Adesso Easy Cat 2 Button Glidepoint Touchpad (Black)

I was looking for an alternative input device for my desktop setup since i was developing carpel tunnel with my mouse. For a while a trackball worked, but the pain merely switched to my elbow.

Since i was so used to the touchpad on my laptop, I started looking for one. The Adesso Easycat is pretty brilliant and works well and has solved my problems for now. I use it in conjunction with a regular mouse (a MS Intellimouse) and switch back and forth as needed. For most things I never have to reach for the Intellimouse at all. The Adesso is very programmable and can do all that the five-button Intellimouse does.

Some observations on the Adesso Easycat USB model:

-Its pretty thin and small and looks quite nice. The price isnt bad considering Adesso pretty much has a monopoly on USB touchpad devices.

-It does not ship with a driver, its supposed to be plug-n-play. HOWEVER, TO USE THE ADVANCED FUNCTIONS on it you DO need to download the driver from Adesso. Otherwise you miss out on a lot of functions and personalization features. The driver can be downloaded from the Adesso website (http://www.adesso.com/products_detail.asp?productid=272).

-Once you have the driver installed, you can customize it in every possible way - sensitivity, reprogram buttons, orientation, etc. It has a very wide variety of features including: horizontal/vertical scrolls, zoom, Browser forward/back buttons, left and right clicks as taps, drag, etc. On top of that, three 'buttons' are customizable (both buttons plus a 'click area'). (the reviewer below who complained that it was too sensitive for him probably did not know that you can install this driver and adjust it).

-On my setup, I had to reduce the sensitivity/speed of the left-click tap feature before it registered correctly.

-I placed mine right under my spacebar, with a piece of velcro. Its brilliant and works and feels more or less like my laptop's touchpad. For most things I never reach for the regular mouse anymore. its very intuitive once you've set it up the way you like.

In sum: It wont cure all your problems, but as an alternative and unique input device it will make your life a bit easier.

My quick review: I love my Cirque touchpad mouse!

My detailed review:

(1) First of all, I purchased the touchpad directly from the manufacturer Cirque,[...]

(2) There are 3 different versions of this mouse (the cirque website has them listed under Desktop Touchpads named Smart Cat Pro, Smart Cat, and Easy Cat) I purchased the Easy Cat b/c they said its the only one compatable with Macs. Not that the other ones wouldn't work, its just that the extra buttons/ features won't work with a Mac. (Too bad, they seemed pretty neat...) If you ARE a Mac user, the only advantage I'd say for going with the Smart Cat (versus the Easy Cat) would be larger touchpad size. The Easy Cat touchpad (usable space) is 2.5" by 1.75" so its plenty of space. A nicer toucpad would be nice, but if its worth the extra $20 is up to you.

(3) I got this touchpad because of problems I was having with my carpal tunnel. It got especially worse when I had days with heavy data analysis and lots of clicking to do. I figured the double-tapping motion would be better than repeated clicking. I haven't had it for long, but so far, I can definitely feel an improvement. It does take a few days to get used to the tapping instead of clicking but compared to the pain I was having before its well worth the "training." And if you like the regular clicking, the buttons are very large and soft to press.

(4) The features: basically I can do everything without ever having to click a button. The vertical scroll area is textured so all you have to do is place your finger over it and you can scroll up/down. If you click once in the upper-right hand corner, its the same as a double click. And you can easily double click and drag without having to press a button.

Overall- I think its the best mouse I could have gotten for my carpal tunnel (and I searched all over the place) especially for the price. If you have a PC, you might want to go to the Cirque website to determine if the more expensive versions are worth the money for you. If you have a Mac, the Easy Cat is the one to get (but if you want a larger touchpad, get the Smart Cat Pro even if you can't use the extra buttons).

Not everyone likes touchpads, so if you're one of those people, this probably won't change your mind (unless your experience has been limited to cheaper laptops with horrible implementations of touchpads). That said, if you enjoy using them or don't mind them, then this is solid option. I personally prefer touchpads over mice b/c they require a much smaller surface area and are easier to use in a variety of conditions (mice always need a flat surface). This model in particular allows you to simulate right clicks by tapping on the upper right-hand corner of the touchpad surface. You can also scroll both horizontally and vertically by using the lower horizontal side and the rightmost vertical side of the touchpad. This makes it possible to use the touchpad without ever having to rely upon the hardware buttons.

I own both the EasyCat and BrowserCat models, Browsercat 2BTN USB Silver Cirque Glidepoint Touchpad Win. In short, the touchpad surface action is identical on the two units. The EasyCat's advantage is it's smaller size, thus making it more portable. Aside from that, the BrowserCat wins in all categories, including the fact that the cord exits from the top instead of the side (making it easier to use either left or right-handed), the extra size makes it easier to balance on a variety of surfaces, the buttons are actually usable (if you rely on the h/w buttons which I don't), and the BrowserCat also has a small stand that allows you to prop it up at an angle. Ultimately, I use the BrowserCat at home and I keep the EasyCat packed in my bag for portability (though the BrowserCat is small enough to be used portable as well... just not nearly as small as the EasyCat).

That said, if you're one who enjoys using a Touchpad (I know many do not) and never use the hardware buttons (I do not) and want the smallest, most portable option. This is a winner. Otherwise, I'd strongly recommend you consider the BrowserCat model.

Finally, a tip for those who use these touchpads. Repeated use can result in some lack of responsiveness. I believe these units end up being affected by the natural oils that come off of your finger. This is easily rectified by taking a moist paper towel or napkin and simply cleaning the top of the surface. It's not something I have to do often (maybe once every month or so). I've owned this touchpad for many years and it still operates like new.

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