MOUSE

MOUSE: is a device that controls the movement of the cursor or pointer on a display screen. A mouse is a small object you can roll along a hard, flat surface.

Its name is derived from its shape, which looks a bit like a mouse, its connecting wire that one can imagine to be the mouse's tail, and the fact that one must make it scurry along a surface. As you move the mouse, the pointer on the display screen moves in the same direction.

Mouse contain at least one button and sometimes as many as three, which have different functions depending on what program is running. Some newer mice also include a scroll wheel for scrolling through long documents.

The mouse is one of the great breakthroughs in computer ergonomics because it frees the user to a large extent from using the keyboard. In particular, the mouse is important for graphical user interface because you can simply point to options and objects and click a mouse button. Such applications are often called point-and-click programs.

The mouse is also useful for graphics programs that allow you to draw pictures by using the mouse like a pen, pencil, or paintbrush.

• Mechanical Mice - requires that the mouse be set on a flat surface. The distance and the speed of the rollers inside the mouse determines how far the mouse cursor moves on the screen depending on the software configuration.

• Optical Mice - require a special mouse pad which has a grid pattern. A sensor inside the mouse determines the movement by reading the grid as the mouse passes over it while emitting a light from an LED or sometimes a laser. This type of mouse is much more accurate than the ordinary optical mechanical mouse which relies on the traction between the mouse ball and the rollers. One drawback to an optical mouse is they can have problems in bright lights.

  New Optical Mice no longer have the disadvantages of earlier mice and are capable of being utilized on any surface. In comparison to the traditional Optical-Mechanical mouse, the Optical is a much better solution for a computer mouse.

• Optical-Mechanical - The optical-mechanical hybrid consists of a ball which rolls a wheel inside the mouse. This wheel contains a circle of holes and or notches to read the LED by a sensor as it spins around when the mouse is moved. This mouse is much more accurate than the mechanical mouse. This mouse is now the most commonly used mouse with PC and Macintosh computers. See How a mouse works for an illustration and a more in-depth explanation of how this mouse works.

• Cordless mice - aren't physically connected at all. Instead they rely on infrared or radio waves to communicate with the computer. Cordless mice are more expensive than both serial and bus mice, but they do eliminate the cord, which can sometimes get in the way.

• Bluetooth
• Infrared
• PS/2 Port
• Serial Port
• USB

• Cordless
• Footmouse
• Glidepoint
• IntelliMouse
• J mouse
• Joystick
• Touch pad
• Trackball
• TrackPoint
• Wheel mouse

The optical mechanical mouse's operation is fairly simple. As you can see in the below illustration, the mouse movement is tracked by four parts. As the mouse is moved, the ball rolls in the direction of the movement which, in turn, moves the roller (X or Y axis). As the roller begins to rotate, so does the chopper / gear. The gear has small notches within it or around the edges of it; as it rotates, light shines through the openings which is then detected by the two light sensors which then sends the computer a signal of that movement. The offset of the light received by the two light sensors determines the direction of each axis.

Within the mouse you will find a total of two rollers and choppers / gears. Each roller represents a X or Y axis which is the Horizontal or Vertical movement of the mouse cursor.

The illustration below shows the disassembly of a standard mouse. As shown you can see that the internal components of a mouse. We have illustrated the general location of four main components within the mouse.

First, you will notice the two Choppers and or Gears; these two represent the axis of where the cursor is located. The chopper furthest to the represents the X axis, which is the vertical axis. The other chopper, which is only partially shown, represents the Y axis, which is the horizontal axis.

Second, you notice the mouse ball. The mouse ball is the main part within the mouse which allows the user to move the mouse which moves the appropriate axis which then moves the mouse cursor on the screen. Without the mouse ball the mouse would be useless.

Third, you notice the four pin Interface Cable Connection, which is where the information is transferred from the mouse to the computer.

There are several methods of input using a mouse, aside from the most basic moving of the device to make the pointer move.

A mouse click is the action of pressing (i.e. clicking) a button on a mouse in order to trigger an action, usually in the context of a graphical user interface (GUI) (pressing an onscreen 'button' by clicking on it) or computer game (to fire a gun in a first-person shooter). The reason for the clicking noise made is due to the specific switch technology used nearly universally in computer mice.

This switch is called a microswitch or cherry switch and uses a stiff but flexible metal strip that is bent to actuate the switch. The bending of the metal makes a snapping or clicking noise, in the same way as the safety button on the lids of vacuum packaged jars to indicate they have been opened. As to why the clicking sound is used, researchers have found that when pressing a button audible feedback in addition to tactile feedback gives a better response to the user.

