Coming to you straight out of Taiwan, a small country off the southeast coast of China, the most innovative mouse available in the mainstream tech world is now available in North America. Crafted to fit snugly around your fingers, the newest entry to the remote control family is activated solely by your thumb, providing a uniquely flexible take on computer peripherals. Created and manufactured by the aptly named Genius corporation, the mouse is meant to come as a pint-sized revolutionary, a wireless liberator fighting off genuine banality and discomfort. Really though, it’s just a ring-shaped mouse.
As the recipient of an iF award, Genius is certainly steering clear of the modest approach when it comes to advertising. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the International Forum design awards, it’s pretty much the Oscars of the product design universe. Judged by a panel of renowned experts, iF award winners represent some of the best quality products on the market, at least in terms of their actual design.
Moving back to the product itself, Genius’ creatively named “Wireless Thumb Cursor Controller” or simply “Ring Mouse” (as labeled by their website) makes use of not-quite patented “Touch Control” technology to offer up a new experience for use solely with PCs. Luckily for all you non-Mac users out there, the device should work flawlessly with your computer, considering you’ve upgraded your OS in the last decade (7, Vista, or XP), and have at least one free USB port for the mouse’s pint-sized “Pico” receiver. Once that’s plugged in, Genius promises a product that will work from a range of up to 10 meters, which, for our American readers, equates about 32 feet.
Worried about battery life? Never fear. The mouse comes in-box sporting a highly rechargeable and allegedly efficient lithium battery, which of course you can charge via USB cable à la every Apple brand mp3 player. Really, with the iF seal of approval behind it, there isn’t much to worry about Genius’ newest peripheral creation. That is, unless you’re looking for a new gaming mouse. Of all the included functions, the mouse supports three unique software settings, Default (for standard mousing), Presentation and Media Mode. All things considered, this is a pretty eclectic grouping. Nonetheless, don’t be expecting to pull of any kind of sniping or spell-casting with this one.
For those of you interested, I’ve got the tech specs here, listed short and sweet:
| Port | USB |
|---|---|
| OS Support | Windows® 7/Vista/XP |
| 4D Scroll | YES |
| 8Way Scroll | YES |
| Both Headset | YES |
| Optical Sensor | YES |
| Laser Sensor | YES |
| Resolution(dpi) | 1200 |
| Touch Scroll | YES |
| Hyper Speed Scroll | YES |
| Gaming Mouse | – |
| Cordless | 2.4 GHz |
| Presenter+Laser Beam | – |
| Air Cursor | – |
Finally, we come to the grave matter of pricing. Set a shaky MSRP of US$69.99, Genius’ ring mouse isn’t exactly looking to be this month’s bargain. In an age where a standard wired mouse goes for about $8, a $70 price tag certainly won’t be on the radars of most price conscious consumers. Perhaps this is just personality speaking, but there doesn’t exactly seem to be a market niche for over-priced foreign peripherals. Then again, Apple seems to manage. If anything, this “Wireless Thumb Cursor Controller” seeks to innovate and pioneer rather than set a new standard. Plus, if you’ve got the extra cash to blow, why not try out the latest and greatest in remote control technology?
For those interested, Genius Wireless Ring Mouse