PointingDevice
Latest
Penclic Mouse pointing device set to roll out in US and Canada
The Swedish-designed Penclic Mouse has already been making the rounds in Europe for a little while, but it looks like it's now finally ready to make the jump to North America. While there's still no firm word on pricing or availability, Prestige International has confirmed that it will be bringing the device to both the US and Canada, where it will be available at Best Buy, Walmart and other major retailers. As you can probably surmise, the device itself is quite literally a combination pen / mouse (the two pieces remain attached), which the company says provides a "relaxed working position and advanced precision." As in Europe, the device will be available in both wired and wireless versions, and it's Mac and PC compatible. Check out the gallery below for a closer look.%Gallery-134992%
Poll: Lion's "natural scrolling" vs. "reverse scrolling"
One of the first things that new users of OS X Lion are apt to either completely love or hate with a passion is the change to "natural scrolling." This is like scrolling on an iPad or iPhone -- when you use two fingers to swipe down on a trackpad, whatever you're scrolling moves in a downward direction as well. The existing method, which I'll refer to as "reverse scrolling," has been in use since the first Apple Lisa shipped in 1983. With reverse scrolling, swiping down on a trackpad would move content in a browser window in an upward direction. While recording a MacJury last night with host Chuck Joiner, MacObserver's Jeff Gamet, and The Loop's Peter Cohen, the comments from my fellow jury members seemed to indicate that most of us had very little trouble making the switch. Those of us at TUAW are interested to find out what kind of scrolling setup you're using on your Mac. Take the poll and let us know. %Poll-66624%
Touch pad prototype works without movement, makes fingertips feel like they're sliding (video)
This comes from the same touchy-feely Kajimoto lab in Japan that brought us the tactile kiss transmission device and we totally see where they're going with it: maximum sensation, minimum effort. You only have to exert the gentlest of pressures on this prototype touch pad and it zaps your fingertip with little electrical signals, mimicking the feeling of sliding your finger over a surface. We imagine it's a bit like the little red pointing stick in the middle of a Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard, for example, but with the addition of "position-dependent data input" to create the illusion that your finger is actually touching different areas of the screen. For now though, if you don't mind stretching a finger to your old-stylee mouse or trackpad, then check out the video after the break.
Wow-Pen's Joy mouse is a like a fat, melted marker
It's strange how "ergonomic" devices rarely look like they'd be comfortable to use. Such is the case with the Wow-Pen Joy, a new mouse that conforms to the hand like a pen would, apparently making your computing experience a little less tough on the wrists. Although it resembles one of your clay sculptures from elementary school, the twisted lump of plastic sports 800 dpi resolution and can be jacked right into any XP or Vista machine. We can't promise this will actually help with the chronic, stabbing wrist pain caused by your "regular" mouse (see inset), though we can tell you it won't break the bank at 20,000 KRW, or about $30.
