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GUI Software Technology

New Microsoft Mouse Scrolls Both Ways 736

Posted by CmdrTaco from the yes-i-said-it dept.
Library Spoff writes "The BBC are reporting that Microsoft are bringing out a mouse that will use the scroll wheel to tilt as well as roll. The innovation means that users will be able to scroll vertically as well as horizontally without using on-screen navigation bars." How long before I get a trackball embedded in my mouse?
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New Microsoft Mouse Scrolls Both Ways More

New Microsoft Mouse Scrolls Both Ways

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  • Apple had a similar idea! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by avij ( 105924 ) * on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:31PM (#6637297) Homepage
    Isn't this pretty much the same idea that Apple had some time ago [slashdot.org]?
  • From Jakob Nielsen's Top Ten Web-Design Mistakes 2002 [mondosearch.com]:

    3. Horizontal Scrolling

    Users hate scrolling left to right. Vertical scrolling seems to be okay, maybe because it's much more common.
    Web pages that require horizontal scrolling in standard-sized windows, such as 800x600 pixels, are particularly annoying. For some reason, many websites seem to be optimized for 805-pixel-wide browser windows, even though this resolution is pretty rare and the extra five pixels offer little relative to the annoyance of horizontal scrolling (and the space consumed by the horizontal scrollbar).

    So now why do I want this mouse?

    John.
    • At first I thought as you do, but then I started thinking of wide spreadsheets where this mouse would be QUITE handy.

    • Re:/. parrotting Micro$oft product announcements? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by badboy_tw2002 ( 524611 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:35PM (#6637361)
      You want it so you can easily deal with all the jerks that don't make their webpages to size.

      Also, spreadsheets often require a lot of left/right scrolling, and if you work with them a lot this will be a big improvement. If its as easy as the mousewheel to use, I'm all for it.

      Don't hate it just because its from Microsoft. Evaluate the technology for what it is.
    • I don't see this as a tool for scrolling left in web pages, but rather very handy when working with image manipulation software.

      Its definetly not a radical innovation, but it would ne a nice feature to have every once in a while.

      Also, I bet it could come in handy in games, particularly the more recent fps games, where there is more than just fire and jump to have to worry about.
    • So now why do I want this mouse?

      I asked myself the same thing a few years back when the mouse wheel was up'n'coming. Can't live without it now...

      But I guess it is easier for the finger to stretch forward and backward, rolling the wheel up and down than to move sideways. Perhaps strained pointing fingers will be the next sign for exessive computer usage (OT: I managed to hurt my hand with an old Atari 2600 joystick. Don't ask).
    • You're right. Horizontal scrolling is horrible and painful...

      with that said, I work at a financial firm where we have two-three LCD's per user, and even then, sometimes, data that generates to an excel spreadsheet takes up more horizontal space than that, and requires that kind of scrolling..

      not saying it'll become a commonplace, but it surely has its applications..

    • its physiology (Score:2, Insightful)

      by jonnyfivealive ( 611482 )
      my fingers dont do horizontal bending when on a mouse. its that simple. they bend sort of front to back when on a mouse, which is convienent for a vertical scroll, not a horizontal one.

      i do think it would work for the thumb, tho...

    • Bonus Feature (Score:4, Funny)

      by Doesn't_Comment_Code ( 692510 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:40PM (#6637465)
      Another bonus feature of this new mouse is that is only clicks Microsoft programs and products.

      For your safety, the mouse will not open any programs that Microsoft doesn't make money off of. It could be a virus.

      Furthermore, whenever you do click a Microsoft product, the mouse will waste your bandwidth be automatically connecting the internet, contacting Microsoft, and checking all your serial numbers to make sure your licenses are up to date.

      Then, if you have old software that has an update release from Microsoft, the mouse will open a browser where you can download updates (for a fee of course).

      Then to save you the hassle, the mouse will move the cursor over the Download Updates link and click for you, automatically charging your credit card.

      We hope you enjoy your new Microsoft mouse with added features. And don't forget to sign your EULA before opening the package.


    • You might want this if you something else other than view web pages.

      Many peoples documents, source code or whatever needs to be scrolled horizontally.

