Can the design of the computer "mouse" be further improved?

[Darren Dirt]

...apparently yes, with a slight modification to the scroll wheel that somehow nobody has done before:

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http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2006/08/freewheelscrolling/index.php

Although the mice have a number of unique features, the one that's dramatically changed my mousing for the better is Logitech's new MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel. Unlike most scroll wheels, which are made of rubber or plastic, the Revolution mice use an alloy wheel that's significantly heavier.


the real innovation here is that the weighted wheel has a "freewheel" mode where a gentle flick of your finger spins the wheel freely, coming to rest only after its momentum dies (approximately seven seconds) or you manually stop it.


I performed a simple experiment using a lengthy Word document: With a standard scroll wheel, it took me over 60 "scrolls," ratcheting along, to get from the beginning of the document to Page 25; so much effort that in real-world work, I'd choose to reach for the keyboard or use the window's scroll bar instead. With the Logitech mouse's freewheel, it took me just three spins. Or consider a more common task for me: When browsing the Macworld forums, using a standard scroll wheel to navigate a 100-post thread is more trouble than it's worth. With the Logitech mouse, a quick flick whisks me down the page at a surprisingly fast speed; when I see what I'm looking for, I place my finger on the wheel to stop it and the scroll stops immediately.

Logitech got the feel right, too. The amount of force it takes to spin the wheel is minimal; the wheel is -- and I'm almost embarrassed to write this, as it sounds hokey when talking about a mouse -- a pleasure to use.

on those occasions over the past couple weeks when I've had to use a mouse with a traditional scroll wheel, it's felt klunky and limiting -- like going from a high-end road bike to a Big Wheel. In my day-to-day computer use, which is admittedly far too extensive, this "freewheel" scroll wheel has been the biggest mousing improvement since the advent of the scroll wheel itself.

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(see also this news release/feature summary)

[Darren Dirt]

Normally this opens in a new window -- a cool Flash movie thingie -- attention-grabbing and good demonstration too:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/demo/CA/EN,crid=2676,contentid=12134,sh=1

[Mr. Analog]

Wow a metal flywheel for the scrollwheel *yawn*, has this guy even heard of a trackball?

[Thorin]

Or push your scrollwheel to get that circular thingy and then move the mouse up or down a little to do lengthy scrolling...

[Darren Dirt]

Wow a metal flywheel for the scrollwheel *yawn*, has this guy even heard of a trackball?

Or push your scrollwheel to get that circular thingy and then move the mouse up or down a little to do lengthy scrolling...

I disagree with ya both. The reviewer was skeptical at the beginning, but after actually using it (not just watching the demo Flash movie, etc.) this was the conclusion:

...this "freewheel" scroll wheel has been the biggest mousing improvement since the advent of the scroll wheel itself.

The scrollwheel that the reviewer describes is better than either using the software "speed scroll" or a trackball, IMHO, and here's why:

It's all about using a single finger to move the right-where-we-need-it in a way we are used to (unlike the trackball) using the existing scrollwheel in a "powerful" way with complete control and precision (unlike the software "speed scroll" -- how often does it "accelerate" in a way that is more/less than you expected, and you end up clicking again to turn it off?)


I for one can't wait to try one of these babies out -- I'm sure Memory Express will have 'em real soon.


Again, to sum up why I would take the time to type this "I disagree with you both" rant:

-trackballs use your palm and arm (more space needed, more energy expended) instead of your fingertip.

-the click-and-use-software to speed through a document is not precise, not "analog" enough.

Anyway, that's what I think the reviewer would say if challenged with the objections you guys offered.

[Thorin]

Well, I'm skeptical because the quotes you offered made it sound like there's no other way to accomplish basically the same thing.  So I wanted to point out at least one other way to do the same.

I've used a mouse in the past that had a scroll wheel that didn't click as you scrolled.  Although it didn't freewheel, I did like it better than the rat-tat-tat-tat of the mice I use these days.  I'm sure if I used a freewheeler for a couple of weeks I'd be used to it and moving back to a regular scroll wheel would be like moving back to a mouse *without* a scroll wheel is now...  (we have one here in the office)

[Mr. Analog]

I used a trackball way back on my Powerbook for years with just one finger, you don't need your palm to handle it. Either way, my current Logitech mouse has a button in front of and behind the scroll wheel when I hold them down it just scrolls the page without me turning the wheel.