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Comment by alexmunioz | Hacker News Reader

Hi HN,

I was laid off from the last two tech companies I worked for. It's not great, but it gave me a lot of time to work on creating the "next version" of an ergonomic mouse. I believe ergonomic devices are still in early stages and most of them look overly complicated. I'm equipping mine with a gaming sensor and most importantly, a sleek and minimal design.

I am now quite far in the development process but I am not an expert in electronics nor mechanical engineering. I'd love to hear what you think about the design itself and if you are an expert in any of those fields, it would be great to work with you in a couple of things before I launch it on Kickstarter. Thanks

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Tech scene is very unstable right now. It's unfortunate that you got laid off.

This seems like a great project. I have had a few days of intense wrist pain with apple mouse and keyboard.

I have started using an ergonomic keyboard from Microsoft. It has helped a lot.

Looking forward to your kickstarter.

Indeed the apple mouse and keyboard are some of the least ergonomic devices out there unfortunately.

Happy to hear the ones from Microsoft have helped! Those are indeed more ergonomic. And thanks, I hope to launch soon

Great work!

Question though were there reasons to go with optical tracking versus a trackball you use a thumb or fingers with?

Personally I've found trackball mice nice for eliminating virtually all wrist movement.

Thanks! The reason is because based on the research I did, I saw that trackball had a steeper learning curve and less usage preference overall, and even though vertical mice also have a learning curve, it seems to be lower. Plus, I believe it's easier to use optical tracking for other actions such as gaming.

I'm happy to be proven wrong though! How do you like your trackball? Do you get any pain on your fingers or hand after using it for a while? Maybe a product to explore as a second iteration if the first version goes well :D

> The reason is because based on the research I did, I saw that trackball had a steeper learning curve and less usage preference overall, and even though vertical mice also have a learning curve, it seems to be lower. Plus, I believe it's easier to use optical tracking for other actions such as gaming.

Thanks. Those are good points. It's fun for me to see people not use to a trackball attempt to use mine. It definitely took me some time to find it 'natural' with FPS games. It makes sense for you to target a larger audience of potential buyers.

> How do you like your trackball? Do you get any pain on your fingers or hand after using it for a while? Maybe a product to explore as a second iteration if the first version goes well :D

I love it overall. My thumb joint does get a little sore/tired after long use (nothing compared to wrist pain). So I have considered switching to one that relies on your fingers instead. Also it works on any surface so it's great if you want a 'full' mouse with a mobile device.

I would definitely recommend exploring it as an option down the road, though I'm guessing it's still a relatively niche market.

Here's wishing you success finishing and launching your product!

>Thanks. Those are good points. It's fun for me to see people not use to a trackball attempt to use mine. It definitely took me some time to find it 'natural' with FPS games. It makes sense for you to target a larger audience of potential buyers.

Haha I know what you mean, it's also fun to see people trying a vertical mouse for the first time. Even though it's a more natural position, they get so confused.

> I love it overall. My thumb joint does get a little sore/tired after long use (nothing compared to wrist pain). So I have considered switching to one that relies on your fingers instead. Also it works on any surface so it's great if you want a 'full' mouse with a mobile device.

Ah interesting. I wonder if with long term usage the thumb soreness gets better or worse. I hope the former! Good point about the surface.

> I would definitely recommend exploring it as an option down the road, though I'm guessing it's still a relatively niche market.

Great to hear this, I'll definitely keep it in mind.

> Here's wishing you success finishing and launching your product!

Thank you!!

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