I
n a world measured in dots-per-inch, crazy lights, and truckloads
of buttons, it comes as little surprise that the latest innovation in the
fanciful land of computer mice removes the desk from the equation
entirely. We’ve entered the gyroscopic era, a time when you can surf
the web and play games from the comfort of your bed, if your bed is
across the room from your PC, that is.
The devices in this competition, however, serve two different mas-
ters. Their underlying gyroscopic technologiesare similar, but Gyration’s Universal Remote Control is obviously
designed for multipurpose living-room-style use. In contrast, the
sleek Logitech MX Air looks like it fell off the Star Trek prop table and
is actually a mouse/pointer hybrid, with the awesome ability to sense
when it’s being used on a flat surface or thrust about in the air.
Pitting the multibuttoned Universal Remote Control against the
MX Air is a true test of features versus functionality. It’s the ultimate
gyroscopic showdown!Gyration Universal Remote Control
vs. Logitech MX Air
ERGONOMICS
What do you do
with mice? You hold them. Basic
as it may sound, the ergonomics
of a pointing peripheral is one of
the most important aspects of
the device. Even more so with
gyroscopic mice, as you’ll be
doing a lot of gripping, clicking,
waving, and gesturing as you go
about accessing your computer
from across the room.
The big-ass, bulky Gyration
is mildly uncomfortable to hold
for extended periods of time.
The ever-comfy MX Air, however,
feels as though it was built
from a mold of your hand. It’s
perfectly designed for maximum
happiness in both normal-mouse
and airborne-pointer mode. The
buttons are easy to access and
offer soft backlighting—perfect
when you’re trying to pause
movies in the dark.
WINNER: LOGITECH MX AIRLOGITECH MX AIR
$150, http://www.logitech.comGAMING
Trying to run through
an Unreal 2004 deathmatch with
a gyroscopic mouse is like riding
on the merry-go-round from hell.
Looking around while running
through levels is simply too difficult
to do when the mouse isn’t
confined to a flat surface.
We could perform reasonably
well in a bot match with the MX Air.
It’s tough to use both buttons in
rapid succession, but manipulating
the scroll “wheel” is as easy as
using a typical wired mouse. And if
you need extra control, just slap the
MX Air on a table and it will instantly
revert to “standard mouse mode.”
Using the Gyration to frag is
but one word: impossible. You
have to double-tap a button to put
the remote into “constant mouse
mode,” but it doesn’t always stay
in that mode—not cool when the
rockets are flying your way.
WINNER: LOGITECH MX AIRhead 22 head TWO TECHNOLOGIES ENTER, ONE TECHNOLOGY LEAVES
round^1
round 2
BY DAVID MURPHY14 MAXIMUMPC OCTOBER 2007
GYROSCOPIC MICE