouse. It's optical so there is no track-ball to worry about. It tracks well and responds similarly to my Microsoft optical mouse. The magic starts when you pick it up and start waving it around. It's strange to see the on-screen pointer following your every move (at least in two dimensions.) You may be inclined to make big movements with your arm to get the cursor to go where you want it to, but small wrist movements work equally well. It operates in two modes - free-form and restricted (my terms). In free-form, the cursor doesn't stop moving until you stop moving your hand. That's how a standard mouse works, but it's a little different when you're holding it off of the desktop. It is difficult, for me at least, to hold my hand perfectly still in mid-air while clicking the mouse button. Luckily, in restricted mode, the only time the cursor moves is when you hold down a button. When it's time to click on something, you release the button and the cursor remains where you left it while you click away. This is the mode I use most frequently, but once in a while, free-form mode works better. Ergonomics I give Gyration high marks for the comfort and useablilty of this device. It feels good in my hand while holding it on the desk or in the air. My fingers must be just the size that they designed it for because they curl around it exactly where they should. It has enough heft to not feel cheap, but it's also light enough so that it doesn't tire your wrist after using it in free-form mode for a long time. Will it change the way you use your computer? I was hoping that getting the mouse off of the desk would free me from the surly bonds of computing. It seemed like once free of the desktop, I could move anywhere within 25 feet. (They also make a professional version that sells for more and covers 75 feet, if memory serves.) and surf the web, scroll through documents, build presentations and do other mundane tasks from anywhere within range. The truth is, however, that most of the things I use a computer for require a keyboard. (Gyration makes a wireless keyboard, too.) If I have to have a keyboard, I need someplace to put it, like a desktop. Additionally, when performing keyboard-intensive tasks, I find it inconvenient to put the mouse down and type and then pick the mouse back up. Leaving it on the desk and using it like a plain old mouse is usually easier. Addendum After using this mouse for almost a year, I've come to really like it. I've tried three of four different cordless mice since I first wrote this review and I always come back to the Gyration. In fact, I've bought two more for my office where I use two machines regularly. It's very comfortable to sit back and navigate the web or other applications without having to lean onto the desk. The mouse itself is also very comfortable and tracks very well. Not revolutionary, but better than any others I've tried.

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