The Evoluent 4, regular size right-hand bluetooth mouse - Apple.com
After a long day at the computer some of you may have a nagging pain in your wrist. Partially this is as a result of the repetitive motion from using the mouse all day. Mild occurrences can be alleviated by taking regular SCHEDULED breaks away from your desk. Doing so is also good for other parts of your body such as your back, and for your overall health. Sometimes, however, breaks are simply not enough and the pain does not go away or even becomes worse.
The type of mouse, and more importantly, the position that mouse requires your hand to be in, and the way it makes your wrist move, are key causes for specific types of pain in the wrist on that hand. This is where alternate pointing devices such as trackballs or vertical mice enter the picture. Even if the pain is mild and goes away quickly, a ‘different’ mouse may be just the thing to help you avoid wrist issues in the first place.
The Vertical Mouse
Evoluent is a small company that has made their mark by manufacturing strange-looking but excellent mice. The idea they had was to rotate the mouse hand from palm down almost 90 degrees to about the same angle that one would shake someone's hand. It takes a bit of getting used to but it easily becomes as natural as using a 'normal' mouse.
The latest model is the Evoluent 4 which comes in several variants, explained below.
First up is the standard "Regular Size" right-hand, wired model:
Evoluent 4 - Regular Size - Right Hand - Amazon.com
Which size is right for you?
The Evoluent VerticalMouse 4 regular size models (Right, Left, Right Wireless, and Right Mac) are for hands at least 7 inches or 178 mm from the tip of the middle finger to the wrist crease. Hands shorter than this may be more suited to the VerticalMouse 4 Small.
To see which model fits you best, download a full-size pdf of this drawing, print it at 100% and put your hand on it. If your hand is the same size or smaller than the drawing, the Small may fit you better than the regular size models:
Evoluent 4 - Small Size - Right Hand - Amazon.com
Left-hand mouse
For wild west aficionados in our audience, southpaws haven’t been ignored by Evoluent. Here is a left-hand version of the regular size VerticalMouse 4.
And finally, because everything is wireless these days, here is the Bluetooth edition for Mac (right hand, regular size) shown at the top of this page. It can be ordered direct from Apple.com by clicking the link below:
Evoluent 4 - Regular Size - Right Hand - Bluetooth - Apple.com