Home Office: Need a New Pointing Device? Read This
Best advice on mice and related gadgets.Steve Bass
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You think I have a sweet job, don't you? You think I sit on my butt all day and muck around with all sorts of new products and nifty software. Well, okay: I do play with some fun things, and it's certainly better than actually working for a living.
This week I'm here to tell you about mice: what's new, what's weird, and what's worth ignoring. I also have some advice for those of you shopping for a new pointing device.
Sound Mouse Advice
If you've been using the same old mouse for more than a few years, you're missing out on some slick new features. Take the mouse wheel, for instance. I sat at a friend's PC a week ago and was astonished when nothing happened as my index finder started looking for the wheel. I didn't realize how I took that thing for granted. (It's like driving a car with automatic transmission after using a stick shift for years--whaddya do with your left leg?)
There's more you're probably missing: Besides the wheel, many mice have extra buttons that perform time-saving miracles. For example, my Logitech MX700 has five buttons; some use default assignments, and I've customized the others. Two buttons on the left side are the equivalent of my browser's forward and backward keys. I have another button relegated to copying items to my clipboard. And yet another pops up a list of running applications, which makes switching apps a simple click of the mouse. (Go to the PCWorld.com Product Finder for more info on the rechargeable optical mouse--about $55 at press time.)
But some people think that changing mice is as unpleasant as going from briefs to boxers, a mixed metaphor if I've ever heard one. So if you're happy with your mouse but are considering a change because of the cool Logitech features I mentioned, you might want to look into Toggle Mouse. It's a cool utility that lets you assign keyboard actions to mouse strokes, pop applications front and center, and open your screen saver in an instant. And that's just touching on a few of the features. At $20, it's not cheap; but it may save you from buying a new mouse.
"Alternative" Mice
Did I ever tell you how much trouble it is fiddling with new mice--especially some of the bizarre ones I have to try? Still, I have a moral and journalistic imperative to keep you current in the pointing business. (The things I do for you.)
One of the first newsletters I wrote was "Make the Most of Mice." The topic was a recommendation from my editor (yep, same guy, same inane ideas), and even back then it wasn't an appealing job.
Things have changed, but dopey ideas persist. Back then, I referred to the RingMouse, a gizmo you stuck on your finger that used ultrasonic and infrared technology to transmit a signal to a receiver on your monitor. It worked, sure; but if you suddenly had an urge to vigorously scratch your nose, you might send a series of mouse strokes that could inadvertently reformat your hard drive.
Today's RingMouse equivalent is BossWave's CatEye FinRing, a similar device designed to reduce mouse-related stress. The $80 device uses an RF operating frequency of 433.92 MHz to beam signals to a USB port receiver. No, I didn't try it (and thanks, but I don't plan on it); I'll leave that to you.
OTOH, a miniature mouse that reader Tracy Fortune, of Tupper Valley, New York, told me about actually makes sense. It's the $13 USB 4D Finger Mouse (there's also a PS/2 version), a mouse and trackball combo that Tracy says is "really nice for using on a notebook in a tight situation, like a train or plane." You don't need a flat surface to use it, said Tracy: "You hold it in your hand (right or left). I use it to sit back in your chair and surf."
Dig This: I love funny commercials that aren't available in the U.S. This MPEG video--a little over 3MB--is advertising toothpaste in, well, you tell me.
Quick Update: In a previous newsletter, I mentioned Brett Bartholomew, the author of IEScroll and other cool (and free) utilities. I said if you had a utility request, I'd pass it along. A few of you did.
The first of many tools from Brett, Screen Launcher lets you run any program as a screen saver. Dennis Tovey of Australia uses Screen Launcher to turn on BabyType when he walks away from the computer. That way, when his toddler begins pounding on the keyboard, the program produces sounds and images--instead of starting applications or running FDISK.
Brett also created Toolbar Chest for Outlook Express. The free utility saves and restores Outlook Express toolbar settings content, position, and size, as well as other layout and Windows settings.
Mouse vs. Mouse
It looks like it's right out of Mad Magazine's "Spy vs. Spy"--but it's Mouse vs. Mouse, the ongoing mouse war between Microsoft and Logitech.
Microsoft recently released a weird-looking wireless mouse that uses "Tilt Wheel Technology," which our very own Michael Lasky reviewed. (For more info on Microsoft's plans along these lines, read "Microsoft Parades New Mice, Keyboards.")
Logitech, miffed that it didn't think of it first, claims users are not breaking down the doors for horizontal scrolling. Read the sour grapes in "Microsoft Tilts the Mouse Wheel."
More Mice Enter the Fray
I warned you, there are lots of new mice on the market.
Michael Lasky, who examines even more mice than I do, looked at two more pointing devices. One uses "patented GyroPoint technology" that moves the on-screen pointer whatever way your hand and wrist move, while the other includes a numeric keypad.
I'm not finished. In "Wireless Keyboards Evolve," Michael Lasky (him again?) spends time with two sets of wireless keyboard and mouse combinations, both of which include mice that work for righties and lefties.
Stop Mousing Around
Buying a mouse should be easy, yet we were able to get some mileage out of an article entitled "How to Buy Input Devices."
The article has valuable info, but here's my advice:
One guy who's seemingly dispensed with all his mice is PCWorld.com's Dennis O'Reilly. He told me he uses a Wacom graphic tablet for practically everything. On one of the rare trips I make to headquarters, I stopped by Dennis's office and it's no lie: He uses a tablet.
Dig This: It's too late for Halloween, but I think this guy's contortions would make a great trick-or-treat gag. And no, I haven't a clue how he does it, even after watching this video a dozen times (it's an 800KB MPEG).
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And if you're interested in my new book, PC Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer, go to Amazon.com and check it out.