Evoluent Vertical Mouse

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 VM3 Mouse Features:

• Five programmable buttons with 59 selectable functions each, plus special features such as:
  • 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 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 VM3 Specifications:

• Gaming grade infrared sensor tracks more accurately on more surfaces than a laser sensor
• Variable resolution, from 800-2600 dpi, can be changed easily by moving a switch located on the bottom of the mouse
  • 2600, 1800, 1300 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
• 6.6ft long cord with USB connector
• Dimensions: 3.15" W x 4.45" D x 3.03" H

Evoluent Mouse Compatibility:

PC Compatibility

• Includes driver for Windows XP Pro, XP Home and Vista 32 for programming all five buttons
• Does not require driver- the VerticalMouse 3 still has basic functionality without it
• Uses USB port only- not compatible with PS2
• Get freeware driver for Windows Vista (32 and 64 bit), XP x64, 2003, and 2000 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 10.4.5 or newer without a driver: Click here to see why Evoluent does not supply a Mac 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

• Incorporates all five buttons in XFree 4.0.1 or higher and Knoppix Linux 3.9 or higher without a driver: left click (top), right click (middle), middle click (bottom), middle click (wheel) and right click (thumb)
• Requires USB port

Unix Compatibility

• Not compatible with Unix