Swiftpoint Ltd is off to a fine start with its Swiftpoint wireless mouse, awarded the CES Innovations 2011 award.
The diminutive mouse is a radical departure from conventional wireless and laptop mice, developed with a focus on mobile users. Held with three fingers in a pen-style grip with buttons arranged in a row along the mouse’s crest, it fits easily into the palm. The Swiftpoint is designed for use atop the laptop’s palm rest next to the touchpad, but has a wireless range of 30 feet. It can zoom, page, and scroll with specialized gestures, and includes two buttons and a track wheel.
This emphasis on compact accessibility extends to charging and transport. The Swiftpoint charges atop the fingernail-sized USB dock/receiver and is held in place magnetically. On a full charge (taking about an hour and a half) the mouse can run for two to four weeks, and a 30-second quick charge gives the device enough power to run for an hour. An adhesive parking strip comes with the mouse and can be stuck to the palm rest to hold the mouse momentarily.
The Swiftpoint currently sells for $69.99 and is available through Amazon and futuremouse.com.
The Swiftpoint was developed over the course of four years and ten prototypes, and has met widespread acclaim. It won the Computer Shopper Editor’s Choice in September 2010 and was one of the 2010 100 Popular Science Best of What’s New choices.
Swiftpoint is also developing a mouse for gaming, though there is no projected release date.
Trauben’s Impressions
Wow. I mean, wow.
This little thing is amazing. I didn’t even get that long to acclimate myself to it and I could easily see why it has won as many awards as it has. It’s very receptive and fluid with , and the design is more natural and elegant than simply transposing a desktop mouse to a smaller size.
The unconventional grip takes a while to get used to and the sensitivity is quite high, but it’s a good idea. Anybody used to using a stylus could probably pick it up in no time. It might or might not replace a desktop mouse — the mere two buttons and the lack of a back function are pretty big drawbacks in that niche — but it excels in a tighter space. I could easily see this being a frequent traveler’s best friend when using their laptop on a plane or in a cramped web café.
What really impresses me is the charging and transportation aspects. Incorporating a magnet into the tiny docking station to secure the mouse is an elegant solution, and getting two weeks‘ minimum worth of operating time for an hour and a half’s charging time…
All told, the Swiftpoint is one of the most exciting offerings I’ve seen at CES so far, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it for prolonged testing.
Huneycutt’s Impressions
Sometimes I gush and sometimes I rant, though I frequently attempt to stem the tide of hyperbole in the interest of journalistic integrity. Keep this in mind.
The Swiftpoint may be the coolest accessory for laptops I’ve ever seen. Touchpads are a necessary evil, one most barely tolerate, and even as an accepted option, they will never be an object of adoration. Wireless mice for laptops or Netbooks are an awkward combination of small size and awkward workspace; for the former there’s no way to avoid claw-hand, and for the latter there’s simply no place to properly the mouse. The Swiftpoint is a brilliant solution to every problem the laptop/netbook presents. Its small, its portable, it docks magnetically onto the USB dongle, its super sensitive, it has a 2-4 WEEK BATTERY LIFE with an ability to create a one-hour use quick-charge in 30 seconds, and at a $69.99 price point and world-wide availability, my only question is, WHY DON’T YOU OWN ONE ALREADY? I’ve ordered one. Already. You should too. Now. Even if you don’t own a laptop.
Why are you still reading this? FLY, YOU FOOLS!