      It might not be all that original but I think it could be very worthwhile.
    • So now why do I want this mouse?
      I want it because I do more than read web pages. I could use it for moving around in Visio documents or PDFs of networks or database schemas, Illustrator files, zoomed in Photoshop images, large spreadsheets, large PDFs of maps of the city I live in, etc.

      My Thinkpad has a feature like this where I can hold a button and use the eraser nub that normally controls the pointer to scroll around in any direction.

    • Re:/. parrotting Micro$oft product announcements? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Atario ( 673917 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:44PM (#6637526) Homepage
      So now why do I want this mouse?
      Obviously, to make it easier to read poorly-designed websites. Err...

      Seriously, though, (folks,) I do find tend to find it useful for scrolling around wide program listings or for sites whose text column is narrow enough for my browser window, but is merely offset to the right for some vertical navigation bar or advertising column.
      How long before I get a trackball embedded in my mouse?
      I'm surprised it wasn't done years ago. I'm also surprised at the relative failure of the IBM TrackPoint (I think that's what they were called) mice -- a kind of sideways-saddle shaped version of the piezoelectric pencil-eraser-looking mice they like to put in their notebook keyboards, only where the wheel would otherwise be. I have one at work, and it's quite nice. Lots less *roll* *roll* *roll* *roll* when scrolling down a page; just pull it back a little and wait. Or pull it harder and wait less. (Did I just say that?) Anyway, it handles vertical and horizontal scrolling, which I find myself doing much more readily using that mouse. Oh, and there's a small button just past the TrackPoint thingy so you can do the equivalent of wheel-clicks.

      The shame of it is, my company has a lot of these mice around, but no one has the drivers installed, and so the TrackPoint becomes completely useless. *Sigh*
    • It's august. Besides the daily SCO update, what's going on worth a front page story?

      There's not a lot of tech news going on.

      If you didn't like this story, how many stories have you submitted today?
    • Because this mouse lets you deal better with Top Web Design Mistake #3.

      My God, but this troll was done exactly right. Anti-Microsoft, and with an absurdly illogical argument that looks reasonable to any Microsoft hater who only reads it fast. I only hope that you continue on with trolls that attack more interesting subjects like gender politics, race, or modern social ideology.
    • Maybe the reason this is so annoying is because we now don't have easy horizontal scrolls. If everyone buys one then websites will start being bigger horizontally so you have to scroll and then you will need it, quite likely.

      Wow, the mob mentality for mice.

    • Re:/. parrotting Micro$oft product announcements? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by arth1 ( 260657 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:57PM (#6637736) Homepage Journal
      Why you want this mouse?
      Simple. Microsoft also just came out with Flight Simulator 2004 (aka FS9), and this product was really required to be able to fly with a mouse.

      Seriously, now we're only one step away from getting a clit^H^H^H^Htrackpoint on top of the mouse, like on IBM laptops. What's next? A miniature touch pad on each button?

      What I'd like to see is a mouse that's shorter and wider, that you can hold when your hand is half-closed (which is the natural position), with four buttons, one for each primary digit. Tilt your mouse 90 degrees to the left, grab it, and feel what I mean. Not all this wheel stuff and 8 hard-to-reach buttons that you really only press by accident.

      Regards,
      --
      *Art
    • I completely understand if some pages get a little overly wide at 640x480, and I have to scroll. (My TV PC runs at this resolution, fortunately I don't browse the web much except for TV listings for ShowShifter on TitanTV.com.)

      I'm even tolerant of it happening at 800x600.

      But when I run at 1024x768, full screen browser window on my desktop's LCD monitor, I get REALLY irritated with people who code their pages to be somewhere around 1080 pixels wide. Because at that resolution, unless there is a right-han

  • I don't want horizontal scrolling. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by garcia ( 6573 ) * on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:32PM (#6637308)
    I want webpages to be designed like they currently are. For people that use 800x600 or 1024x768 (like they should) there is little need to scroll horizontally.

    Let's not allow this to become commonplace. I would prefer that all information is easily seen on a single page.

    • Who says this is for web browsers? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Schezar ( 249629 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:35PM (#6637368) Homepage Journal
      Say you have a folder filled with, I don't know, mp3s. Many of them.

