Gyration Air Mouse

Got one of these for the G5 Media Center this week. For some reason I decided I wanted it now, so I got one from CompUSA on Sunday, then the first unit had a defective charger base and I only got the exchange done today. I am adding this wireless mouse since the touch disc trackpad on the Logitech DiNovo Edge keyboard leaves a lot to be desired.

Man, this air mouse thing is cool. You can wave it in the air like a madman if you’re leaning back on the couch, or you can place it on your coffee table (so long as it’s not glass) and use it like a regular mouse. Of course, I didn’t spend a little extra for an air mouse just so I could use it like a regular mouse, so I spent about a half hour waving it around tonight.

The interaction takes a little bit of adjustment. You don’t realize just how unsteady a human hand is until you have something that’s digitally tracking it. When using the mouse in wave-in-the-air mode, you depress a little trigger-like button in order to tell the mouse to track, or you can double-click the trigger to lock the tracking — otherwise you’re free to move your arm around normally. I found that my control was best if I moved the mouse in controlled bursts — it’s actually rather physically demanding to operate a mouse in the air with no support in one smooth motion.

After about a half hour I’m able to hit the close box on a 1920×1080 60″ display from 14′ away, which is pretty satisfying. My forearm is getting an extra workout, and I kinda also feel like the villain from Tomorrow Never Dies, which is also a plus. Two mice up.

Gyration GO 2.4 Optical Air Mouse