Gyration Air Mouse Elite Specifications:
In-air cursor control using patented SmartMotionTM technology and optical sensorInnovative trigger activated in-air cursor controlErgonomic ambidextrous designWireless connectivity with 2.4GHz RF USB receiver100 feet (30m) mouse range with no line-of-sight restrictionsHyper-sensitive scrolling with assignable
3 button controlMSRP: $79.99
The Gyration Air Mouse Elite has a rather unique shape compared to other wireless USB mice. It is a cross between an arch-style mouse and a pistol-grip controller, to allow you to seamless go between sliding it around on your desk and lifting it up in the air with one hand. The mouse itself is glossy black with chrome trim. The bottom is flat black with adequately sized Teflon pads for easy sliding. The mouse is built fairly well and doesn't creak or feel flimsy while holding it. All of the buttons are easily reachable with your thumb (besides the scroll wheel when holding it like a pistol) and don't take much pressure to activate the switches beneath the plastic covers.
The charging method Gyration uses is pretty coo, keeping the mouse in an elevated position so it can be quickly picked up and already be in the orientation needed to control a computer with your hand. It has a recessed connection on the mouse itself, and a stepped prong connector on the charging dock that keeps the mouse attached with lowered into position. The charging dock is powered by a single USB cable, although the side that connects to the dock is a standard bullet-connector that could be replaced by an AC-adapter.
The USB wireless dongle is little over an inch long, with the height and width just barely larger than the USB connector itself. The adapter has an LED light indicating connection status and a button to pair the mouse with the computer it is plugged into. It was small enough to not block any adjacent ports and we were pretty happy to see it as an external device instead of integrated into the charging dock. This lets you take only the mouse and wireless dongle with you to presentations instead of a huge bulky mess of wires.
The Gyration Air Mouse Elite was fairly easy to pickup and use off the bat. As a regular mouse it worked as you might expect, with fast and fluid movement devoid of any lag. The optical sensor worked well on multiple surfaces without skipping a beat. In the air it took a bit of practice to make the correct swooping movements and actually target the objects on the screen that you wanted to hit. If you were sitting down working through a notebook screen and external monitor, it was slightly more awkward than normal. Once you figured out the correct movements though, using the Gyration mouse in the air was very natural.
The included software also let you customize hand gestures into launch commands for various programs. We had a bit of trouble getting it to work on two Dell notebooks, but we chalk that up to conflicting mouse drivers.
Conclusion
The Gyration Air Mouse Elite is a cool gyroscopic mouse for people who need a mouse to use during presentations or to control your computer with one hand. The motion is very fluid, taking only a few minutes to get use to. If you have used a Nintendo Wii, you will easily master the Gyration Air Mouse. Besides a few driver related quirks, we had no trouble using the Air Mouse on any system we plugged it into. If you don't need to use the programmable keys on the front, you could easily get by with never installing the software. Overall if you need a gyroscopically controlled pointer, the Gyration Air Mouse Elite is a option to definitely check out.
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