Penclic Bluetooth Mouse B2

The Penclic Bluetooth Mouse B2 takes ergonomic mice in a different direction, eschewing the unusual designs of the Evoluent VerticalMouse 4 for Mac (Right-Hand) or the Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse, and embracing something that's been around much longer: the pen. The Penclic Bluetooth Mouse B2 may be a little pricey, but it's a small price to pay to avoid carpal tunnel and other repetitive stress injuries common in offices across the country.

Design and Features
True to the Penclic name, the B2 Mouse puts the functionality of a mouse into a swiveling pen, giving you an interface that is at once ergonomic and intuitive. The swiveling pen swings freely on a gliding base, letting you swipe and glide with or without a mouspad. The pen portion of the mouse also features five distinct mouse buttons?right, left, and middle click, forward and backward browser buttons?and a scroll wheel on the base.

The bulk of the B2 Mouse is actually in the base, which houses the battery compartment, laser sensor, and Bluetooth components. As you grip the pen and move it about, the base glides easily, in no small part because it weighs a mere 1.6 ounces. The base measures 1.5 by 2.5 inches, with the pen standing six inches tall.

The mouse uses a single rechargeable AAA battery, which charges off of a USB-to-mini USB cable (included). The cable comes with a handy recoil device, making it convenient for travel.

Setup
Connecting the Penclic B2 Mouse is as simple as most Bluetooth mice. It requires no extra software installation, and works with Windows, Mac, and Linux systems alike. Once you've put a charged AAA battery into the base and powered the device on, simply open up device discovery on your PC, and select the mouse from the pairable devices. It's not quite as easy as pairing the HP Touch-to-Pair Mouse, but it's not difficult.

Once you're paired, an LED on the mouse will glow green, and you're good to go. The Bluetooth connection lets you use the mouse without having to worry about occupying a USB port, and it gives you a roughly 15-foot range for freedom to move around.

Performance
In actual use, the Penclic B2 Mouse is one part intuitive, one part confusing. Controlling the cursor with a pen-style action is natural, and a comfortable change from the usual mouse, and will certainly reduce the joint stress caused by routine mouse use. Less intuitive is the button setup. It took me a fair amount of use to remember which button was which, and to grip the pen-shaped handle without accidentally pressing a button.

Once I got the hang of both navigation and the button layout, however, the Penclic B2 Mouse worked easily and never gave me any problems. The sensor always tracked accurately, and the design never hindered my workflow.

While it may not look like any mouse you've used before, the Penclic Bluetooth Mouse B2 is a smartly designed alternative to regular computer mice. The design allows intuitive pen-like control, with Bluetooth providing a simple, secure connection. While the Penclic Bluetooth Mouse B2 is a bit on the pricey side, it's on par with the Evoluent VerticalMouse 4, and offers equally good ergonomic design.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/WGEmG2E_pJM/0,2817,2421713,00.asp

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