Left Handed Peripherals - Where are they? 42
Anonymous Coward asks: "Why is it that Microsoft and many other manufacturers of PC Peripherals do not make left handed models of their products? Every day the peripherals on offer become more ergonomic, have added buttons and functions. I am not able to use these Peripherals as they are only produced for Right Handed People, so I remain using these crappy mice and joysticks that have a generic layout. Are there any manufactures that produce left handed versions of their products (eg. mice and game controllers)?"
Well, here's one... (Score:1)
Re:Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice (Score:2)
Try Ned Flanders' Shop. (Score:2)
Re:Try Ned Flanders' Shop. (Score:2)
Doh!
Sue under the ADA in the US! (Score:2)
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Re:Try Ned Flanders' Shop. (Score:1)
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Re:Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice (Score:2)
So, left hand on the keyboard, right on the mouse (and using the right to CRLF using the numberpad Enter key) is the ideal setup for lots of situations.
Cost/Benefit! (Score:1)
In addition, there are many turncoat leftys that suck it up and use the equimpent right handed. My wife is a lefty, and she uses her computer with the right-handed ergonomic logitech trackball marble.
So, with so many leftys livin' in the righty world, it drops the number of left handed mice that would be purchased s'more...
I guess it don't pay to be a deviant!
G
Re:Cyborg Joystick (brain fart) (Score:1)
Also, in response to both the joking "disability discrimination" and "leftie mouse?
but i digress [habitually]. First, I've never understood the urge to flip the mouse buttons. I tried it briefly, back when I started on win3.1, but between conformity and convenience, it just didn't seem worth it. Maybe I have an exceptionally dextrous [dactrous? heh, sorry] middle finger, who knows? But, then I use the middle for left click, the index for both right click and wheel/middle, and the mouse held between ring and thumb...
Secondly, [and this is getting way too long for a mousepost] I've always Really Liked the microsoft ergo-mouse shape, for some reason [this inexplicability is becoming a theme, isn't it?]; come to think of it, the shape of those mice might be partially responsible for my odd finger positioning today. Whadyaknow. But I always kind of let the "lump" hang out under my ring and pinky fingers... maybe it gave better grip that way...
Anyways, the handedness did play a part in my last mouse purchase: as the intellimouse explorer has extra buttons only on the left side, I chose the intellimouse optical, which has them fairly balanced left and right. Now all that remains is getting X to natively support the extras as buttons 6 and 7 in usb mode, which might be as simple as upgrading to 4.higherhthani'vegot
Again, longer than the topic deserved... maybe I should have made it 4 separate posts, heh.
John Moriarty
Well, here's a leftie ergo mouse. (Score:3)
mouse layout (Score:1)
Sorry for my bad english
Kensington Optical Mouse (Score:3)
Not ergonomic, but comfortably contoured, and perfectly symmetrical.
As a rightie, I'd like for there to be less stuff on the right. The cursor keys are to the right, the number pad, and my mouse. With the text keys centered on my monitor, my mouse is forced to be too far to the right. Anyone know of a good, ergo keyboard that ain't huge? Not a mini-keyboard, but a normal-sized-keys keyboard.
Re:I can't resist this one! (Score:1)
Umm, You mean like a QWERTY keyboard? It was invneted by a left handed man. The most common keys are all in the left hand.
(Not sure if this was an emmision of your humour gland, but I'll bite anyway...)
Close, but not quite. QWERTY was developed in the early days of mechanical typewriters to slow people down.
People were starting to type so fast (up to 80 wpm! :-) that the keys were constantly jamming. The QWERTY layout was specifically designed to slow down typists, so that the most commonly used keys were in the most inconvenience positions, and so that keystrokes alternated from left to right as often as possible.
The left hand, being weaker for 90% of the population, is therefore the best (worst?) place to put the common vowels a and e, and the common consonants s,c, etc.
Ironically, people just got used to the new layout, and were soon typing at 80wpm again, regardless of the inconvenience. But, the delay was long enough for the engineering of typewriters to catch up.
IIRC, DVORAK keyboards are designed to do the exact opposite, putting common keys on the home line. Can't say I've seen any studies showing faster typing for dvorak's, though...
Russ %-)
Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice (Score:2)
Now if I could get a mouse or equivalent that works with my fingers on the home row, that would be cool.
Re:Cost/Benefit! (Score:1)
There is something about a mouse that allows it to be used nicely by the non-dominant hand, but it does take some getting use to. (Especially if you have been using it in your other hand for a long time).
