Gyration Air Mouse

When you're working with a laptop on the move, using a proper mouse is more comfortable than using the laptop's trackpad.

That usually depends on having a surface to use it on, though. The Gyration Air Mouse gets around this problem with a clever combination of sensors that allows it to be used in the air.

The portable mouse is very small and comes with a pouch to keep it safe. The size means it won't take up too much space in a bag but it is not very comfortable for people with larger hands. It would not replace a full-size mouse for a desktop computer.

The underside of the mouse has a trigger button that switches it to in-air mode while the button is pressed. Because it is hard to keep the mouse still in this mode, you will need to release the trigger before clicking on a link to keep the cursor in the same place. It takes a little getting used to but works in practice.

One feature we like is the hole at the back of the mouse for storing the USB adapter, since it's easy to lose these essential pieces of hardware.

Installation was very simple: just plug in the adapter and Windows, Mac OSX or Linux will detect the mouse. The Windows and Mac software allows the user to take full advantage of the mid-air sensors and extra buttons.

There are two extra buttons between the main buttons that work as backwards and forwards keys, but the really useful button is just below them. This can be combined with mouse movements to make an additional 10 shortcuts. Eight are swipes in different directions and the final two are shakes, either up and down or side to side.

There are plenty of presets, some with a business slant for presentations, but there are also handy ones for Media Center, for instance.