Computer Mouse Breakthroughs & Warm Breaking News

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Is Your Computer Killing You Softly?
Rieva Lesonsky

Being an entrepreneur means working, if not quite 24/7, darn close most days. I spend a good part of my day (and night) on my computers, writing, researching, reading, and Tweeting. As a result, I have occasional wrist pain and an almost constant neck ache.

Brian Bentow, founder and owner of Computer Athlete Media, based in Newport Beach, Calif., and author of The Computer Athlete's Handbook: Your Guide to a Healthier, Happier Techy Lifestyle says that I -- along with millions of other Americans -- am suffering needlessly. Bentow preaches his mission "to help people live happier and healthier techy lifestyles" via his Web site Computer Athlete Central. Intrigued by his message, I contacted Bentow to talk to him about how we can all feel better and be more productive.

Rieva Lesonsky: As technology advances and gets more portable, we entrepreneurs tend to rely on it more and more. We're using computers for many more hours. How big a problem is this?

Brian Bentow: The problem -- that people are suffering from cumulative trauma disorders, serious health issues, and other side effects from their techy lifestyles -- is enormous and pervasive. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), 60 percent of people who use a computer for work experience some physical discomfort. This problem also destroys lives and careers, decreases productivity, increases workers compensation costs, and is going to get worse unless we take steps to prevent it.

Lesonsky: Any estimate on the dollar amount of health injuries directly related to computer usage?

Bentow: OSHA reports that the direct costs of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) in the U.S. are between $15 and $20 billion annually.

Lesonsky: What does it cost companies in lost productivity?

Bentow: Any way you look at it, the cost is significant to enormous. An unhappy employee who is in pain is less likely to work hard for your company. In the worst case, you can lose any one of your top employees due to a computer-related injury, on a temporary or permanent basis. It can literally push a company from viability over the edge to a black hole.

Lesonsky: What are most common computer-related injuries? How do most people get hurt?

Bentow: The most common computer-related injuries are carpal tunnel, tenosynovitis (trigger finger), wrist pain, tennis elbow, thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), and computer back. People get these injuries by slouching, overusing their hands and fingers, stress, and by not keeping their body in neutral positions while using the computer.

Lesonsky: Brian, you say “put your body in a neutral position." Can you explain what this means?

Bentow: In general, the neutral position for a joint is the most natural position for that joint. It also requires the least amount of effort and is typically the midpoint in the range of that joint. For your wrists the neutral position is straight, in line, and roughly parallel to the floor. For your elbows and knees, it is at a 90-degree angle. When all your individual body parts (head, shoulders, knees, hands, wrists, forearms, back, hips, etc.) are in a neutral position, then you have reached the goal of having your body in a neutral position.

Lesonsky: Let's talk about a "cure." What can we do to alleviate these injuries?

Bentow: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In more extreme cases, there could be permanent nerve damage. Treatment depends on the type and severity of your injury. [This can range from] rest, physical therapy, massage, and time to medical intervention.

It is much simpler and less expensive to avoid and prevent injury than it is to treat it once you, or one of your employees, are injured. One of my favorite tips is to use your larger appendages to do more of the work. For example, use a foot pedal to push "Shift" and "Control" with your feet [rather than on the keyboard] which increases blood flow and offloads some work [from your hands] to your legs. You can also push "Shift" and "Control" with your middle and index fingers instead of using your pinky. Also, make sure you buy the right equipment and learn to use it properly.

Lesonsky: What can I do to help my employees in their workspace or cubicles?

Bentow: There is a lot you can do to help your employees compute in comfort. For example, you can provide adjustable height desks, monitor stands, adjustable keyboard trays, adjustable split keyboards, and a vertical computer mouse. All of this can be done on a reasonable budget. You can also provide ergonomic training seminars, ergonomist evaluations, and software to monitor how users spend their time on their computers.

Lesonsky: Chairs are so crucial to ergonomic comfort. What do you recommend?

