Genius Wireless Pen Mouse review

A different way to hold a 'mouse'

Genius Wireless Pen Mouse
Not your average mouse

TechRadar Verdict

This pen-shaped mouse works well and is easy to hold, but may not be everyone's cup of tea

Pros

  • +

    Fast and responsive

  • +

    Good for multiple monitor displays

  • +

    Good wireless distance

  • +

    Good price

Cons

  • -

    Bit cheap feeling

  • -

    Not best suited for all day-to-day tasks

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Whatever you do, don't mistake the Genius Wireless Pen Mouse for a replacement for a Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch graphics tablet, or even Genius' own G-Pen M609. This isn't a device for graphical artists to replicate their brushstrokes on the computer, and if you bought one thinking it was, you'd be disappointed.

What the Genius Wireless Pen Mouse actually is, is a pen-shaped mouse. Dragging the tip of the pen across a desk, we were able to control Windows pretty well. Pressing down on the nib replicates a left mouse button click, and there is another button on the shaft for right mouse button clicks.

It works rather well, with the familiar shape of a pen allowing you to get used to the new input device pretty quickly.

We found that the Genius Wireless Pen Mouse is best suited for working on large and multiple monitors, as you can move the cursor from one side of the screen to the other quickly, in a small space. You might find the Genius Wireless Pen Mouse a bit over-sensitive when you first use it, with its 1200 DPI sensor, but changing the mouse cursor speed in Windows can make a big difference.

It's a device that works well, and we can certainly see the appeal of it. It's not quite good enough to completely replace the traditional mouse for most tasks, however.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.