Wow-Pen Joy: the cheap, five-button ergonomic mouse

Forty years after the first computer mouse saw the light of day, the IT industry still tries its best to reinvent this peripheral. At Gizmag, we've seen our good share of esoteric mice, but what's interesting about the Wow-Pen Joy is how functional its design promises to be, for a price well below the average for ergonomic devices.

The first thing you'll notice when looking at the Joy is its peculiar semi-vertical design. According to the manufacturer, this was the result of lengthy study by the award-winning Inno Design of Silicon Valley and is primarily meant to reduce the pronation of wrist and forearm, helping reducing risk of carpal tunnel and other repetitive strain injuries by allowing you to adopt a more natural wrist position.

The unique shape of the mouse allows you to hold it the same way you would hold a pencil or a pen — hence the name. In addition to the standard three buttons, with the scrolling wheel acting as a second button, the Wow-Pen also features 'back' and 'forward' buttons, which put the total count up to five. This is, of course, done to boost productivity, even though it has to be said that not all applications support these two additional buttons.

As far as mobility goes, the Wow-Pen only weighs 43g (Wow-Pen Eco) to 51g (Wow-pen Traveler) and, because of its compact design and the fact it doesn't need a mousepad, it's ideal for carrying with a notebook.

The mouse works 'plug-and-play,' without the need to install a driver, with all Windows from 98 onwards, as well as Linux and Mac OS.

Technical specifications:

• Interface: USB (Cable 1.5m / 5ft)
• Resolution: 800dpi
• Weight: 130g / 4.6oz (include USB cable)
• Dimension: 82(W) x 100(D) x 80mm(H) / 3.2in(W) x 3.9in(D) x 3.1in(H)
• Button: 4 buttons in default / 1 scroll wheel (middle button)

The Wow-Pen can be currently purchased for $USD26 from Amazon.

via Red Ferret