Review: Movea’s Gyration Air Mouse Elite K-M
Posted by Jon Peddie on September 28th 2010 | Discuss
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Hey, I’m using the new Air Mouse Elite keyboard and mouse.
What it is
Wireless optical laser mouse with a gyro that works in mid-air. It uses ST Micro MEMs 3D motion sensors with a 2.4 GHz linked USB stub. It operates up to 100 ft away via the USB RF receiver. Connect it and the KB is like any wireless K-M.
Movea is a provider of motion processing chips, software, embeddable firmware, and IP for the consumer electronics industry. Movea’s is headquarterd in Grenoble, and offers Gyration branded CE products.
What we like
Very slick design, major improvement over the previous versions. Its responsive, motion-sensitive controls; easy set-up; lightweight and comfortable.
Gesture button in the center just below the wheel can be programmed for things like advancing a slide—hold it down, wave your arm to the right—next slide. Gyration calls it “swiping.” The gestures or swipes are all
programmable.
Three programmable buttons, in addition to air operation button in the center. All buttons are centered so it’s easy for a lefty or a righty to use and set up.
Keyboard is nice and thin, Mouse is nice feeling, fast, smooth, and it’s very precise. The mouse has built-in rechargeable batteries that recharge when you put the mouse in the recharging dock, similar to most other wireless mice.
Works on PC or Mac and even has labeled the special function key (to the right of the left shift) with a Windows, SpFx, and the squiggly Apple symbol.
And, it was a 2010 CES innovation honoree.
What we don’t like
Haven’t figured out how to use it with a TV yet.
Don’t like the initial feel of the keyboard—no palm pad, feels strange, and the keyboard uses batteries (two AAA)—why can’t we have an induction recharge keyboard?
Gets tiresome holding your hand out to manipulate web pages or director
What do we think?
The company is Movea, which was formed from the acquisition of the assets of Gyration by Movea SA. Movea SA is a spin-off from the French research institute CEA-Léti, and Movea licenses CEA-Léti’s motion-sensing technology. Gyration is the inventor and patent holder of gyroscopic motion-sensing technology for in-air navigation and cursor control on a screen. CEA is the French Atomic Energy Commission, created in 1945.
The Air Mouse is cool. Like any new tech, it trains you not vice versa, so you have be prepared for the learning curve. It should definitely make delivering presentations easier. You can use it for navigating media on your PC, not sure how useful that’s going to be—again that learning curve thing. It’s $105 in the US, a little higher than no-name K-M, but certainly not a budget buster. You can get just the mouse for $70.
Gyration also make a universal media center remote control and the company plans enable the gesture technology for TV control as well. Movea thinks that embedding its technology into remotes for set-top boxes can enable an interface that competes more effectively with computers pushed into a media-centre role, or even Apple-TV-type plays.
