The GyroTransport:Pro Air Mouse - A Wireless Air Mouse and FlashDrive for your Keychain?
Written: Mar 09 '08 (Updated Jul 05 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wireless air mouse, small, transportable, flash drive, 100 ft range
Cons: Can't double as a desktop mouse
The Bottom Line: If you need make presentations from different PC's, or just need a small wireless mouse for a Home Theater PC, the Gyration Transport:Pro is a convenient, robust solution.
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| nc10's Full Review: Gyration (GYT8105US) |
The Gyration GyroTransport:Pro air mouse controller is a motion sensing wireless mouse designed primarily for making presentations. A conventional mouse detects movements either mechanically or optically as it slides across a flat surface, and then uses that data to know how to move your mouse pointer. A motion sensing air mouse detects any kind of motion as a mouse is moved “in the air” in any direction, using gyroscope technology. Gyration builds on that gyroscope technology with a few other features that distinguishes this wireless mouse from other models including;
- wireless range of 100ft
- a wireless USB receiver also is a flash drive (512mb to 2gb versions available), that can be stored in the air mouse when not in use
- No option for conventional desktop use
- USB receiver plugs into the mouse when not in use
- Small size “add to your keychain” and take wherever you go
- No software installation necessary to use on any Windows PC
We have an area in our home where we have a treadmill and exercise bike setup, along with a computer and monitor to watch when exercising. Normally, when I start using the treadmill, I’ll first put in a DVD or log into Netflix, and start watching a movie. The computer came with a media center remote to control whatever media player I was using, but I couldn’t use it to move the cursor or click on windows that popped up (something windows does too often). Seems like half the time I was watching something, windows would pop a window asking to install an update, or the Antivirus software would do the same. I’d have to stop exercising and go over to the mouse and click out of whatever the popup was, sometimes even to avoid an automatic reboot. I’d seen this model mouse before, but never really seriously considered it because of the price (list starts at $100), and the fact that I couldn’t use like a conventional mouse if I wanted to. However, when I recently saw this wireless airmouse online (at woot.com) for $35, it seemed like a good fit for this particular application, and I ordered one. It has worked out well, and I now use the mouse almost every day. If you need a mouse for situations where you’ll be standing up without a flat mousing surface, the GyroTransport Pro is a good choice.
Setup
The Gyration GyroTransport:Pro comes in a “hard to open” blister package with a one page instruction sheet and a single AAA battery. The air mouse is about 2.75” long, 1.25” wide and 1.25” thick. The USB flash drive/wireless receiver slides into the bottom of the mouse and docks seamlessly into a standard sized USB slot. There’s also a hook at one end of the mouse in case you want to attach it to your keychain, but it seems just a little large for doing that everyday. No driver cd is included, but there are digital copies of the manual and an installer for the Gyrotools utilites software on the USB flash drive.
The mouse is designed to held in your hand, like a small TV remote or car door remote. There’s a large left and right button for mouse clicks, and two smaller center buttons in between those, one of which you hold down when using the mouse to move your screen cursor.
Before using the mouse initially, all that’s needed is to put the battery in, and then plug the USB receiver into a USB port on a PC. Like most wireless mice systems, this mouse and receiver both have a small “connect button, which you’ll have to push initially to sync the devices. But, I only had to do this the first time I used the mouse. I’ve sense moved the mouse between PC’s a couple dozen times, and haven’t needed to re-sync the connection.
To use the mouse on any PC, all you need to do is unplug the USB flash drive/receiver from the mouse, and plug it into your PC. I’ve done this on PC’s running both Vista and XP, and find that PC’s take about 10-30 seconds to recognize the mouse.
Using the GyroTransport:Pro
Using a Gyration Air Mouse takes a bit of getting used to. Rather than move your arms to move the mouse, its best to just hold your arm at your side normally, and when you want to move the cursor, hold down the center button with your thumb and then move your wrist a bit to move the cursor. When you want to click on something, you move your thumb off of the center button, which leaves the cursor fixed in place, and then you click on the left or right button with your thumb.
After a few tries at this, most will find using the GyroTransport comfortable, but you’ll never have the degree of control that you get with a desktop mouse. You can click on buttons, right click on items and point with the cursor, but cut and paste operations that require more accuracy are pretty much out of the question.
You can use the GyroTransport with any PC just by plugging it in, without installing any drivers or software. However, if you do install the GyroTools utility software, you’ll have an order of magnitude more powerful mouse. The Gyrotools enables Swipes and Gestures. Holding down the second center button (the "swipes" button) and move your mouse left opens Internet Explorer. Hold the swipe button and move up opens Windows Explorer. Move the mouse northwest and your mouse pointer turns into a pen, with which you can hilite or draw items on the screen. The swipes are user configurable, and if you use this mouse a lot, they work well. If you use it infrequently, you don't remember the commands, and won't use them.
My first battery lasted a little over 6 weeks, not great, but the device is powered by a single AAA battery, which helps keeps the mouse small and light. I don’t use this mouse heavily, but do use it typically 30-60 minutes each day to control what is essentially a media center PC.
Gyration claims this mouse has a wireless range of 100 feet. I’ve tried up to about 40’ feet without problems. I can plug the transmitter into the back of a PC and still works ok. I can hold the mouse behind my back or under my desk, and not have any problems. Other wireless devices don’t conflict with the wireless signal. My experience teaches that this mouse is robust, I’ve not found any limitations that might make this mouse unusable.
Conclusion
The Gyration’s compact size, ease of use, and built in flash drive make a good choice for presenters who want a convenient, easy-to-use easy pointer for presentations anywhere. It can't handle everything, though. If you need a air mouse that can double as a desktop mouse, consider Gyration's other wireless models serve both as an optical and an air mouse. After using this mouse at work for one presentation, I find myself wondering why a laser pointer wasn’t included. The Gyrotransport works well with media center PC’s, and includes a set of tools which allow the mouse to control Windows Media Center software.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 35
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