Ergoslider Plus REVIEW Unique Mouse for a Unique Lifestyle.
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I spend roughly 10 to 12 hours per day in front of a computer and probably another 2–4 using my iPad. Over the course of the last 5 to 10 years, I have used traditional rollerball mouses, laser mouses, trackball mouses and have tried just about every iteration of mouse that you could imagine. This technology, invented by Douglas Engelbart and Bill English in the 1960’s, has become an iconic and irreplaceable tool for our computers. The origin story for the mouse is really interesting and like a lot of our tech has early military roots. The trackball was originally used during World War 2 and was a classified device. This technology was inverted and adapted to the rollerball that was common in the earlier iterations of the mouse. Around the 1990’s the ball was removed and replaced with optical/laser style mouses. Now there are numerous options of a mouse to choose from, likely one that will fit every unique need.
The Ergoslider Plus device arrived in a very clean white package, reminiscent of an Apple device. The company provided a black rectangular image of the device on the cover, but the angle was not ideal. You can see the Ergoslider directly from the front, but this image does not allow you to immediately recognize the Ergoslider plus as a mouse. I do love when companies use a contrasting black and white color palette, as it is very visually engaging. In this regard, Fersgo provided a very appealing box. However, I wish that they would have used a better cover image. Turning the packaging over, you will notice the key features of the device, and you can see a top-down view. The posterior image is far superior to the cover image, and I would have preferred this to be my first view. The device has a long interchangeable wrist pad, a scroll wheel with double-click button, and four buttons that surround the scroll wheel (forward, backward, left click and right click). Just above the four buttons and scroll wheel, you will find the 12 1/2 inches long groove designed to house the removable roller bar. The device is USB-A powered and has a rather generous 60 inches long USB-A cable. The packaging details that the USB cable can be directed towards either the left or to the right depending on your need. The system can thus be used by left handed or right handed individuals.
Opening the packaging, you will find the 4 1/8 inches wide by 15 1/4 inches long black-colored Ergoslider Plus device, a 9 1/2 inches long by 1/2 inches diameter roller bar, a multi-lingual instruction manual and a very nicely worded thank you card from the company. The manual is written in eight languages (English, Sami, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, French). Each page is broken up into rows, detailing the same information in each language. The device rollerball is a multifunctional device that will roll, slide, click and has clickers on either end (known as end detection function). Interestingly, the manual has labeled the forward/backward buttons in reverse, when compared to the back image of the packaging. The manual does a good job of detailing the functions of the ergo slider plus. I love that there are four separate buttons and that the rollerball/scrolling wheel provides so many features. Unfortunately, there is no way to adjust the functions of the mouse.
This device is simple to utilize and even simpler to install. The initial step is to plug the USB A plug into your computer. Once this step is done, the mouse will work. There is no app; there is no setup, there is no need to adjust the sensitivity or to calibrate the mouse. This device is designed to conveniently rest in front of your keyboard or laptop/Macbook. Lying prone on the floor typing on my MacBook Pro, the wide wrist pad conveniently cushions my forearms. The design of this mouse allows you to slide your arm down and to select the object of your choice, without having to reach to the side. I initially was disappointed in the large size of this device, thinking that the same comfort, features, etc., could be realized in a smaller shell. However, regular use of the device has changed my opinion that this is a design perk and not a drawback.
I think my favorite part of this device is the removable roller bar. Controlling the cylinder with my digit 2/3 on my right hand was very fluid. I was able to move the mouse cursor up/down by simply rolling the bar and then to move the cursor to the left and right with small movements of my fingers or wrist to either direction. You can use the roller bar as a click-button as well. If you move all the way towards the left or right, there is a button that will move the cursor to your screen edge. I did not have much use for these buttons, as I found that I could make very small movements with my hand to reach all of the edges of the screen. Controlling the roller bar with my right second and third fingers, allowed me to utilize my thumb for the forward/backward, left/right buttons and to control the scroll wheel/double click button. To select a section of text, you can either depress the roller bar and then scroll up/down or move it gently left/right or hold the left click button and then move the roller bar over the desired text/object. The wrist cushion/ foam is very comfortable and can be removed if desired. I did not have any reason to remove the wrist cushion and did not test this aspect of the device.
There are no bells/whistles nor are there LED lights nor does this device need to rely on these features. I enjoyed testing this mouse and admit that I was a bit skeptical at first. The cover of the packaging does not provide much information about the device, the mouse requires a large section of desk space, and it is different than your standard mouse. It appears that the device is currently only for sale in Europe and Canada, but I would watch for the Ergoslider plus to debut in the west. I would rate the mouse at 5/5 stars for unique design, comfort, ease of use, ease of Plug-and-Play.
Learn More about the product on the Fersgo website.
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Originally published at macsources.com on November 9, 2017.
