by: Altgamer

MouseGlider Mouse Pad - Written by Wolfgang Struber Assistant Editor/Reviews Thursday, 26 April 2007

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Eliminates friction between palm and mouse surface, excellent price, creative idea.
Cons: Forearm protector detaches from MouseGlider easily, possible lengthy learning curve.
Who’s it for?: People who hold their mice with their palm resting on the mouse surface.
Price: MouseGlider $9.99+

Some people don’t use or believe in mouse pads as being useful tools.  Today we will take a look at a product that promises “Try it and you will never go back”.  What’s the deal here?  Read on and find out.

First Impressions:
So… what exactly IS the MouseGlider?  In short it is a precut sheet of very slippery plastic with several holes in it that allow the optical/laser sensor to see straight through it.

The product that I spent the most time with was the deluxe model.  Basically, this model includes a forearm protector in the event you have one of those crazy department store desks with edges so clean you can shave your beard off with it....

MouseGlider is a simple product and simple products, more often than not can really improve one’s lifestyle (and in this case time spent at your computer).

As a well thought out addition, MouseGlider comes with a small piece of clay.  Wait! Clay? Huh?  Yes, you heard me correctly, I said clay.  No, you don’t make a nice ashtray for mom or dad with it, you roll it up and break it in two and place one “dot” near the top and bottom of the MouseGlider.

“Why on Earth would ANYONE want to do this?  What is the clay for?”  Simple!  It’s for gamers.  Many gamers, while fragging away, tend to lift our mice off of the mouse surface for a new position.

The clay creates an adhesion that forces the MouseGlider to stick to the mouse.  When you lift your mouse, your MouseGlider tags right along.  Ingenious!

Specifications:
Take a peek at MouseGlider’s FAQ page and then, if you are so inclined, MouseGlider has prepared a video for your viewing enjoyment (link is at the top of their FAQ page).

Daily Usage:
Out of the package and onto my desk, truthfully, the MouseGlider wasn’t much fun… at first.  There is a learning curve.  Moving my arm around on my desk using less wrist movement was just a weird feeling for me.

When I use my mouse I tend to rest my wrist on my mousepad.  Adding to the existing weirdness I was experiencing with the MouseGlider, the back of my palm had no friction whatsoever when I moved my mouse around.  Weird… but not toooo weird.

Five minutes blew by quickly and I was in the zone… the MouseGlider zone that is!  I felt right at home with this product and after using it all day the first day I tried going back to my mousepad.

I can tell you that my beloved mousepad now felt unnatural.  If you can imagine driving a car in a foreign land where people drive on the opposite side of the road from what you’re used to.  Then, after a few days of driving, coming back to your native country and driving somewhere.

This is the feeling I had when switching from the MouseGlider back to my mousepad.

I was really curious what others would say about this product.  Fortunately I was presented with a LAN party invitation that I couldn’t pass up (I love LAN’s).  At the LAN there was a wide variety of gamers ranging in age from 12-50+ years of age.

After letting people try the MouseGlider out what I found was; those gamers that were under 30 years of age preferred their mouse pad over the MouseGlider.  Those 31 and over really liked the MouseGlider. Hmmmm.

To help understand why this was I needed to take note of how people were holding their mice.

What I found was those gamers that held their mouse in the palm of their hands preferred to use a gaming mousepad.  Gamers that (like me) “finger” their mice (yuck!) preferred the MouseGlider.

Conclusion:
I think that the MouseGlider is an excellent product.... Using Photoshop or surfing the web, the MouseGlider is like a luxury car providing a smooth experience.

I give the MouseGlider a rock solid 9 out of 10.

by: BCCHardware
for complete article - click here or cut and paste the following URL without quotes into your browser "http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3685&Itemid=40"

MouseGlider Virtual MousePad - Written by Benjamin "Zeus" Heide Thursday, 15 February 2007

Page 1 of 3 Product(s): MouseGlider LL6-D, LS7 & LS7-D Provided By: MouseGlider Price: Standard Models - $9.99USD, Deluxe Models - $14.99USD

Introduction:
A few weeks back MouseGlider contacted us and asked us if we wanted to try out a revolutionary new product aimed for the computer market.  We were immediately excited and I personally had visions of a hover mouse that floated above your desk and glided effortlessly with a mere feather touch.  My mind snapped back to reality and I took at look at MouseGlider.com to see exactly what was new and revolutionary about their products.  The concept is that your hand causes the most friction on your mouse pad, and even if you put Teflon feet on your mouse, your hand still drags on the pad.  The MouseGlider is sort of portable "Hand Pad" that eliminates the friction between your hand and the mouse pad.  Sounds like an interesting idea for sure, and in this review we'll find out how well it works in the real world....

Testing:
This product is very hard to "test".  The fact is that when you first start to use it, you probably won't fall in love with it in the first 10 seconds.  Some products are instant hits, but the MouseGlider takes a little time to get used to.  That being said, the more I use it the more I like it.  It allows for much smoother movement on a cloth pad such as the SteelPad QcK or a hard surface pad such as the fUnc Archetype 1030.  I've used both of the MouseGlider's I received with the Logitech G5, MX1000 and even the Saitek GM3200....