Bentow: You need a comfortable chair with lumbar support that you can sit in for 5+ hours at a time. Also, because armrests tend to create more problems than they solve -- they can get in the way of keeping your elbows at a neutral 90 degree angle and often support bad habits like using your mouse and keyboard on a surface that is too high -- buy a chair that allows you to remove them. I use a Raynor Executive Leather Chair with lumbar support with no armrests.

Lesonsky: What about laptops? They seem to inevitably cause pain. What's the best way to use a laptop?

Bentow: The healthiest way to use a laptop is in combination with an external mouse and keyboard so that you can keep your shoulders, wrists, arms, elbows, and neck at neutral positions while you work. The most common way to do this is to attach an adjustable keyboard and mouse tray to your desk. Then you can place your laptop on a stand or simply a stack of books to get it to the right height for your neck.

If you are on a tight budget or [traveling], put your laptop on a stack of books, place your keyboard on your lap and your mouse on top of a stack of books on a chair next to you so that it is at the right height. When I travel for business, I bring my external vertical mouse and split Kinesis Freestyle keyboard, which easily fit in my carry-on luggage.

Lesonsky: Lots of products claim they're ergonomic. How do you know they really are and it's not just marketing hype?

Bentow: For keyboards make sure they allow you to keep your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in neutral positions. [You'll want one] with low key pressure and a smooth keystroke. Adjustable split keyboards like the Kinesis Freestyle or the Goldtouch Go! help keep your body in a neutral position.

Check the specs to compare the key pressure of different keyboards. Finally, try different keyboards [to determine] whether they have a smooth stroke. Look for a mouse that fits in your hand and hopefully doesn't require you to twist your arm.

Lesonsky: What bad habits should we stop practicing?

One of the worst things to do is take anti-inflammatories or pain medication when you're in pain from using the computer. Taking medication may let you work past your normal pain threshold but that can lead to serious injury or even permanent nerve damage.

Other common bad habits to avoid: slouching, excessive switching between applications, twisting your wrists in order to press two keys at the same time like Shift A, sitting on your leg, and lying in bed with your laptop.

Lesonsky: What must we do to stay healthier and more productive?

Bentow: Let's face it -- our lives are incredibly stressful. We have monetary concerns, deadlines, relationship problems, nonstop news, and are constantly bombarded with an almost infinite amount of information. It is not uncommon for our brains to get overstimulated and our bodies to atrophy, so we must learn to eat healthfully, stay hydrated, and manage our stress.

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Of Mice and Men (and Women, and Children…)
by Edward Trumbo from etwriter
Filed under: Ergonomics, computers, design
Tags: computers, design, Ergonomics, mouse

I wrote previously about my difficulties with the computer mouse, and I’m pleased to report I’ve made some progress in relieving the strain on my wrist and index finger. I disabled the mouse wheel — the temptation to use it while scrolling was just too strong, and I believe it was the main source of my finger stress. In my main applications, I’ve disabled as many toolbars as reasonably possible, opting to use keyboard shortcuts instead.

Given an opportunity I would use the keyboard exclusively, but the design of most websites would make this impractical. Additionally, there are some applications where some kind of pointing device is necessary. As long as I must supplement the keyboard with a device capable of interacting with the graphical world, I want to be sure the device I’m using won’t damage or cripple me, while still providing all the speed and convenience of a mouse.

I’ve used the three mainstream mouse alternatives — the trackball, the touchpad and the TouchPoint “eraser-head” — and find none of them an adequate replacement. Either they lack speed, sufficient fine control or they become too difficult to scroll while holding down a button. Sometimes for the sake of convenience I’ll use these if they’re already embedded in my laptops, such as the touchpad in my HP Pavillion or the TouchPoint in my Fujitsu Lifebook, but for anything elaborate I resort to an external mouse.

This past week, I discovered alternatives that make me wonder why these haven’t become more mainstream. There are two styles of traditional mice designed to operate vertically, as opposed to the forearm/wrist-twisting horizontal mouse:

– the Evoluent Vertical Ergonomic Mouse
– the 3M Renaissance Vertical Mouse

Right now, I’m leaning toward the 3M model — its joystick grip and thumb-accessible buttons interest me. I plan to order one and I’ll post a review here soon.

