Mouse Types, Technology, Function, and Tricks

 

A mouse is a pointing device attached to the computer. The invention of this device makes the work super easy. This wonderful device was invented by Douglas Englebart in 1964. This invention makes the computer work easy and accessible to millions of people. Today, we can’t think of a computer without this wonderful device while there is an alternative called “TrackPad” on the laptop. But Mouse is a very easy-to-use device; a novice can learn it fast in a week by practicing it a few hours daily. 

Mouse Structure 

A standard mouse is consisting of two buttons and a wheel-type button in between these two buttons. These three parts of the mouse help and control the cursor movement on the screen. Actually, a mouse is a camera based on CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) sensor that converts the light into electrical current. It takes the picture of the surface underneath and these images are converted into a data signal for tracing the movement of the pointer on the screen. 

In a nutshell, Mouse is a combination of lenses and a source of illumination to control the movement of the pointer on the screen. All mice are technically based on optical data and optical data represents the camera.  

Types of Mouse 

Basically, Mice are of two types mechanical and optical.

A mechanical mouse is used a roller and ball to control the movement of the pointer on the screen while an optical mouse used LED, infrared, Laser and Blue LED lights for controlling the pointer movement. 

We further classified mice into different categories like wired mice, wireless mice, and gaming mice. 

Wired Mouse 

The wired mouse comes in two types of port; one is a PS2 port and the second is USB Port.  It has better accuracy but less freedom of movement. Also, no need for batteries. 

Wireless Mouse

These mice used the technology of sensing using Light illumination. These are basically based on Bluetooth, and Wireless technology. These mice are battery-operated and more expensive wired ones.

Gaming Mouse :

A gaming mouse is somewhat different from a normal mouse. It has some additional features and buttons to help in controlling and smoothly playing the game. You can configure the additional button as per your need. A gaming mouse can be a wired mouse or wireless mouse based on user requirements.

Characteristics of a Mouse 

DPI-Dots Per Inch :

DPI –Dots per inch is the measurement of the sensitivity of a mouse. It measures how well the mouse responds to movements. Higher DPI means high sensitivity mouse while low DPI means slow movement of the cursor. The gaming mouse comes with an additional DPI switch to control the sensitivity. 

Polling Rate :

Polling rate means how fast the mouse reports its position to Computer. It is measured in Hz or times per second. A mouse's polling rate is simply the number of times (per second) it communicates its position to the computer. If your mouse's polling rate is set to 500Hz, it will broadcast its position 500 times per second, or every two milliseconds. The standard polling rate of the mouse is 125, 250, 500, and 100Hz.

Mouse Pad : 

A mouse pad is used for the smooth functioning of the mouse as every mouse is not suitable for any surface. An LED mouse is not worked properly on glossy surfaces while a LASER mouse works perfectly well on almost all types of surfaces. So before buying a mouse pad for your use consider the following:

• Use cloth type mouse pad for Optical Mouse 
• Use a plastic-type hard mouse pad for Laser Mouse. 

Mouse and Technology 

The mouse used four types of technology to control the pointer on the screen. 

Mechanical Mouse  : 

First is mechanical technology in which a rubber ball was fitted below the mouse that controls the pointer position on the screen. It consists of a rubber ball and roller. It was generally a wired mouse which is now obsolete. 

LED (Light Emitting Diode) Mouse :

The second one is an optical mouse in which lenses and red illumination (LED) guide the movement of the cursor or pointer on the screen. It has good sensitivity compared to the mechanical mouse.

LASER Mouse :

The third technology is LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) based mouse. In this technology LED illumination is replaced with Laser light (IR Infrared) illumination. The LASER mouse has high sensitivity compared to the LED mouse. It supports up to 2000 dots per inch. 

Blue Track LED Mouse :

The fourth technology is based on Blue LED to track the movement of the cursor on the screen named Blue Track. This is the latest technology in the field of mic developed by Microsoft. The BlueTrack LED mouse is a very higher sensitivity compared to its counterpart LED and LASER. It can be used on any type of surface. Actually, it is designed in a way to work on almost all types of surfaces smoothly and comfortably. But Blued LED mice are costlier than LED & LASER mice.

Benefits of Blue Track Technology

• It is perfectly wireless; there is no need for a USB receiver.
• Effectively work on most of the surfaces.
• Higher sensitivity compared to LED & LASER mouse.