It takes a while to get used to the glider for sure, but once you've got a feel for it, it's nice.  It is not a product that is for everyone for sure, but I'll be happily using this long after the review testing is done. My desk has a keyboard tray and I use my mouse on the desktop itself.  As such, my wrist drags on the edge of the desk and after long periods of photo editing it can be a little painful.  The MouseGlider makes the mouse movement a little smoother as it keeps my hand and arm off the pad.  It also protects my arm from the sharp edge of the desk - doing exactly what it promised....

Additional Testing - Jason "Fujitsu" Schneider:
I also received one of these mouse gliders.  I received the Deluxe model and tested it using a Logitech MX Laser cordless mouse.

When Zeus gave me the mouse glider, I honestly didn't know what to think about it.  At first I wondered if it would even work, and what the point of it was.

After testing it for about a week, I must say it's a lot better than I was imagining it would be.  It definitely takes a while to get used to, since your using your arm to move the mouse rather than your wrist.  It really makes your mouse move a lot smoother since your reducing friction from your hand on your desk/mousepad.  I could really see this being a nice option for someone with carpal tunnel....

Conclusion:
....If you use your mouse at the edge of your desk and your arm becomes sore from rubbing on the sharp corner, you should give the MouseGlider a try.  While it may not be for everyone, I am quite happy with the LS7-D and intend to keep on using it as it works well with my desk and mousepad situation.

Pros:
Only product of its kind for making your hand glide with your mouse.
Well priced - Starting at $9.99USD.
Many models available for many different mice.

Cons:
Standard model requires steep learning curve and frequent centering.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

by: ExtremeTech's Geek Gift Guide 2006
for complete article - click here or cut and paste the following URL without quotes into your browser "http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/77222-mouseglider?print"

MouseGlider Ergonomic Mouse Pad - Written by ExtremeTech-Editor November 2006

No more tossing that old mouse out for a more ergonomic and comfortable experience.  The MouseGlider gives that rodent a healthy face-lift.

What’s Nice: Reduces palm and forearm friction; easy to install; different sizes to accommodate different mice.

What’s Naughty: Tight fit for some fancy or ergonomic mice; forearm protector may pinch forearm when moving back.

What’s the Deal: We're big on ergonomic devices here at ExtremeTech, but these usually come in the form of mice and keyboards, like our most recent 3M Ergonomic Optical Mouse.

The MouseGlider, on the other hand, is neither a mouse nor, obviously, a keyboard.  It is more of a mouse pad that moves with your mouse.  It acts as a base you dock your mouse into that allows your mouse to move with the MouseGlider, reducing hand, wrist, and forearm friction.  The bottom surface of the MouseGlider is frictionless, making it comfortable to move without your arm or wrist rubbing against your desk....

by: Kellywex
I use a wood desk too and the mouse glider is great!  I use one at work and at home.  My wrist no longer gets sore and numb.  I would highly recommend this to those who spend a lot of time at the computer or want the best possible performance from their mouse/computer.

by: tamack
This mouse accessory looks like it would enhance my computing experience.  I want to test this device in my work environment.  I spend a lot of time computing at work and this tool would make my job less tedious.

updated: This mouse accessory has become a necessity for my day to day work from my home office.  I generally have 4-6 windows open on 2 monitors and I require ultra smooth pointing device control.  The MouseGlider is unique and indispensable because it enables me to be more productive with less hand and wrist stress.  Once you try it you will not go back to working with out it.

by: greg k
I have been working with the Mouse Glider and so far, I have enjoyed it.  I have been using it at work and paired with a large enough desk, it works well.  I am unable to work with it at home because my desk isn't near as large as I would like.

by: Ryan Corder
One thing I found it is that I don't use a mouse pad on my desk so if there is anything on it usually my mouse will stop or the pointer goes all crazy for a second, but when I was using the MouseGlider it never got stuck.  When I was playing slower paced games it works well although I had to turn down my sensitivity to accommodate moving my hand instead of just my fingers.  I liked using when I was just surfing the internet or typing stuff for work.  When playing fast paced games I'm just accustomed to moving the top part of my hand and having the base of my palm planted for stability.  In my opinion any one that is playing FPS (first person shooters) or anything with twitch reflexes will probably not like moving their entire hand but anyone using for slower paced or text based games could use it.

by: Lawrence S. Kroll
I found it awkward, but to give it a better chance I have passed it on to some students to try out.

by: pegster
I have been using the MouseGlider for several months now and find it very easy to use and lightweight.  No more having the mouse go to the edge of the mousepad and having to lift it back into place.  It moves around my desktop with ease.  I would highly recommend it.

by: Jacqueline V.
MouseGlider Works Great.....I just wanted to let you know that I received my free MouseGlider in the mail this week and it is amazing! It works great with my Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 - better than several other expensive mousepads I previously tried. Good luck with your new product. I'm sure I'll see it in the stores soon!