Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site topaz.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!topaz!STEINER@RUTGERS.ARPA From: STEINER@RUTGERS.ARPA Newsgroups: net.works Subject: Speed Key vs. Mice Message-ID: <166@topaz.ARPA> Date: Mon, 7-Jan-85 02:47:20 EST Article-I.D.: topaz.166 Posted: Mon Jan 7 02:47:20 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 02:21:55 EST Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 32 From: Wayne McGuireIn Infoworld for November 19 appears an enthusiastic review of a product called Speed Key, sold by Koala Technologies, which is a combination mouse and keyboard macro program for the IBM PC-compatible Koalapad. Speed Key sells for $99, and received an "excellent" rating in the categories of performance, documentation, ease of use, and error handling. Does anyone know of any good reasons why Speed Key-style interfaces won't replace mice as cursor-moving devices? Here's an excerpt from the review: "We couldn't pass up making a comparison between Speed Key and roll-around mice. Novice and experienced subjects from age 4 to adult participated in what, by nature, was a very subjective and informal test. Most thought it more natural to move the cursor across the screen using the pad rather than slide a mouse across a tabletop. The touchpad, the size of a stenographer's notebook, requires about half the desktop space of a typical mouse. You can also operate it on your lap (or stacked on top of last week's peanut butter sandwich). Many users preferred to prop the pad against the bottom of the display like a detached touch screen. "Compared to menu-generating programs provided with most mice, Koala's Speed Key customizer won, paws down. "The conclusion was that a combination of Speed Key and the Koalapad is an excellent alternative to the mouse as a link between the user and computer." -- Wayne