The mouse has seen quite a few iterations. It went from a rolling-ball-type to a laser-tracker-type. Then it transformed into IBM’s classic TrackPoint (or the nipple mouse as some jokesters call it), soon before becoming the ubiquitous trackpad, and finally, the professional’s tablet and stylus… but this may just be the weirdest iteration of the mouse yet. Called the RollerMouse, this product is the largest version of a product named after a tiny animal, and it’s also said to be the most ergonomic. Built to be an extension for your keyboard, the RollerMouse occupies space below it, adjusting in height to match your keyboard… and then comes using the mouse.
The RollerMouse comes with a sliding roller that lets you scroll to control the cursor on the Y axis, and slide to control the X axis. Much like using an etch-a-sketch, albeit probably easier, the RollerMouse combines the tactile-ness of a mouse with the convenience of a trackpad. While using the mouse for gaming or photo-editing may be a bit of a far stretch, it definitely makes a world of sense for regular work that involves tonnes of basic mouse movement. Besides, being able to control the roller on both the X and Y axes individually means you’ve got much more control over where you want the cursor. Beneath the slider you’ve got a cursor wheel (for scrolling through pages), left, right, and center click buttons, a button to control cursor-movement-intensity, and two more buttons that absolutely sweeten the deal… dedicated copy and paste buttons!!
Weird? Definitely. Would I still try it? You can bet on it. However, you’ve got to marvel the irony in needing to use your regular mouse to click on the Buy button for this absurd little instrument. Almost like how one uses Internet Explorer to download Google Chrome!
Designer: Contour Design
