Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)A couple of years ago I received a Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse which I really liked. I've since suggested it to teacher friends, one of whom has put it to marvelous use in his juvenile hall classroom, helping to get students involved in multimedia instruction. He says it has been an amazing, transforming tool. I gave it five stars because of how it worked, how it felt, even though there were a few things I would have liked in addition.
So, I've long kept my eyes and ears open for another air mouse that would have both the functioning of the logitech mouse while adding a greater amount of flexibility.
This Gyration air mouse certainly seemed to have the potential of meeting this hope, and for the most part it did, albeit with its own frustrations.
First off, the mouse works great as an air mouse. I admittedly have not used it a great deal as a standard mouse, given my primary computer is a laptop. I played with it to get to know it for a little while, then put it to the test when I guest-lectured for two graduate level classes last week. Had a powerpoint presentation, and was curious to see how much I could walk around while still being able to control not only the slide progression but all aspects of the computer.
What I liked:
* It does work and is responsive. Like the Logitech learning to adapt to the distinct differences between a handheld mouse or touchpad takes a bit of time. I wasn't particularly finely tuned myself at this task during the class sessions, however, as time went on I definitely got a bit better. Another wee problem I had was I couldn't get the cursor to move at all in the air at first. Took a bit of looking at the manual (only provided on the cd) to realize I had to hold down the trigger button at the same time. This latter extra bit might become more of a negative over time, as it adds extra hassle to what should be an automatic function of a mouse.
* What really helps the Gyration stand out is that it has programmable buttons. Three buttons in the middle of the mouse can be programmed for different functioning not only in a single set way, but programmed so as to have different reactions in different kinds of software. Very nice. And this works as well.
* Not only can these buttons be used for standard operations, but the included software gives the mouse wonderful additional functionality beyond what the computer already has. This includes, but is not limited to, a simulated "laser" pointer (a roundish, flexibly sized dot on the screen), a "highlighter" that can highlight anything on the screen. The list can go on and on so is worth checking out.
* There are also, by using the provided software, gestures that can be programmed to do different tasks. For instance, I programmed the mouse to start the slide presentation with an upstroke and close it with a downstroke. Like with the mouse movement in general, getting these gestures to work easy takes a bit of time. The mouse is pretty sensitive and it's really easy to feel like I'm doing a gesture right, while the mouse just gets confused what a slightly diagonally upswing is supposed to indicate.
A slight caveat with this latter. The software feels a bit slow at times rather than working smoothly. It is loaded in the back ground and tends to want to pop up over the other software. Rather than being seamless, it's a bit intrusive. But, this may be me continuing to need to improve my own skills with this mouse.
What I don't like:
* the design of the mouse itself. It looks and feels like a regular mouse. With a trigger button on the bottom, and three buttons surrounding a small round button in the top middle. There's the two standard click buttons with a scroll wheel in between. That sounds all well and good. However, to use this as an air mouse requires a different way of holding it. The trigger button (which I've already complained about) requires the mouse being held on the side, with the click buttons, and other buttons on top, being manipulated with the thumb rather than the forefinger. However, with a standard mouse design, this mouse feels rather uncomfortable and awkward being held in this way. This is the one place the Logitech mouse really stands out. They designed it to work with both hand positions in a comfortable way. The buttons on the middle top are especially awkward to use with the thumb, as they become really close to the hand. And, of course, these buttons are just about impossible to use easily holding the mouse in the standard way.
* The charger. It is a USB charger. I hate tapping even more of my laptop battery or taking up one of my few usb ports to slowly charge up this mouse. I understand it is convenient in some ways, but having an adapter which could be charged USB or in the wall would have been immensely more welcomed. The battery does seem to hold a charge pretty well, though I've not put it through long enough paces to see if this is another problem. The logitech air mouse has an amazing battery life that is hard to beat. Added to this, there doesn't seem to be a way of turning the mouse off. It's always blinking blue at me. Which makes me think that it loses more power than it should because I can't shut it down.
* The charger design. It's terrible. The mouse sits loosely and uncomfortably on the cradle, with some fiddling to make sure the mouse is connected and charging. The mouse can be easily--like with a small breeze--knocked off the charger, resulting in a charging session that ends up not providing any charge.
Over all, I feel like there's a lot of great hardware and software pluses with this mouse, but they really skimped on the design process. It feels they put a lot of great stuff into a really not thought out package. I'm not someone who usually is attentive to design issues, however, this mouse kept bringing them to my attention.
And yet, if I was asked to recommend this or the Logitech as a useful air mouse in an educational setting, I would almost certainly recommend this one, because of its flexible programmable buttons and helpful software. Though as I do it I would feel a tinge of sadness as the Logitech just is so much a better fit in the hand and overall look.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Gyration Air Mouse Elite GYM5600NA
Click here for more information about Gyration Air Mouse Elite GYM5600NA
0 comments:
Post a Comment