Kantek Fingers a Better Mouse

Salvatore Salamone

If you're concerned about repetitive stress injuries, or you have a messy desk that hampers mouse movements, you might be interested in Kantek's Spectrum RingMouse 1.5 ($99). The RingMouse is a wireless input device that fits on your finger and operates like a two-button mouse. You can use RingMouse as you would any mouse in DOS, Windows 3.x, and Windows 95 environments.

The RingMouse package includes driver software and a device that sits on top of your monitor. The monitor device has sensors that triangulate the mouse's position and detect its movement. Waving your hand above your keyboard moves the cursor. While this may look a little peculiar, it really works. And it works very well for common tasks, such as opening applications and accessing files. The only trouble I had with an older versi on of the product was highlighting text in a Word document (as I'm a big coffee drinker, my hand was very unsteady). However, the new RingMouse 1.5 has a selectable sensitivity level that makes even this task easier.

RingMouse also supports 3-D cursor movement, something that's becoming desirable in CAD programs and games. (RingMouse comes with a couple of 3-D games so you can see how this works.) The 3-D movement makes RingMouse more versatile than a trackball or a traditional mouse. It can also emulate a joystick.

The device requires an IBM-compatible 386 or higher, a serial port, a VGA display adapter, 1 MB of RAM, and MS-DOS 3.3 or higher.

I especially like the RingMouse's dual operating feature, which lets you work with RingMouse and a traditional mouse without having to edit system files or add and delete mouse drivers. You access the dual operating feature through a configuration icon and simply choose whether to install or uninstall the RingMouse driver.

Kantek's Spectrum RingMouse 1.5 may be the answer for mouse users affected by repetitive stress injuries and wrist strain.

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Spectrum RingMouse 1.5...............$99

Kantek, Inc.
East Rockaway, NY
(516) 593-3212
fax: (516) 593-3295
Internet: 
http://www.business1.com/kantek/

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