Gyration is back with its latest effort, the Air Mouse Elite. After several iterations to refine its design, the Air Mouse Elite takes on a new shape, button layout, and full compatibility with Mac and Windows operating systems. The $80 pointing device sacrifices build quality for its low price, however, and the plastic housing feels less robust than previous models. We appreciate its ease of use and cool factor, but with companies like Logitech releasing touch-sensitive models like the MX Air designed for a home theater environment, the Gyration lineup feels outgunned. If you're the kind of person whose technology must be state of the art, the $149 Logitech is an excellent, albeit pricey, option, but the $80 Gyration Go Air Optical does just fine without as much flair.
Gyration gives you the option of using the Air Mouse Elite either on a flat tabletop or in the air with motion control. With its wireless 2.4GHz RF technology, the mouse comes with a separate USB receiver that plugs into any available USB port on your computer, although unlike previous models, the manufacturer adds no extra space on the dongle to use it as a storage key.
Despite a lack of paper instructions in the box, the mouse is easy to install with the MotionTools software compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems. Simply plug the USB dock into another open port for the initial charge, plug in the RF receiver, and press the connect buttons on both pieces. With the magic of plug-and-play technology, the two devices will automatically sync and you'll be ready to mouse in less than 5 minutes. As with any mousing peripheral, you can adjust the tracking sensitivity in the Control Panel settings.
The Air Mouse Elite measures 1.5 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 4.5 inches deep. It fits comfortably in your hand with your thumb placed on top of the scroll wheel and your pointer finger touching the trigger on the bottom, but the build quality lacks the heft of previous models, making us question its durability. Regardless, the mouse is easy to hold ambidextrously and glides smoothly across a flat surface, should you decide to use it on a table as a traditional pointer.
The top of the mouse has two buttons on either side of a notched scroll wheel just like you'd see on any other mouse, but just underneath the wheel is a convex gesture button with three shallow media buttons wrapped around it.
