Swiftpoint's Slider mouse gets off the beaten track

Juniper Foo | Mar 07, 2008

How many ways can one reinvent the mouse? Apparently, not enough times, from Kantek's 3D RingMouse to inertial mice which use a tuning fork or accelerometer to detect movement. Now the latest to this nest of contenders is Swiftpoint's Slider, a rodent that looks like a mouse, but behaves somewhat like a Wacom pen.

You grip it between thumb and index finger to work it, or you can lay it flat and move it around with your thumb. Given its minute size, this could either be a pain in the digits after prolonged use or a boon since this will work on any flat surface, even your notebook's keyboard, trouncing the standard travel mouse.

The Slider is still pending launch, and there's no word on whether this works wirelessly or via Bluetooth. Though it's more than passing interesting in design and function to keep an eye... and a finger on.