Functions of Mouse: 

There are six basic functions of a mouse that we usually do during working on a Computer.

Pointing:  In a graphical user interface (GUI), the mouse is used to point to any Icon, image, or document.

Moving:  With the help of, this little device we can easily move files, images, and icons from one place to another.

Selection: It makes the selection of text and paragraphs while working in a word processing App super easy.

Drag & Drop: This is another shortcut feature of the mouse to drag and drop any document, file, or event text.

Hovering: Hovering is a way to select an image or icon just by positioning it.

Scrolling: Scrolling means moving text up and down or left and right on a computer screen

We all are using this device to do our routine work but still, most of us are not acquainted with its all features and tricks. Some tricks are so useful that will definitely help you to complete your task easily.

Mouse Tips and Tricks 

Left Button Tricks :

1. Double Click means highlighting a Word.
2. Triple Click means highlighting a Paragraph.
3. Hold down ALT + Left Button means highlighting a Column Text. 
4. Select a specific range of text – Click the Left Button and move to the end of the selection or place the cursor at the end of the text then press SHIFT KEY + Left Button to highlight the text up to there.
5. Left Button Hold + Ctrl – It is used to copy a text or paragraph. 
6. Left Button Hold + Shift - It is used to move a text or paragraph. 

Right Button Tricks :

Right button click generally displays the “Menu” having useful settings. You can do a variety of work on your selected text or word using these available options.  The keyboard alternative for this is pressing the shift key along with function key F10.

Mouse Wheel Tricks :

1. Mouse Wheel or we can say the third button of the mouse is a greatly helpful button.
2. On the internet, press the wheel button on a particular link to open the link in a new tab.
3. Click once to activate the navigation tool to automatically move up and down. This allows you to quickly check a webpage or document.
4. Pressing the wheel button on a tab in a browser immediately closes that tab.

Mouse Setting on Windows  to find your mouse pointer fast

In windows you can easily find your mouse pointer just by pressing the  CTRL key, an animated circle appear at the position of the cursor and indicates the position of the cursor. It is an accessibility tool.   

Step-1: Press Windows Key + S >>  Open Search Window 

Step-2: Type Mouse Settings 

Step-3: Click on Mouse Options

Step-4: Go to Pointer Options

Step-5: Select Option “Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL Key”.

Type of Mouse Pointers and their use:

In windows, we can customize the speed,  and change the pointers according to our requirements. 

Buying Guide for Mouse

Buying a good mouse depends on its purpose, and field of use. Whether the purpose is general or special like gaming or designing. Always considering the following features before buying the Mouse would be beneficial.

Ergonomics:  Good design of mouse that comfortably fits in user's hands. Good design helps you use the mouse for long hours without any problem.  Check for ambidextrous the of the mouse. The ambidextrous mouse can be used by left and right hands comfortably.

Size:  Small / Medium / Large - Check the size of a mouse and choose the mouse according to your hand grip. If the mouse is not perfectly fitting in your hand then you won't be able to use it comfortably.

DPI - Dots Per Inch: Lots of acceleration increase the sensitivity of the mouse. The High sensitivity of the mouse generates pointer movement lags on the screen. In the gaming mouse, there is a DPI button to control the sensitivity of the mouse.

Technology:  LED / LASER / BLUE TRACK - Choose the mouse according to your area of application and buying capacity. 

Compatibility:  Windows  / Mac / IOS  / ANDROID - Check the compatibility of the mouse before buying. Some mouse needs special software downloaded to your system for functioning.

Connectivity: It is another factor to consider before buying. Choose the right mouse based on the availability of connecting port or technology in your Desktop or Laptop Computer.

Some important facts/information about Mouse :

• The first computer mouse was invented in 1964 by Douglas Engelbart.
• The mouse was first used with the Xerox Alto computer system in 1973, and was originally referred to as an "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System."
• Steven Kirsch invented the first optic model of the computer mouse in 1981.
• Ice Ball nickname was given to Apple's first USB interface computer mouse iMac.
• Air mouse controls the cursor movement using motion-sensing technology.
• Logitech introduced the first LASER mouse in the year 2004.
• The Magic Mouse was developed by Apple in the year 2009.  It had a rechargeable battery and multi-touch facility for swiping and scrolling by moving your hand over the surface of the mouse.

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