      Notice how the window's contents are arranged HORIZONTALLY? Seems a horizontal scroll-thingie would me mighty useful in this situation.

      Or how about wave editing? It would be nice to mouse-scroll across the waveform HORIZONTALLY.

      Just some thoughts.
      • Usually when I type "ls" the output conforms to the terminal window I have open at the time.
      • When no vertical scrolling is sensible (like a wave editor) the scrollwheel should cause horizontal scrolling. I've seen this trick in quite a few apps. The point is that there's very little need for two dimensional scrolling, it's mostly an "either-or" situation.
      • Notice how the window's contents are arranged HORIZONTALLY? Seems a horizontal scroll-thingie would me mighty useful in this situation.

        Maybe if you're using windows explorer or something.

        In any case, a horizontal scroll wheel is completely redundant in that situation: the unused "vertical" scroll wheel should be made to scroll horizontally if the window does not require vertical scrolling.
        • In my experience with windows explorer this is exactly what happens. If you have a window open and the contents displayed in something horrible like icon or thumbnail view the contents will be displayed either horizontally or vertically. The mouse wheel will move whichever scrollbar is present. This can also be seen in various open file dialogs that scroll horizontally instead of vertically.

      • Re:Who says this is for web browsers? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by moonbender ( 547943 ) <moonbenderNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:52PM (#6637650)
        Notice how the mouse wheel already scrolls window's contents that are arranged horizontally? At least it does that for me. I don't really see a lot of use for another wheel at least in file system explorers. I'm not sure about wave editing - maybe the same can be applied. Generally, the scrolling wheel is just that, a scrolling wheel. There's no reason why it should only be used for scrolling up and down, and conversely it's been adapted for many other uses: scrolling sideways, zooming in and out, switching items or weapons in games, and so on.

        Now I really don't mind if Microsoft "innovates" and "creates" a four-way mouse wheel - of course, it's not much of an innovation, since mice with additional means to scroll in another dimension have been around for years, but I don't mind the occasional evolutionary step, either. Apart from the first introduction of the mouse wheel (who did that, incidently?), it's been mostly evolution and not revolution for the mouse interface in the last n years, including the allegedly revolutionary step towards optical sensors.
        However, I'm a bit dubious if this will work well. Previous designs I've seen had a second wheel, some of them even had a wheel that actually rolled horizontally. I doubt they were comfortable to use, especially the last variant. (Try scrolling an imaginary horizontal wheel - not exactly comfortable.) From the sounds of the article, the existing mouse-wheel will tilt left and right, making it sound a bit similar to a coolie-hat on joysticks, maybe something like a cross between wheel and coolie-hat. Hohumm. It's better than a horizontal wheel, but it still requires horizontal finger movement, which sucks. There's also the question of accidently tilting the wheel when you only wanted to scroll or click.

        An approach I'd prefer would be a simple software solution, using one of the mice's many (superflous, IMHO) modifier buttons. One of the thumb buttons on my mouse would do very nicely: if pressed, the wheel scrolls horizontally, if not it's the typical vertical scrolling. Obviously this would only make sense in apps which routinely scroll both ways, like spreadsheets. Note that this kind of thing is already routinely done in games! Not really with sideways scrolling, but it's extremely common to have the right mouse button function as a modifier making the wheel zoom instead of scroll or toggle etc.
        Of course, this wouldn't let Microsoft sell new hardware, so I guess this doesn't appeal to them a whole lot.

        Anyway, I don't mind this. I'll try it, but I doubt I need it, so I guess I can save money by not buying a mouse with this feature. Then again, I'm sure people also said that when mouse wheels were first introduces, so what do I know. =)

        Oh and for the record, I'm using a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer right now - fine device!

    • Re:I don't want horizontal scrolling. (Score:4, Funny)

      by stratjakt ( 596332 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:36PM (#6637380) Journal
      There's more to life than webpages.

      Some people use some sort of crazy software called a "spreadsheet" or some stuff, and it goes sideways and up and down and back and forth and all topsy turvy in a world where people throw ducks at balloons and nothing is as it seems.