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Computer Accessory Promotional Items are available online through Warm Mouse Heated Keyboard! Wait 'til you see the deal for you! Get your company logo on many cost-effective, energy-efficient products for clients and employees.

Trend of Using Promotional Computer Accessories for Your Business
Posted by JP-GADGET

Computer accessories have become the multi-functional assets these days. You can not only add functionality to your computer but also use these computer accessories for the promotion of your business. Yes, the computer accessories have actually helped the business owners in the efficient promotion of their products and services.

The very first computer accessory used for the promotional purposes was the Mouse Mats. Demand for these Mouse Mats quickly took off and has remained high ever since. They have large print areas, typically 200 x 240mm, so good use of graphics can produce great imaging. The original Hard Top Mouse Mat was capable of being printed in four-color process so as to suit almost all the marketing purposes - from a soft and subtle to high impact. The Mouse Mats are available in a wide range of forms including liquid-filled to your own color scheme, textile-covered , inexpensive soft and flexible, lenticular, bespoke- shaped, tough plastic and many more. They are also produced with integral wrist rests and calculators. Since then, the computer mouse has also undergone great amount of advancements. The other computer accessory used for the promotional purposes is the flash drive. The flash drive can actually be used as a gift item which can be presented to your customers. This flash drive would contain all the detailed information about the products and services your business firm offers, which would be helpful in attracting the clients. Initially, the memory sizes available for the flash drives were 32 an 64mb, but as time passed they were being produced with larger-sized capacities and demand for these larger ones meant they became less and less expensive as more and more were produced - as with numerous other products.

USB’s are the other computer accessories which have been used for the promotional purposes. You can easily buy these USB’s and gift them to your clients who would find them to be extremely beneficial.

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Regardless of the struggle, the computer mouse is here to stay. We'll all ride out the storm and become better as a result of our journey!

Logitech Sees Q1 Operating Loss
By Reuters

Logitech, the world's largest computer mouse maker, disappointed markets by posting a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss as the global economic downturn dampened consumers' appetite for its products. The company painted a gloomy outlook for the first quarter, but Chief Executive Gerald Quindlen told Reuters this could be the turning point in the year for Logitech.


"Although we expect Q1 to be the low point in operating results there are signs that demand is stabilizing," Gerald Quindlen told Reuters in an interview. The fourth-quarter net loss of $35 million fell well short of analysts' forecasts and compared with a year-earlier profit of $60.3 million. "The historic (sales) growth levels of 15 percent are certainly not a thing of the past," Quindlen said, adding that it was "just a question of time" before Logitech returned to a profit margin of 32 to 34 percent.

Consumers are reining in spending as their savings portfolios tumble in value and many worry about their jobs. Retailers are also reluctant to build up stock in the face of sluggish demand as the economic crisis bites. "Logitech's results are very disappointing," Sal. Oppenheim analyst Nicolas von Stackelberg said, adding the worst was probably yet to come. Logitech sees first-quarter sales of $300 million to $320 million and an operating loss of $40 million to $50 million. The first quarter is traditionally the group's weakest period.

Fourth-quarter sales fell 32 percent to $408 million as a stronger dollar weighed, but Logitech said its market share was largely stable, and in some product categories it had even managed to grow. "It seems that Logitech had to, and will, clean out old inventory with high discounts," said Helvea analyst Tomas Hilfing. "As we had assumed, retailers seem to be keeping low inventory levels currently." Logitech said it will reduce shipments of its products and push promotional activities to help lower stock levels at shops.

Quindlen said further job cuts were unlikely after the group said in January it was cutting 15 percent of its salaried workforce -- or around 500 jobs. Analysts had expected Logitech to post a net loss of $3 million, according to the average estimate in a Reuters poll of 11 analysts.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Thompson in Zurich and Jennifer Robin Raj in Bangalore; Writing by Katie Reid; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)