We've seen a bunch of wacky mouse-on-a-ring ideas over the years, including this big boy from 2011, and this one that uses a built-in camera to turn your entire desk into a trackpad. A new device that's currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter takes a more straightforward approach, and it looks like something you might actually use.
Simply called Ring Mouse, it's said to be compatible with phones, laptops, and tablets over Bluetooth, and lets you control key functions just by lifting a finger.
You can swipe through TikTok videos and Instagram Reels on the couch, scroll through articles and presentation decks, zoom in and out of PDFs, play and pause movies, and even start recording yourself on your phone's camera.
The big draw of this little gizmo over other wireless mice is that you can control what's on the screen in front of you without touching it. The two buttons and trackpad are designed to let you interact as flexibly as you would with a regular mouse, though navigating your desktop will likely take some getting used to.
The Ring Mouse works for 10 hours on a full battery from a proprietary charging case, and a quick 5-minute charge is good for an hour of use. It's IP67 rated, so it should withstand splashes in the sink.
The Ring Mouse comes in 11 sizes, and in either a stainless steel or titanium alloy build. It comes from a China-based firm that claims to have been in the business of miniature wearables since 2020, and to have been working on the Ring Mouse for more than a year.
While the stainless steel version is expected to have a suggested retail price of US$109, current perks over on Kickstarter currently start at $59. The titanium alloy version that is slated to be priced at $169 is discounted to $79. Backing crowdfunding campaigns always carries a degree of risk, but if all goes to plan with this project, shipping is estimated to start in June.
Source: Kickstarter
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