    • Why should a webpage know about care about or generaly have anything to do with display size? It should be formated to work as text on an arbitray sized screen. Or no screen at all for that matter. You know I allmost wish they made the liscence to use HTML revocable upon doing stupid things like flash, animated Gif's and anything else that strayed form the purpose of delivering information to all people no matter what there encumberances are.
      • This would effectively roll the web back to 1994. Most folks don't want that.

        The web works by the 'you can't please all of the people all of the time' model... it's just not possible. So we try to accomodate 95% or so, and live with the complaints from the remaining 5%.

        It is a royal pain to design for many display types, yet most of us (professional) web geeks do. To expect us to be able to handle all clients, when the clients don't hold to standards, is not realistic.

    • "For people that use 800x600 or 1024x768 (like they should)"/i.

      Huh? How many inches^Wfeet is your screen? I only use 80x25!

    • RTFA (Score:2)

      by mblase ( 200735 )
      I want webpages to be designed like they currently are.

      Y'know, some people actually use their computers for more than just web browsing. And there are other applications besides web browsers that use horizontal scrollbars! Strange, I know, but true.
    • Because, of course, no one uses a computer for anything other than browsing the web. So the only consideration for the use of such a feature is webpage design.

      And of course, garcia is the setter-of-standards, not only in regards to what hardware people should use and how much information they may consider at one time, but also what level of eye sight is required.

      Yes! Death to those who may wish to have things on their screen a little larger than the great garcia decrees! Scrolling is an abomination!

      sa

  • umm (Score:4, Informative)

    by tralfamador ( 159554 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:32PM (#6637310)
    i already have an ibm mouse that does this. have had it for 3 years

    • Re:umm (Score:2, Interesting)

      by x311 ( 600406 )
      Yeah, I've had a cheap $10 PS/2 mouse that's had two scroll wheels for a few years two. I don't use the horizonatal mouse button much, but it is handy, especially working in photoshop.
  • Well, can you, or do we need yet another button?

  • excellent... (Score:4, Funny)

    by SpineZ ( 84378 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:34PM (#6637338)
    this sure will help me keep one hand free while looking at these 1600x1200 "pictures."
  • First the optical mouse... now the side scroller! Yeah for microsoft, for once.

    Of course, if somebody would just make it illegal to have html that needed to scroll left to right... it would save us much more heartache.

    Obviously, this is gonna rock in game play...

    Davak

  • Let me guess... (Score:5, Funny)

    by MarkGriz ( 520778 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:34PM (#6637349)
    Introducing, the Microsoft BiMouse. That Mouse that Scrolls Both Ways (tm)

  • I saw this on thinkgeek just today. (Score:5, Informative)

    by rangek ( 16645 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:34PM (#6637352)

    I was browsing thinkgeek [thinkgeek.com] and ran across this mouse [thinkgeek.com]. Sounds like this is old news.

  • Sweet.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:34PM (#6637354)
    .. I can bind the new controls to lean left/right in FPSs. :)
  • I'd love a "scroll ball button" in place of the "scroll wheel button" I have in the middle of my TrackMan Marble Wheel. Basically it would give me two trackballs on one base, one main one for cursor control that allows for precision because it is large and doesn't click and a smaller one for scrolling that can also act as my middle mouse button (gotta have my X paste!)
  • How long before I get a trackball embedded in my mouse?

    I already have a trackball embedded in my trackball embedded in my trackball embedded in my...

    Alowing me to navigate the web in an infinity of dimensions.

  • Scenario (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:35PM (#6637369)
    MAN AT BAR: [coughs conspicuously, smiles]
    WOMAN AT BAR: [politely but nervously smiles back]
    MAN AT BAR: My, uh, mouse goes both ways, if you know what I mean.
    WOMAN AT BAR: [begins to quietly edge away]

  • Well, (Score:3, Insightful)

    by frodo from middle ea ( 602941 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:35PM (#6637373) Homepage
    Its high time some one comes up with better ergonomic tools than the keyboards and mice of this generation.

    As the average time we spend on these machines increases so does the damage to our fingers and wrists.

    Also a zero decible CPU and a monitor least stressful on eyes would be nice.

