The Canon X Mark I PC Mouse/Calculator – Possibly the Craziest Gadget Around
This month Canon has released what many will see as one of the company's most eccentric product offerings in years. The Canon X Mark I PC Mouse is at once a wireless Bluetooth mouse but rather bizarrely is also a calculator with numeric keypad functionality as well. The X Mark I PC Mouse is one of those rare products that fails entirely to impress in the intended way and must immediately be taken as something of an over-developed joke. But what a wonderful joke it is. Many who had been fairly incredulous when they'd first seen the X Mark I PC Mouse at the CES tradeshow in the US earlier this year, since having got their hands on it, have been surprisingly impressed with its design and performance. Not only does the X Mark I PC Mouse actually work really well in both its roles but to make its frivolity truly guiltless, Canon has manufactured the device largely from materials reclaimed from old canon photocopiers. Here we'll provide you with an overview of what the amazing X Mark I PC Mouse has to offer and a little more on how Canon has been able to bring us this creation in a highly sustainable way.
The X Mark I PC Mouse is built to the same high design standards as the popular X Mark I and X Mark I Print models. It has a sleek and angular streamlined body which still feels comfortable under the palm of your hand. The mouse connects by Bluetooth 2.0, has three clickable buttons, a fully-functional scroll wheel and a laser motion sensor (1200 dpi) – so can offer all the functionality you would expect from any high-performance mouse. It's instantly compatible with both Windows and Mac hardware, so has the versatility to be used across any number of computer models.
But unlike any other mouse on the market, the X Mark I PC Mouse can offer its eccentric owners a fully functional calculator too. Its compact, durable PC-style keys provide a comfortable typing/tapping experience similar to that of larger computers, helping to keep number entry errors to a minimum. The keypad on the X Mark I PC Mouse can also be ‘locked' while in use as a mouse to avoid any accidental pressing on number keys. A high resolution ten-digit display ensures that your data is clearly visible at all times and provides at-a-glance updates on the mouse's operational status.
As well as the mouse's incredible spilt-personality, the X Mark I PC Mouse boasts a low-impact environmentally-friendly construction unique to the Canon calculator range. Like the other X models before it, the X Mark I PC Mouse has been part manufactured using materials recycled from Canon photocopiers, so as not to put all the energy which went into their production to waste. In fact, all of the lower casing of the X Mark I PC Mouse has been made using these recycled plastics.
As well as construction, a power management system is in operation on the X Mark I PC Mouse which helps to prevent unnecessary use of energy, with an Auto-power Off feature which automatically shuts the unit down after a certain period of inactivity. A low power indicator is also featured on the graphic display, which gives users the option of manually turning off the device when it's not in use to conserve battery life.
It's funny – Canon still refer to this device first and foremost as a calculator – while it's so obviously much more of a mouse than calculator. But it probably takes that sort of perspective to create such a fantastically wacky design! Here at Falcon, we imagine the X Mark I PC Mouse will be one of the year's, if not the decade's, most popular novelty products – especially at its very competitive UK price-tag of £39.99. The X Mark I PC Mouse is available in a choice of glossy white or sleek black finishes and will be on sale at Canon stockists from November 2010.
Clever Design and Great Functionality
The X Mark I PC Mouse is built to the same high design standards as the popular X Mark I and X Mark I Print models. It has a sleek and angular streamlined body which still feels comfortable under the palm of your hand. The mouse connects by Bluetooth 2.0, has three clickable buttons, a fully-functional scroll wheel and a laser motion sensor (1200 dpi) – so can offer all the functionality you would expect from any high-performance mouse. It's instantly compatible with both Windows and Mac hardware, so has the versatility to be used across any number of computer models.
But unlike any other mouse on the market, the X Mark I PC Mouse can offer its eccentric owners a fully functional calculator too. Its compact, durable PC-style keys provide a comfortable typing/tapping experience similar to that of larger computers, helping to keep number entry errors to a minimum. The keypad on the X Mark I PC Mouse can also be ‘locked' while in use as a mouse to avoid any accidental pressing on number keys. A high resolution ten-digit display ensures that your data is clearly visible at all times and provides at-a-glance updates on the mouse's operational status.
Uniquely Sustainable Build
As well as the mouse's incredible spilt-personality, the X Mark I PC Mouse boasts a low-impact environmentally-friendly construction unique to the Canon calculator range. Like the other X models before it, the X Mark I PC Mouse has been part manufactured using materials recycled from Canon photocopiers, so as not to put all the energy which went into their production to waste. In fact, all of the lower casing of the X Mark I PC Mouse has been made using these recycled plastics.
As well as construction, a power management system is in operation on the X Mark I PC Mouse which helps to prevent unnecessary use of energy, with an Auto-power Off feature which automatically shuts the unit down after a certain period of inactivity. A low power indicator is also featured on the graphic display, which gives users the option of manually turning off the device when it's not in use to conserve battery life.
Colours, Price and Availability
It's funny – Canon still refer to this device first and foremost as a calculator – while it's so obviously much more of a mouse than calculator. But it probably takes that sort of perspective to create such a fantastically wacky design! Here at Falcon, we imagine the X Mark I PC Mouse will be one of the year's, if not the decade's, most popular novelty products – especially at its very competitive UK price-tag of £39.99. The X Mark I PC Mouse is available in a choice of glossy white or sleek black finishes and will be on sale at Canon stockists from November 2010.
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