Mouse vs. tablet

[loogie]

i have the bamboo fun i think? it's pretty good, the pressure is fairly good, and it was fairly cheap... it is quite small, but for an amateur, it's a decent buy.

[Johnny Au]

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

I got myself a Wacom Bamboo Create tablet. With it, I can draw convincing circles, which I cannot do with a mouse. Ever since I got the tablet, I can never go back to drawing anything with a mouse. I am happy with my tablet, since it allows me to draw continents that look like continents, not blobs or elementary school-style cartography. I also use my tablet with ArcGIS for my work.

I bought it on sale on Amazon for C$140 last December, which is quite inexpensive.

[006]

have to say I prefer the tablet

[reinadeoz]

I'm a web developer, and my typical day involves a lot of moving and clicking when testing stuff in the browser. I've been thinking about ditching my mouse, because when using it for long hours it gets very uncomfortable. As such, I'm eyeing up a Wacom tablet and using the pen input to mouse around -- but do you think it's a good idea?

Thanks in advance!

academias de ingles en madrid

[RobA]

I'm a web developer, and my typical day involves a lot of moving and clicking when testing stuff in the browser. I've been thinking about ditching my mouse, because when using it for long hours it gets very uncomfortable. As such, I'm eyeing up a Wacom tablet and using the pen input to mouse around -- but do you think it's a good idea?

Thanks in advance!

For my day job (which involves spending most of the day at the computer) I use a Microsoft trackball which I don't believe they sell anymore:



I much prefer it to a mouse, and it eliminated the numb fingers (pinky and ring) I was developing.

I use my Wacom for everything graphic, however...

-Rob A>

[Jaxilon]

and it eliminated the numb fingers (pinky and ring) I was developing. -Rob A>

So that's what's going on with my fingers..
I was thinking eventually I could use my hand to fling snowballs like a catapult.

This stuff makes me think that those Chinese exercise balls might be a good idea.

If Microsoft doesn't sell them just check out Logitech.com they make all sorts of things: trackballs
They even have a new mouse that's a touchpad and a mouse all in one.

[jfrazierjr]

For my day job (which involves spending most of the day at the computer) I use a Microsoft trackball which I don't believe they sell anymore:



I much prefer it to a mouse, and it eliminated the numb fingers (pinky and ring) I was developing.

I use my Wacom for everything graphic, however...

-Rob A>

I have the exact same trackball... I LOVE it and was so disappointed when MS stopped production on those. I have even looked around a number of times and considered paying 150+ USD for one from Ebay I like the thing that darn much.

[waldronate]

A friend of mine swears by his Evoluent vertical mouse. Weird looking thing, but he says it helped his mouse-related injuries.

[Midgardsormr]

Logitech used to make one that was similar, but they stopped selling it, too. The thumb-driven ones and the type with the ball in the center wear me out right quick. I've also considered paying for a new one, but it lacks button 3, which makes it inappropriate for my 3d work.

The tablet can definitely help, but it comes with its own RSI risk. I find myself getting a little bit of a problem in my largest index finger knuckle from it. Moving back and forth between the mouse and pen helps, as does using correct posture and setting the desk height correctly.

I also have found some trouble from having to reach too far for my keyboard because I like to place the tablet between the keyboard and the edge of the desk. So when I type more than a few characters, I have to remember to bring the keyboard forward. Otherwise, I start to stress my shoulders too much, which expresses itself in additional wrist pain.

The fellow who sits next to me swears by a mouse that has the sensor under his index finger. I'm not sure exactly how it changes things, but he says his wrists feel better using it. He also switched to a thumb-driven trackball at home, so he's using his hands differently there, too.

I think maybe I'll start saving for one of those vertical mice; I keep hearing good things about them.

[Maezar]

I use both. There are many things a tablet is not suited for, but then, a mouse will never give you the feel of a pressure sensitive pen!