It may be one of the most overlooked and underappreciated accessories on your desk, but it is also the one that you rely on each and every time that you sit down in front of that keyboard. The mouse represented a huge revolution in how we interacted with our computers when it was first introduced and now we’re witnessing a similar revolution brought to us by Cyber E Sport.
The Wireless Orbita Mouse is unlike any wireless mouse that I have encountered before. Instead of using a small scroll wheel between your two main buttons, the entire Orbita Mouse is its own scroll wheel. The developers invite you to “experience a new dimension in wireless navigation,” because the puck-like Orbita Mouse works like one huge dial.
Features and Specifications
The Orbita Mouse is certainly unique, because it is able to spin in place to provide both horizontal and vertical scrolling. Shaped like a yo-yo, the cylindrical design means that there really is no “right” orientation for the mouse: it’ll work no matter which way it’s facing. Among the rest of the features and specs are the following:
- Revolutionary Continuous Scrolling
- Ergonomic Cylindrical Design
- Virtual /Actual Control Knob interface
- Jog Wheel Horizontal Scrolling
- Programmable Interface with vmulti function platforms
- 2.4Ghz Zero Lag Wireless
- Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later
- Lithium Ion rechargeable battery
- Ball bearing base
- USB 2.0 Loading station
- Windows(R) VistaTM Enhanced Wheel Support (Smooth Scroll)
- Resolution: 800DPI
- Report rate: 8ms / 125 reports per second
- Rotation sensor type: Electronic compass
- Hardware resolution: < 1 degree
- Operational resolution: 256 counts per rotation (1.4 degrees)
- Reporting resolution: 16 – 256 counts per rotation
- Calibration: semi-automatic
The rubberized grip ensures that it won’t slip out of your hands and, despite its minimalistic appearance, it can take on the same functionality as a standard 3-button scroll mouse.
Looking Inside the Box
Before we dive a bit deeper into the mouse itself, I do have to comment on the clever packaging. I am no fan of the usual plastic blister packaging that comes with most products, because they are so frustrating to open. I even have one of those weird tools designed specifically for this purpose and it still doesn’t make things that much easier.
With the Orbita Mouse, you don’t run into this problem. It ships in a cube box that splits open in the center on a diagonal angle. This is almost like opening a gift. The mouse and its charging base are housed inside a plastic shell, but you don’t need scissors to open it. Thank you so much!
In terms of contents, you get the Orbita Mouse, its USB charging base (which doubles as the transmitter), an alternate mouse feet ring, the installation CD, and some basic documentation. The included carrying pouch is good for frequent flyers too, since it easily hangs on to both the mouse and its base.
How Do I Use This Thing?
That’s the real question, isn’t it? Given its unconventional nature, the Orbita Mouse comes with quite the serious learning curve. With a couple hours of casual use, I felt a little more comfortable with how it worked but I was still well outside my usual comfort zone. I’d imagine that it would take a few days before you would really become used to how to use the Orbita Mouse.
In a nutshell, you place the Orbita Mouse on your mouse pad as you normally would and then you have to tell it which way is up. Or forward, if you prefer. Due to its perfectly round nature, there really is no way for the Orbita to know exactly how it is oriented unless you give it this information. On the top surface is an orientation arrow button. Point this in the direction that is up and press the button.
This seemed fine for the first little while, but I have a tendency to pick up my mouse and adjust its position. Each time I did this, the calibration of the Orbita Mouse would also shift slightly and, eventually, it would be completely out of wack again. So, I’d re-orient it and re-calibrate it. I guess I have to learn to keep my mouse glued the surface of my mouse pad.
Getting beyond the orientation end of the equation, how do you use this mouse? Most of the top surface acts as a large left mouse button. Click just about anywhere on that and it’ll work. Also on the top surface are the aforementioned orientation button and a silver “dimple” button. The latter can be mapped as a third mouse button or it can be used to swap between vertical and horizontal scrolling. The right mouse button is mapped to the “squeeze” buttons on the perimeter. Squeeze the mouse and you get a right-click.
Spin, Baby, Spin!
And this is where the Orbita Mouse really sells itself. If you’ve got exceptionally long documents or you do a lot of non-linear video editing, there’s a good chance that you’ll be doing quite a bit of scrolling over the course of a day. The entire Orbita Mouse spins around and around, allowing you to scroll to your heart’s delight.
How fast can this spin? Using the “beginner’s” red ring that comes pre-installed on the Orbita Mouse (it provides a little more grip and stability), I was able to scroll between 700 and 1200 lines in an Excel spreadsheet with a flick of one finger. Using two hands for a bigger spin, I was able to scroll over 4000 lines. I achieved similar results with the “faster” blue replacement mouse feet ring. That’s a lot of scrolling.
Who Would Want This Mouse
It’s quite clear that the Orbita Mouse from Cyber E Sport was never really intended for mass market consumption. It’s going to be a device targeting a nice market and, as such, this may not necessarily be the product for you.
Taking a look at the product packaging, Cyber E Sport mentions that this mouse would be great for audio and visual editing, 3D modeling, Google Earth zooming, and other similar applications. I’m not much of a video editor myself, but I can see how being able to scroll in a circular motion would be more intuitive. It’s more like spinning a regular knob or a dial, rather than spinning a scroll wheel.
If you’re into 3D modeling and non-linear video editing, the Orbita Mouse can really change your computing experience.
Who Would NOT Want This Mouse
I do have to reiterate that there is a learning curve involved with the Orbita Mouse. When I first started using it, I would clutch it the same way that I would clutch a regular mouse. As a result, I found myself accidentally squeezing the “right” mouse button any time that I moved it. After a while I realized that it was better to hold the mouse closer to the back rather than right in the middle.
For people who are comfortable with larger mice, like a Logitech MX Revolution, the Orbita Mouse will represent a very different experience. Whereas larger mice are more substantial in your hand, the Orbita Mouse requires you to be quite a bit more delicate.
Because of this somewhat delicate nature, the Orbita Mouse is not well-suited for gamers. When playing PC games, you need to make quick and precise movements, jerking in every which direction. You can’t be going around accidentally hitting the right-mouse button all the time. That would be bad.
Closing Thoughts
You could say that I’m a gadget hunter, so while I don’t think that I will be using the Orbita Mouse as my primary pointing device any time soon, I do appreciate the innovation that it brings to the table. The ability to scroll infinitely like a dial is very nifty and it’s quite unlike anything that I’ve seen before.
When you place the Orbita Mouse on its charging base, it almost looks like a flying saucer. Is it out of this world? No, not exactly, but the overall design is certainly attractive and it’s quite the novel concept. I just wish it didn’t feel so delicate.
Pros
- Very innovative design with infinite spinning/scrolling
- Charging base doubles as USB receiver
- Great build quality, overall feel, and Mac-inspired appearance
- Silky smooth movement
- Built-in rechargeable battery
Cons
- Only an optical (not laser) mouse
- Potentially steep learning curve
- “Squeeze” right-mouse button results in accidental clicks
- Requires too much of a delicate touch
- Somewhat expensive at MSRP US$100
Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
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