I won't buy a left-handed mouse, for one I am not use to it, but also oher people use my computer and I would not wish to inconvenience them significantly. But, my latest mouse is not what I would call Ergonomic, it could readily be used in the left hand.
(Microsoft Optical Mouse)
The only thing Microsoft does right.
Re:Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice (Score:2)
Look for the IBM Trackpoint keyboard. It's got a tiny joystick between the G and H keys, I think, just like on the IBM laptops. I used one of these laptops for a while and really liked this feature, especialy compared to touch pads, and even trackballs.
Re:I can't resist this one! (Score:2)
Re:what about a poiuyt keyboard? (Score:1)
We don't want them? (Score:2)
I think the point I am trying to make is that maybe there isn't that much market pressure to create left handed mice (etc) if some left handers will use right handed peripherals (in either their left or right hands!)
Re:I'm right handed, but would like one too! (Score:1)
What? You fell for Radio Shack's left-handed PC scam?
ÕÕ
A single-button mouse doesn't care which hand (Score:3)
Kensington's trackballs are also symmetrically designed, and the buttons are all assignable so you can use it from either direction. I'm using a Kensington Orbit at my left. Leaves my right hand free to...um...uhh...work the keypad and chase keyboard shortcuts.
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Re:A single-button mouse doesn't care which hand (Score:2)
You can certianly get symettrical mice, but asymetrical ones are more comfortable.
There's a wonderful shop in Soho called Anyhting Left Handed that just sells things that have been reversed, like can-openers, notebooks, watches. You may have something similar, or, by the power of google: http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/Niche/Le
Switch hands? (Score:2)
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Re:Kensington Optical Mouse (Score:1)
Re:We don't want them? (Score:1)
Jimi Hendrix (Score:1)
Hmm..Yes, but 1 button mice suck. (Score:1)
Re:Sue under the ADA in the US! (Score:1)
Re:I'm right handed, but would like one too! (Score:1)
It was an Amstrad PC1512 that I had on loan. All the cables were non-standard and fairly short, making it almost impossible to build extension cables cheaply. The power supply for the base-unit was in the monitor, and it wasn't possible to put the monitor anywhere other than on top of the base unit. Due to the depth of the base unit it took up half of my desk, and I had to place the keyboard to the left of the base unit, stretching the keyboard cable to its limit. The only place left for the mouse was to the left of the keyboard.
I'm right handed, but would like one too! (Score:2)
Due to the nature of my first PC I was only able to operate the mouse left handed, and have prefered to do so ever since.
Re:Well, here's one... (Score:2)
Left-Handed GUI for PalmOS (Score:2)
Where are they? (Score:3)
Doesn't bother me... (Score:2)
Once I tried moving the mouse to the left and swapping the buttons, but I just couldn't get the hang of it, even though I'm left handed.
There is a website, the Left Hand [thelefthand.com], that sells computer junk for lefties, including a keyboard, mouse, and joystick.
Also, In San Francisco, CA, on Pier 39 I believe, there is an entire store that sells stuff for lefthanders. Maybe you can call them.
I can't resist this one! (Score:2)
what about left-handed GUIs ? (Score:1)
It is of course trivial to reverse the assignments of the mouse buttons, but I find myself wishing that Windows had a way to reverse the entire GUI. Put the scrollbars on the left sides of the windows. That sort of thing.
Re:I'm right handed, but would like one too! (Score:2)
It honestly seems like it would be a much better idea to have left handed mice. When I find one I like as well as my trackball, I'm going to buy 2, one for home, one for work.
Since mice are the main cause of wrist/hand RSI, it really makes sense to mouse with your non-dominant hand (and be careful, of course).
left hand online store (Score:1)
Http://thelefthand.com
They have keyboards, mouses, telephone headsets (had at least when I was revieing products ), food peelers, can openers, hardware tools and tons of other stuff. I even have a right to left ruler because i find it easier to use ( but I don't recall were I bought that).
They ship within a decent time. Customer service is OK.
Good Luck
ONEPOINT
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Logitech (Score:3)
Re:Switch hands? (Score:1)
Cyborg Joystick (Score:1)
Dei
Re:We don't want them? (Score:2)
Combining the 90% of the population who are right handed with the 5+- % of the population who are left handed but go ahead and use the righty products, the manufacturers just laugh when you cry out.... No way are they going to shut down to run a 5% run....
Now have you ever thought about a discrimination suit, or filing for disability. It might work in this day's legal system... you never know.
Anyway Good luck....
David Byrd
CEO - 21st Century Tech., Inc.
URL: http://www.nite-surfer.com