Not Just a Mouse Anymore

We can all remember our first mouse, right? Well, some of us can. For me, it was the mouse for Radio Shack's TRS-80 Color Computer. And the cool part was that I had the very first one in North America. Why? Because as a technical writer for Radio Shack R&D, I had to write the owner's manual for it.

Now you're probably wondering -- and rightly so -- "how hard could it be to document what is essentially a non-ergonmically correct hunk of plastic with a button and cord?" To be truthful, it didn't take long to knock out the manual, letting me get on to more exciting projects like writing owner's manuals for paper shredders ("If you're wearing a necktie, don't let it drop into the shredder") or COBOL programming manuals.

But if yesterday's mice didn't need much in the way of owner's manuals, today's surely do. For instance, Microsoft's new mouse isn't just a "mouse" but the rechargeable Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 with 1 GB of Flash Memory and a built-in 3-in-1 transceiver that lets you simultaneously work wirelessly, save files with 1 GB of storage, and recharge the mouse -- all at once through a single USB port. The Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 lets you choose either 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth. The mouse goes on to feature proprietary high-definition laser technology, a tilt wheel and two side buttons (magnifier and back).

With its V470 Cordless Laser Mouse with Bluetooth Technology, Logitech is in the Bluetooth mouse business too. The V470 features Bluetooth 1.2 wireless technology and laser tracking, and its Side-to-Side Scrolling Plus Zoom lets you zoom in and out, or scroll horizontally or vertically. But my favorite is the Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse, a laser mouse that works on the desk and in the air -- somewhat how you use a remote to control a TV. To see this in action, check out this Dr. Dobb's video.

But I have to admit, what amazes me most is that the names of these devices are longer than the owner's manual I wrote for the Color Computer mouse way back when.

-- Jonathan Erickson

Posted by Jon Erickson at 10:43 AM  Permalink