At Last, A Mouse Without A Mouse Pad

Sydney Morning Herald

Sunday July 28, 1991

By TONY SARNO

ANOTHER failing of laptop or notebook computers has been overcome: Microsoft has released a mouse that doesn't need hectares of flat surface around the machine to do its job.

Before Microsoft's BallPoint Mouse came along, it was virtually impossible to run Windows-based programs on laptop if you were in an aircraft seat, or somewhere without a table.

The computer may have been powerful enough, but there was no place on which to slide a mouse to drive the programs. The BallPoint Mouse, however, attaches to the laptop's thin plastic lip between the keys and the edge, and does not need a mouse pad to slide on.

It's basically an upside-down mouse - you twiddle the ball in its socket with your fingers to guide the pointer on the screen.

The Ballpoint Mouse comes with three sets of clamp arms to fit most computers, and can be attached anywhere along the side and front edges of the machine. It is designed so that it is suitable for a right- or left-handed user, having mouse buttons on both sides. Unlike those on a normal mouse, they don't come already designated as left and right buttons. You assign them their sides when you install the mouse, to suit your own orientation.

The mouse comes with two installation and setup panels: one for MS-Dos, and a graphical one for Windows.

Trying out the mouse, I attached it to the lower right-hand side of a laptop, to suit my right hand. Guiding the ballpoint with my thumb, and pressing the mouse buttons with my middle fingers felt strange at first. But after some more practice at brain-thumb co-ordination, it proved quite precise.

While I wasn't testing it on an aircraft or in a cramped space, I immediately appreciated the space the BallPoint Mouse saved on my desk. At first it felt flimsy, giving the feeling that if I pushed down too hard on the ball the mouse case clamps would break the thin plastic edge on which they were attached, but this was IBM laptop plastic, which like Mercedes car-seat vinyl was tough.

Anyway, if I'd pushed down too hard, the mouse would have simply popped off without causing any damage. With longer use, it became apparent that I should not have been resting my whole hand on the mouse, just my thumb and fingers.

I also tilted the BallPoint Mouse's angle to better suit my hand. You can have the mouse flat with the keyboard, or tilted to one of four positions. It seemed easier to use when tilted at around 60 degrees than when flat.

There is no doubt that more and more laptops or notebooks will be produced with ballpoint mouse attachment points, avoiding the need for the large clamp assembly that comes with the Ballpoint Mouse.

According to the Microsoft manual, the clamp assembly is detachable because there already are laptops that have ballpoint mouse receptacle holes in their sides. You would plug mouses straight into the machine.

The Microsoft BallPoint Mouse should be indispensable if you travel frequently with your laptop. It costs $275 and is available from all Microsoft resellers.