An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain
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Gyration Air Mouse Elite
Product: Gyration Air Mouse Elite
Website: www.gyration.com
System Requirements: All versions of Windows from Windows 98SE up, one or preferably two free USB ports
Price: £89.99 or £139.99 with wireless keyboard
PC ACCESSORIES MAKER Gyration's first "flying mouse" was well received when it was launched a couple of years back. It packed a version of the motion-sensing technology used in Nintendo's Wii gaming platform, allowing you to control presentations and other applications by waving it in the air. It also functioned as a standard desktop mouse.
The Gyration Air Mouse Elite, now available in the UK, has an improved gyroscope and accelerometer, eliminating cursor drift and increasing sensitivity. The software has also been revamped though it is still a little flaky, consistently freezing on one operation.
The mouse looks and feels good, with curved lines that fit snugly in the hand. The front half is just like a normal mouse, with left and right click buttons and a scroll wheel. Behind these are three extra buttons, which can be configured (see screenshot below) to trigger different tasks in different contexts, that is, the same button will have a different function according to whether you are using Powerpoint, a web browser, Media Player or the Windows desktop.
A fourth central button enables gesture control, with up to eight hand movements triggering different tasks according to context. Additional flexibility is provided by allowing you to define profiles with different sets of task assignments. The software provides a few extra of titbits of functionality, including a zoom function and the ability to use the mouse like a laser pointer in presentations.
Underneath the mouse is a trigger that enables midair cursor control. Operating the device away from a desktop takes a bit of getting used to, but the fine control required for a task such as clicking a minimise button is facilitated considerably if you put the cursor where you want it, then release the trigger before clicking.
The mouse docks on to a neat little charger that plugs into into a USB port for power. You also need to plug in a USB RF receiver dongle so you are likely to use up two USB ports.
The French company Movea, which now owns Gyration, hopes to find a new class of buyer for these devices among people who connect their PC to their TV sets, but the main market will among teachers, lecturers, and business people making presentations.
In Short
Good for controlling presentations, but you need some practice first. µ
The Good
Smart design, full of useful features.
The Bad
Software on the review model had at least one bug.
The Ugly
Receiver would better be incorporated into the USB dock to reduce the number of items to carry (or lose) and operate from a single USB port.
Bartender's Score
7/10
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Shame about the software freezing on you this time Clive. In fact, the MotionTools software can easily be updated to the latest version, either manually or automatically. Just go to "settings" where you can either select an immediate update or tick the option to trigger automatic updates. Movea release free corrective updates from time to time.
to know is -can this be useful in 3d modelling software? Or is it too crude?
Why are you reviewing a mouse INQ??
Have you forgotten you are an in-depth, highly-technical title?
Where is the rest of the review too?
It is only 400 words!!!
Where are the few thousand word reviews you are famed for?
400 words is hardly enough content to be bothered reading.
T3 and Stuff write more words on their "first looks" reviews.
Come on INQ, get your act together and stop reviewing nonsense like a mouse.
What is next, a mouse mat? USB Cable? The color blue?
A.Loyal.Reader
(So let me get this straight - you complain that we're reviewing something as banal as a mouse, and then complain that the review is too short. The review is short because it's just a mouse - albeit an interesting one due to the dual functionality - Ed)
If IRC, Gyration had "Air mice" available around 1996, and were responsible for the earliest Wii-mote prototypes. It's nice to see how the devices have matured.