  • Mouse with trackball in it (Score:5, Informative)

    by Serk ( 17156 ) * on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:37PM (#6637397) Homepage
    ...You mean like the Tecstorm TSOTS1?

    http://www.tecstorm.co.uk/tsots1.htm

    Another link - http://www.hardwareoptions.com/merchant.mv?Screen= PROD&Store_Code=HO&Product_code=MI14032

    I'd honestly never heard of it before this article, but after reading the idea of a mouse with a trackball in it, the idea seemed intriguing, so I did a quick Google for "trackball in mouse" and found that one... Looks interesting... Anyone ever used one?

    • I've seen 4-way and 8-way trackballs in mice available. I've seen some models available at [circuitcity.com].

      The trackball is actually fully directional. When used as a scrollwheel, the direction you spin it is treated as motion in one of 4 (or 8) directions. It can also be used to control the mouse pointer, but that disables the use of the optical mouse base as a mouse.

      I've thought about getting one, but I'm waiting until it can be used as two independent mice (and driver independent). I'd think it would be good for

  • Hardly an innovation. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Feztaa ( 633745 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:37PM (#6637401) Homepage
    I used to have a mouse that had two scroll wheels on it, and that was 5+ years ago. I used it for both horizontal and vertical scrolling (though it was configurable what you could actually do with it).

    Also, in some linux toolkits (gtk I believe, possibly others), you can scroll any scrollbar (no matter what direction it's in) just by putting the mouse over it and scrolling.

    For example, in gaim, if your buddy list has a horizontal scrollbar, you can scroll horizontally by putting the mouse over the horizontal scrollbar and scrolling. Even better, it doesn't even have to be a scrollbar: on the experimental bittorrent client, you can scroll the little frob that controls the maximum number of uploads this way.

    Fun stuff! I see little point in providing a hardware solution to a problem that was solved with software long, long ago.

  • Hardware solution for a software problem (Score:3, Interesting)

    by hackstraw ( 262471 ) * on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:38PM (#6637424)
    The innovation means that users will be able to scroll vertically as well as horizontally without using on-screen navigation bars.

    Need I say more? This is a hardware solution for a software problem.

    Whats next? WWW and email buttons on my computer? How about a Windows key to get in your way every time you go to use the left control?

    When I was a windows developer (I've reformed), I got really loaded on coffee and hot chocolate mix and actually pulled the damned windows key off of my keyboard, drilled a hole in my office wall, and shoved it in there.

    OK, what is this mouse for?

    • Re:Hardware solution for a software problem (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Politburo ( 640618 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @03:49PM (#6638384)
      How about a Windows key to get in your way every time you go to use the left control?

      Lay off the coffee, and learn the keyboard layout. The windows key is a very well designed key, imo. Aside from providing quick access to the taskbar and start menu, the windows key shortcuts provide access to core windows functions without confusing applications or users. Win+D: Show Desktop, Win+F: Find, Win+Break: System Properties, Win+L: Lock Station, and there are several more. These shortcuts do not work using the Ctrl+Esc substitute for the Windows key.

      With respect to WWW and Email buttons, if they can be reconifigured, these buttons can serve as a keyboard quick launch bar. I had an IBM keyboard with launch buttons and volume controls and it was great until they decided not to write a Win2k driver for it.

      Human Interfaces will *always* be a hardware problem, and in many cases, will require a hardware solution. It's just the nature of the beast.

    • Re:Hardware solution for a software problem (Score:4, Insightful)

      by og_sh0x ( 520297 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @03:55PM (#6638469) Homepage
      What I want to see more than anything else is a utility that will turn the Windows key off for a while, and in the future I would like to see ALL games disable this button during play. The only time the Windows key annoys me is when I'm playing a game and it brings me back to desktop, where meanwhile I'm dying inside the game with no control.
    • That's interresting. I hate the windows buttons too, not because they do anything, but because they remind me of that other operating system.

      In fact, I dislike them so much that just earlier today I took them off and used that stuff you use to polish wood (sorry, I'm not an english native speaker, so I don't know the word for swedish "sandpapper"). Anyway, now they're just gray buttons, so perhaps now I can bind them in fluxbox without feeling bad about pressing the evilOS-button :)
  • How long before I get a trackball embedded in my mouse?

