Orbita Mouse

Final Thoughts

I really like the Orbita mouse for its scrolling feature. The Orbita is certainly no replacement for an excellent gaming mouse, but for web browsing, it's excellent. I used the Orbita in kdenlive while producing the video and was more than thrilled with how the device works for non-linear video editing.

There's a bit of a learning curve for the mouse, too. It took me a few days of regular use to acquire a sense of how much I have to turn it to get it to act and to learn to squeeze until something happens.

I would like to see a second version of the Orbita with a higher resolution, faster reporting rate, and a laser sensor. That, plus an open source Linux driver for its configuration options, would make this mouse perfect for just about everyone.

The Orbita mouse is available at Amazon.com for $98.50 at press time.

The Orbita mouse is a revolution in input devices, combining the familiarity of knob with the simple action of pressing of a button. The squeeze motion is excellent, too, especially for Mac OS X power users who sorely need that second mouse button.

BIOS LEVEL has thus decided to bestow the Orbita mouse with our coveted Editor's Choice Award.

Pros

• 3D scrolling useful
• Long-lasting battery
• New mouse paradigm revolutionary
• Wireless

Cons

• Optical
• Gamers: avoid this one
• Expensive—$98.50 at press
• Standard reporting rate

Rating: 9/10