Rollermouse Free: the Exact Opposite of the Magic Trackpad
August 1st, 2010
Like many of Apple’s products, the Magic Trackpad is more form than function – it looks great but it’s not very practical. On the other hand, Contour Design’s design philosophy seems to be the opposite of that. The company’s product, RollerMouse Free, is a more ergonomic and practical mouse alternative, even though it’s not much to look at.
The RollerMouse Free is meant to alleviate stress in the arms, shoulder and neck caused by repeatedly reaching out for the mouse. It’s not that evident in the picture, but the heart of the RollerMouse is a roller bar – it’s the black bar beneath the left hand. The bar rolls forwards and backwards and also moves side to side, allowing the user to control the cursor. The functions of the buttons are not that hard to guess – left click, right click, dedicated double click, and a scroll wheel. There are also dedicated copy and paste buttons. See what I’m saying? The exact opposite of Apple’s hardware.
Contour Design does have one thing in common with Apple – their prices. At $220 (USD), the RollerMouse costs more than 3-times what the Magic Trackpad sells for. Fortunately Contour Design is offering a 30-day trial period on all purchases, so customers have plenty of time to test the RollerMouse Free and figure out if it works for you. You can order the RollerMouse Free at Contour Design’s website
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Categories: Computing Design Gadgets Strange + Wonderful Technology
Tags: awesome computer accessory controller ergonomic expensive mouse rollermouse
This looks very cool, and I wish I had heard of this before.
The “reaching for the mouse” problem can be reduced by using a keyboard without a numeric keypad (I use a keyboard like this made by Goldtouch).
Secondly, many of the benefits attributed to the RollerMouse can be had by using a good trackball, such as the Logitech Cordless TrackMan.