    Depends on how fast you can click this link and order this mouse. [usbmax.com]

    ~Philly

  • That's OURS! (Score:3, Funny)

    by SkjeggApe ( 649721 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:40PM (#6637471)
    HEY!!!
    SCO has the exclusive copyright on the multi-scrolling mouse. Prepared for exortion!!!!
    Oh, wait, is that you Mr. Gates? Sorry, we didn't mean to.. eh.. we just got a bit carried away, yes, we do remember, oh please let's still be friends.. it'll never, ever happen again.... sorry ....
  • I have two complaints about this:

    1. It's already hard enough to "scroll" the damn things vertically without accidently "pressing" it and thats using fingers with knuckles that are the result millions of years of evolution to facilitate such tasks.

    2. This will encourage even more of those foul evil UI-nightmare horizontal scrollbars. And as I have a policy of not buying MS products that means my fingers will ache.
    • Ya, my mouse (and the one before it) does that too. I think it's particularly common in MSFT mice. Saying that, I do really like my MSFT mouse and keyboard.

      Heh: I have the same problem with my XBox control pad when it comes to the thumbsticks in some games. Maybe it's not the hardware. Maybe it's me?!

  • It's out of joint. (Score:5, Informative)

    by stomv ( 80392 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:42PM (#6637494) Homepage
    One of the reasons the scroll wheel is successful is because it's comfortable.

    Why? Your knuckles allow your finget to curl with your finger remaining parallel to the side of your hand.

    However, a side scrolling wheel requires either
    (i) an awful lot of play in your knuckles, allowing you to curl them to be non-parallel with the side of your hand, or
    (ii) bending the wrist to move your entire hand side-to-side.

    Neither is particularly comfortable, and both result in sore hand parts quite quickly. I predict that this will never be used much... too tough on the hands.

  • I've been asking for a trackball in a mouse... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Demon-Xanth ( 100910 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:42PM (#6637498)
    I've been asking for a trackball in a mouse for a long time. It'd make working with large OrCAD and AutoCAD files alot easier.
  • IBM had a scrolling mouse with one of those notebook pointing devices that hung out between the g and h keys on the keyboard.

    It worked well. I miss that mouse. I like the fact the harder you pushed it the faster it scrolled.

  • Uhm.. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by MImeKillEr ( 445828 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:43PM (#6637505) Homepage Journal
    Wouldn't it just be easier to use a trackball [logitech.com]?

    I mean, with this new mouse you still have to move the thing around in order to move the pointer. You get full X and Y axis movement using a trackball now and it remains in the same place on your desk. You don't even need to clear your collection of empty RedBull cans in order to use it.

    Plus, its easlier to play FPS using a trackball.
  • I have a Kingston mouse that does the exact same thing. it has two scroll wheels and it rocks my world. Although I don't use it on my windows machine, this mouse hasn't given me a single problem in the 2 years I've had it. It still has it's smooth as silk glide, where all others would have gummed up.
  • New Microsoft Mouse Scrolls Both Ways

    Sweet! Does this mean we'll finally get some mouse-on-mouse action?

  • This is news? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by twifkak ( 177173 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:45PM (#6637537) Journal
    Because it's done by M$? Because it's done via "tilting"? 4-D mice are not new.

    2 wheels [pcextremes.com]
    1 wheel (presumably via kybd modifier) [tigerdirect.com]
    a trackball [cnet.com]

    Move along, people, nothing to see here. Please, go back to slamming Real or something much more important.

  • ./ers missing the point... (Score:5, Informative)

    by int2str ( 619733 ) * on Thursday August 07, 2003 @02:45PM (#6637541)
    Hey guys!

    I see many replies about other mice with second scroll wheels or a built in trackball.

    This mouse let's you TILT the scroll wheel. That is the innovative part here. And personally I think that's gonna be much more usable than a second scroll wheel or a trackball on your mouse.

    Cheers,
    Andre

  • duh (Score:2)

    by XO ( 250276 )
    THere are dual wheel mice, that have a horizontal and a vertical wheel... sheesh.

    how does this make any page of slashdot, let alone front?
  • From the article: The mice will also have a feature that lets people switch between open applications by pressing down on the scroll wheel instead of using the keyboard.

    Good news!! Joe Blow consumer can now crash his computer in a new and exciting way. I hope this mouse comes in colors.

