The Human Solution requested that the creator of the Evoluent Vertical Mouse 3 give us his perspective. We met up with him at the the 2008 National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas and filmed this live. This video review will show you the Evoluent Vertical Mouse 3 in action, and its innovative design is explained by the man who designed the mouse. Enjoy.
The Evoluent VM3 Mouse is by and far our best selling mouse and represents an excellent value. For starters, it is the only approved ergonomic mouse of University of California at Berkeley. The Evoluent Vertical Mouse 2 was evaluated in 2007 by a team at the health services clinic in UC Berkeley, including medical doctors, physical therapists, ergonomists, and administrators. It was found to be comfortable and easily adapted to, and the Evoluent mouse promotes a neutral wrist and forearm posture. It is the only vertical type mouse approved for staff use within UC Berkeley and for sale in the campus store.
The Evoluent Vertical Mouse is designed to encourage an arm neutral position, much like a handshake. Many users find this completely eliminates their wrist pain.
By comparison, an ordinary mouse twists your forearm into an unnatural and uncomfortable position- especially if you spend long hours at a computer. A small lip on the VM3 keeps your little finger from dragging on the mousing surface.
The Evoluent Vertical Mouse features five easily programmable buttons which can function differently in different programs. For example, you can program the same button to mean "double click" in one program and "back" in another.
The vertical mouse is sized to fit most people comfortably; your thumb opposes your finger action so the mouse doesn't move sideways when you click the buttons.
Evoluent Vertical Mouse VM3W-RSB Features
Five programmable buttons with 59 selectable functions each
Vertical scroll- press a button and drag the mouse to scroll with greater precision and control than the scroll wheel
Auto click- automatically perform a double click by pausing the pointer
Click lock - press and hold a button momentarily to simulate continued pressing without holding down a button
Special Evoluent Vertical Mouse VM3W-RSB Functions (XP Pro, XP Home, Vista 32 only)
Speed toggle- cycle among up to three pointer speed settings with a keyboard shortcut or mouse button; for example: a high speed for ordinary tasks, and a slow speed for graphic design work
Auto click- automatically perform a single or double click by pausing the pointer, and it includes an adjustable time delay for activation
Click lock- press and hold a button momentarily to simulate continued pressing without holding down the button with an adjustable time delay for activation
Break Reminder- visual and/or audio alerts to remind you to take a break
Repositioning- The vertical mouse can be repositioned without moving the pointer: simply tilt it slightly to disable tracking, then slide it without moving the pointer
Evoluent VM3W Specifications
Gaming grade infrared sensor tracks more accurately on more surfaces than a laser sensor
Variable resolution, from 800-2600 dpi - most mice are 800 dpi or less
Optical scroll with detents (clicks)
Small lip on lower edge keeps your little finger off the mousing surface
Programmable buttons allow for different functions in different programs
Completely new electrical design and new internal mechanical design for improved fit and feel, as well as improved reliability
USB receiver
Dimensions: 3.15" W x 4.45" D x 3.03" H
Evoluent VM3W Compatibility
Includes driver for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 in 32/64 bit for for programming all five buttons
Does not require driver- the Vertical Mouse 3 still has basic functionality without it
Uses USB port only- not compatible with PS2
Get freeware driver for other Windows versions at www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/XMouseButtonControl.htm (Although it's freeware, please make a donation to the author if you like it; Evoluent has no relationship with this vendor)
Mac Compatibility
Allows for two buttons (left and right click) and a scroll wheel in OS-X or newer without a driver
Check out www.usboverdrive.com- it offers a shareware Mac driver that enables button programming (Evoluent has no relationship with this vendor)
Requires USB port
Linux Compatibility
No driver is supplied, but left and right click are supported by most Linux versions
Requires USB port
Unix Compatibility
Requires USB port for receiver
Video Review - Evoluent Wireless Mouse VM3W
Check out our video review of the Evoluent Wireless Mouse VM3W below.
Professor Ergo's Thoughts:
Simply put- when users try this mouse, they love it. We have sold this mouse for years, and no other ergonomic mouse or input device has had nearly the positive consumer reaction this mouse has had. Over half of our staff uses this mouse for four main reasons: it is easy to use, feels good in your hand, works well, and helps reduce fatigue and pain in the wrist and hand. When a customer calls and asks for an ergonomic mouse they can try, I show them the Evoluent. We often recommend the Evoluent mouse in combination with the pronation-reducing Goldtouch or Kinesis keyboards as an excellent ergonomic keyboard and mouse combination.
Product Reviews for Evoluent Vertical Mouse VM3W - Wireless Right Hand Mouse
I received the chairs today and they are perfect. Thank you for your personal attention to my shipping snafu. In this day and age of the internet and push button instant gratification, we sometimes forget that the real value is not in a price that is 1% better. It's in the value added by empathetic people how really try to help. Maybe you should create a company tag line like "Real humans providing great human solutions."