Check out this new 3 style mouse

What is the 3style Mouse? The 3style Mouse is like a cross between a wireless mouse and a jog wheel. As well as working in the normal X and Y directions, the whole mouse can be rotated, spinning freely and smoothly on its ball bearing pad. Using robust sensing technology unique to this product, the mouse can sense when it is being rotated and sends this rotational data to the computer as Z or scroll data. This Z data, which is a third degree of freedom, can be applied to many tasks in the computer software being used with the mouse. The sensing technology is also used to make sure the mouse always knows where it is going. That is, unlike a normal mouse which must be held in a certain direction so that up is up, the 3style Mouse will know that up is up no matter which way it is rotated. Because of this, it can be used to simultaneously control three dimensions.

The 3style Mouse works on the desktop or a mouse pad just like a normal mouse, except that you can spin it and use it an any angle.

The small white arrow shaped button is the orientate button. Pressing this button while the arrow points forwards on your desktop sets that as the up direction for pointer movement on screen no matter how the mouse is rotated. This only needs to be done once for any particular desk or working environment.

Push and squeeze button operation The mouse can be rotated with one finger like a video or audio jog wheel or you can flick it and it will spin freely. You can continuously rotate the mouse this way, unlike with a scroll wheel. Rotating the mouse needs only a very light touch.

Because the mouse can be used at any angle you can also use the buttons at any angle. There is one push button which can be operated from any part of the top of the mouse, and a series of squeeze buttons which also work from any angle to give a right click. The third Jog dimple button can be used like the dimple on a jog wheel to rotate the mouse. This button can work like the scroll wheel button on a standard mouse or switch to left-right scrolling when pressed.

For video and audio editing applications, the cursor can be positioned over an on-screen knob such as on a virtual mixing panel, and the knob can be operated directly by rotating the mouse. Many current applications already support scroll wheel control of on-screen knobs and sliders, and can work easily with the 3style Mouse.

The 3style Mouse can be used as a jog wheel to navigate through linear sequences such as audio waveforms and video timelines. If multiple timelines are present on-screen, the mouse can be pointed directly at a particular timeline then used to control that timeline.

As compared to typical physical control surfaces, the 3style Mouse has the advantage that there is no need to map hardware controls to on-screen software controls, since mapping occurs by moving the mouse pointer on the screen.

Applications in colour correction also have potential to leverage the additional input dimension.

Similar usage may apply in industrial simulation and control environments including medical and military applications.

Rotate 3D objects in 3 axes, simultaneously For 3D applications, an object, scene or camera viewpoint can be rotated in three dimensions simultaneously. This is useful for examining objects while modelling, and for setting up camera angles prior to rendering. Simultaneous panning and zooming is also possible.

For gaming applications, a major advantage is the ability to quickly change point of view in a first person shooter environment. That is, look to the side or behind then back again, while maintaining the use of the Y mouse movement for vertical aim. The X mouse movement remains free for strafing or weapon changing, for example. There are however many other possibilities that might arise in the gaming area from providing an extra dimension of input. Rapid 2-way scrolling For general applications such as web browsing and word processing, the rotation of the mouse is used for scrolling, replacing the need for a finger operated scroll wheel. This has ergonomic advantages, since the movement involves the whole hand and arm instead of just one finger, reducing strain and increasing blood flow. In addition, the rotational motion of the mouse is more fluid and continuous than with a finger operated scroll wheel.

By pressing the jog dimple button the mouse can scroll left-right as well as up-down.

How big is the 3style Mouse? In its current form the 3style Mouse is quite small, about the size of a shoe polish tin (or 80mm diameter for technical people!).

The 3style Mouse has all of the capabilities of a normal 3-button mouse with a scroll wheel. It works through the USB port with standard mouse drivers on PCs and Macs, and works with all existing applications with at least as much effectiveness as a normal scroll wheel mouse. The mouse has two main button operationss being push and squeeze of the top shell, and a third scroll button being the round dimple button on the top of the mouse.

Optional mini USB dongle The 3style Mouse uses state-of-the-art 2.4Ghz wireless technology from Nordic Semiconductor. This provides high performance, 10 meter range, excellent interference robustness and long battery life.

The 3style Mouse can operate on multiple channels so it can be used alongside other similar products without any problems.

The docking station, standard with the 3style Mouse (see photos at the bottom of the page) incorporates a wireless receiver in addition to recharging connectors. For notebook users, an optional mini USB dongle provides mobile convenience.

How can software applications take advantage of the 3style Mouse? Any application which currently has support for a scroll wheel mouse will work easily with the 3style Mouse, with the advantage of comfortable, precise, continuous control by rotating the mouse. For example, many audio applications already provide scroll wheel control of on-screen knobs and sliders.

In some cases however, for best advantage modifications are needed to software applications such as video and 3D applications. In essence, software applications need to listen for the incoming Z data and map it to functions such as rotating objects and jogging through sequences. Since the 3style Mouse sends its Z data the same way that normal scroll wheel data is sent, software applications can easily hook into the rotational data using the standard scroll wheel APIs. Alternatively, if more specific functionality is required, special drivers can be developed and the USB data coming from the mouse can be formatted for particular purposes as required.

How much will it cost? The 3style Mouse has only a few electronic components in addition to what a normal wireless mouse needs. Much of the additional functionality is implemented in firmware. Therefore the price point is anticipated somewhere in the range of existing high-end wireless mice. Being a new, novel technology with enhanced capabilities the 3style Mouse may attract a price premium especially for early sales.

The 3style Mouse is fully developed and in final testing prior to production readiness.

The 3style Mouse uses built-in rechargeable long life lithium battery and comes with a combined wireless receiver and charging base which is USB powered. Sophisticated power management features include low battery warnings and shutdown and in-built smart battery charger. Battery life is approximately 50 hours between charges.

© Copyright Cylo Technology 2006. All rights reserved. Cylo® is a registered trademark of Cylo Technology Pty Ltd. 3styleTM is a trademark of Cylo Technology. Information subject to change.

Please click here to see mouse demonstration on video. http://petalac.blog-city.com/_mouse.htm

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