• Single clicking is the most common method of distinguishing mouse-based input. On single-button mice this involves using the mouse's one button. On multiple-button mice, it involves one of the buttons and is usually characterized by which button is pushed (e.g. left-clicking, right-clicking). See point-and-click.

• Double-click occurs when the user presses the button twice in quick succession. This usually triggers an action separate from that of a single-click. For example, in the Macintosh Finder a user may single-click to select a file, and double-click to open that file. Usability studies have found that the double-click can be confusing and hard to use — for example, users with poor motor skills may not perform the second click soon enough after the first, causing the action to be registered as two single-clicks rather than a double-click. (Ironically, the double-click was introduced because the previous solution — separate mouse buttons for separate actions — was found to be confusing in user studies.) Most multiple-button mice allow setting one button to emit a double-click on a single press. Modern operating systems allow users to set the maximum interval in which the two clicks need to be made to register as a double-click.

• Multiple clicking occur when the user presses the button several times in quick succession. This triggers an action separate from that of a single or double click. The triple click, for example, can be seen in word processors such as Microsoft Word and web browsers to select a whole section (e.g a line or paragraph) of text. Professional desktop publishing applications such as QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign also utilize quadclicks (4 clicks to select paragraph) and pentaclicks (5 clicks to select entire story).

• Chords occurs when two or more mouse buttons are pressed at the same time. It is rarely used in standard interfaces. The X Window system has an option to emulate a middle mouse button with the simultaneous click of the left and right mouse buttons.

• Click-and-drag Once a user has clicked on an object, they can often drag the object by continuing to hold down the mouse button whilst moving the mouse. "Mice" are frequently portrayed along with cats for humorous purposes. Mouse gestures A mouse gesture is a way of combining mouse movements with clicks, to indicate a software specific command.

• Tactile mice In 2000, Logitech introduced the tactile mouse, which contained a small actuator that made the mouse vibrate. Such a mouse could be used to augment user interfaces with haptic feedback, such as giving feedback when crossing a window boundary.

  Other unusual variants have included a mouse that is held freely in the hand, rather than on a flat surface, and detects six dimensions of motion (the three spatial dimensions, plus rotation on three axes). It was marketed for business presentations when the speaker is standing or walking around. So far, these mouse exotica have not achieved widespread popularity.

A number of factors affect the accuracy of an optical mouse. One of the most important aspects is resolution. The resolution is the number of pixels per inch that the optical sensor and focusing lens "see" when you move the mouse. Resolution is expressed as dots per inch (dpi). The higher the resolution, the more sensitive the mouse is and the less you need to move it to obtain a response. Most mice have a resolution of 400 or 800 dpi. However, mice designed for playing electronic games can offer as much as 1600 dpi resolution. Some gaming mice also allow you to decrease the dpi on the fly to make the mouse less sensitive in situations when you need to make smaller, slower movements.

Historically, corded mice have been more responsive than wireless mice. This fact is changing, however, with the advent of improvements in wireless technologies and optical sensors.

• Size of the optical sensor - larger is generally better, assuming the other mouse components can handle the larger size. Sizes range from 16 x 16 pixels to 30 x 30 pixels.
• Refresh rate - it is how often the sensor samples images as you move the mouse. Faster is generally better, assuming the other mouse components can process them. Rates range from 1500 to 6000 samples per second.
• Image processing rate - is a combination of the size of the optical sensor and the refresh rate. Again, faster is better and rates range from 0.486 to 5.8 megapixels per second.
• Maximum speed - is the maximum speed that you can move the mouse and obtain accurate tracking. Faster is better and rates range from 16 to 40 inches per second.

• Mousepad or Mousemat

  The most popular mouse accessory available, it is used with most mice. It provides a smooth surface for the mouse to move across, as many desks are not suitable and hard wood or plastic surfaces wear down mouse feet covers faster. Specialized hard mousepads/mats are made for gamers. Some optical mice do not require a mouse pad, as they are designed to use directly over a wood surface. A mousepad/mat is sometimes required when using balled mice, because the ball requires the extra friction of the mousepad/mat to roll smoothly. Many mousepads/mats feature designs.

• Mouse foot covers

  Mouse foot covers (or foot pads) are made from low friction or polished plastic. This makes the mouse glide with less resistance over a surface. Some higher quality models have Teflon feet to further increase the smooth gliding action.

• Cord managers

  Accessories for managing the cord of a mouse come in different forms, but they all help manage the cord on corded mice, so it doesn't get in the way. Wireless mice, of course, need no such accessory.

• Wrist rests

  A cushioning pillow made from silicone gel, neoprene, or other spongy material. The padding provides for a more natural angle of the wrist which is aimed at reducing fatigue and excessive strain.

• APPLE
• DELL
• HP
• NEC
• SAMSUNG
• SONY
• VIEWSONIC
• and more ...