The Meridian Mouse
Isn't the mouse on the verge of being made obsolete by the touchpad?
ANSWER:
Far from it. The first computer touchpad entered the market in 1983 as part of the Gavilan SC laptop. In 1994, the touchpad as we know it today became standard operating equipment for laptops.
If the touchpad were going to render the mouse obsolete, it would have done so decades ago. The mouse has remained relevant technology for more than half a century and will continue to be relevant as long as personal computers exist.
Moreover, rather than having to minimize a window so you can open a folder in order to access a desired application, with the Meridian Mouse you simply: tilt and click.
And that is not something a touchpad can do.
By bypassing the necessity of minimizing onscreen applications, the Meridian Mouse proves superior over the touchpad.
Can I customize the Meridian Popup Menu to have fewer options? Wouldn’t that make it quicker to tilt-access a preferred option?
ANSWER:
Yes! The Meridian Mouse is entirely customizable to suit the preferences of the user. The menu can be expanded to include additional choices. Or it can be truncated so that it provides even faster access to your custom selections.
Having three (or fewer) tilt options is the fastest tilt configuration, because it allows the user to immediately develop muscle-memory for all three. This eliminates the need for the user to visually consult the pop-up menu. As with typing, the user’s muscle-memory kicks in and automatically executes the desired Tilt-&-Click task.
So the fastest tilt configuration is:
Option 1: Barely Tilted
Option 2: Moderately Tilted
Option 3: Maximally Tilted
Alternatively, having four (or more) options available at a tilt only means that the user will take a split-second more to visually identify an option on the pop-up menu as she tilts to select it. Yet, time tests have consistently proven that this is still faster than rolling the mouse’s pointer and positioning it over an icon for a double-click to open it.
Won’t the typical user be reluctant to learn this unconventional mouse-tilting motion?
ANSWER:
The vast majority of mouse users will quickly adapt to Tilt-&-Click technology because the ergonomic technique involved is straightforward, intuitive, and easy to learn.
Consider that learning to tilt and click is easier than learning to use an ordinary mouse in the first place. That's because each tilt option is discrete. The Meridian Mouse decisively locks onto a tilt option whenever it is tilted into that option's range. So the user is confident as to which option she is about to invoke.
Also, Meridian Mouse tilt function builds on the common knowledge of basic mouse use. Anyone who was willing to get past the awkwardness they experienced the first time they used a mouse will find that mastering the Meridian Mouse is a cinch.
Moreover, tilt functionality in no way interferes with ordinary mouse use. While using the Meridian Mouse, ordinary mouse use remains entirely unimpeded.
Won’t the unusual motion of tilting the Meridian Mouse produce more miss-clicks?
ANSWER:
No it will not, and there are two reasons why.
First, the Meridian Mouse precisely locks in the user’s choice before she clicks to select it. This is in contrast to ordinary mouse navigation where it’s common for the user to overshoot the target (i.e. the icon) with the pointer. Second, and more importantly, there can’t be a Meridian Mouse miss-click without a preceding tilt.
Therefore, using Meridian Mouse Tilt-&-Click technology will produce a much smaller percentage of miss-clicks than ordinary mouse use does.
Mouse use in the video demonstration looks awkward. Why use a mouse in this unusual way?
ANSWER:
In much of the video, the demonstrator is using his left, non-dominant hand stretching across the laptop keyboard with his fingers holding the prototype away from his palm. This was to give the audience a clear, closeup view of the prototype performing while simultaneously showing its onscreen results. At the end of the video, the invention is shown being casually used with the dominant hand in normal position.
Remember that what is presented here is only an initial prototype. There will be some streamlining before the Meridian Mouse is offered as a consumer product. Nevertheless, after using the Meridian Mouse just once: casual use of even this rough prototype becomes fluid and natural.
Ultimately, the form factor (i.e. the hardware housing) will have ergonomic indentations that will facilitate gripping the Meridian Mouse's sides with thumb and finger for even easier, smoother tilting.