  • My roommate bought an optical mouse that does this one year ago, at Target. Let's hear it for innovation!
  • I had the same reaction to this that I did when I first heard about the wheel mouse: "what a dumb idea. I'm never going to use it."

    Of course now, x years later, I can't live without that little wheel. It's made a huge difference in the way I use my computer, no lie. (And of course it's great in games.)

    Like anything, all it requires is a killer app.
  • So it's a bi-directional mouse that swings both ways.....interesting.....

    I wonder if we'll see discrimination lawsuits against companies that only provide uni-directional mice.
  • This has always been an annoyance to me, that I cannot scroll horizontally easily.

    I quickly figured out an easy remidy though... set your middle-click to pan around.

    So, while this is kinda neat... it's not a necessity.
  • You mean up and down?
  • Now that mousing hand will not only have to move the mouse itself, but will also have to manipulate a "secondary" trackball-type mouse in the existing mouse with one finger. I have a feeling that people that use these mice will develop extreme pain in their middle finger...

    Maybe this will eliminate the traditional insult among FPS geeks? We'll have to invent a new one.

    Nah, I don't know about you, but I'd rather keep my middle finger. I like the WASD combination anyway, keeps the continual stress on my

  • Ibm had this at least 3-4 years ago with their Scrollpoint [ibm.com] Mouse. It's gone through a bunch of iterations, but it's always had that functionality.

    Good thing SCO didn't have this first...or did they?
  • I don't need a horizontal mouse... I just turn my monitor on its side!
  • How long before I get a trackball embedded in my mouse?

    They exist. The one I have in my hand now (no, the other hand...) was made by a company calling themself Starlogic, although I think they went out of business even before I bought mine from Circuit City for $8 last November. Google on Starlogic, trackball and mouse and you'll get lots of hits. There's even a couple on e-bay [ebay.com], but be warned, like most stuff on e-bay (I.M.H.O.) this is a scam - the mouse is showing currently at 99 cents, but the bastar

  • I just KNEW it! (Score:3, Funny)

    by hankaholic ( 32239 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @03:08PM (#6637874)
    That's it, Microsoft is gay.

    No, really. Their mouse goes both ways, their products have lots of loose back doors...

  • Easier solution (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Teppy ( 105859 ) * on Thursday August 07, 2003 @04:00PM (#6638543) Homepage
    Why not just program the existing scroll wheel so that when held down, it behaves like the "hand" tool in Photoshop. Press down the middle button, and then drag the document around the window.

    • Re:Easier solution (Score:3, Informative)

      by Jade E. 2 ( 313290 )

      Why not just program the existing scroll wheel so that when held down, it behaves like the "hand" tool in Photoshop. Press down the middle button, and then drag the document around the window.

      Logitech and MS's windows mouse drivers both already have options to do that. Internet Explorer has that built in even if you don't use the driver option. And you can get the Autoscroll extension [texturizer.net] to do the same thing in Firebird. There's probably a way to do it in straight mozilla too, but I haven't tried it sin

  • Easy Solution (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Arandir ( 19206 ) on Thursday August 07, 2003 @07:16PM (#6640507) Homepage Journal
    Before the world goes and congratulates Microsoft for putting the entire damned keyboard on the mouse, let's stop and think a bit...

    I've been using a trackball for years, and will never go back to a mouse. Recently I tried a new trackball that had a scrollwheel. It was so damned superflous it wasn't even funny. Why not just use the trackball? A little side button to click to put it into scroll mode, and then use the trackball to scroll vertically, horizontally, diagonally, or any other direction you can manage to contort.

    Frankly, today's mice have too many controls. And this is coming from a guy who demands three buttons! Don't put funky little doodads between the buttons. Don't hide wierd clicky thingies on the side or put them below the regular buttons. If people want them, sure go ahead and market them. But keep the standard pointing device simple. With a trackball and three buttons, all the controls you need are there already.

  • Ha! (Score:3, Funny)

    by mschoolbus ( 627182 ) <travisriley AT gmail DOT com> on Thursday August 07, 2003 @09:56PM (#6641477)
    Microsoft says they invented something...

    ...and /. believed them!!!

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