iGesture Review

FingerWorks iGesture Pad Review:

FingerWorks' iGesture Pad is a replacement for the mouse. It is touch-activated.  It provides a flat surface similar in function to the touchpads on many laptops (but the ease of use and interface is far superior to the small touchpad on a laptop). To move your cursor/pointer around, you simple place a finger or two on the pad and move them around. Instead of clicking any buttons, you tap your fingers to "click" the mouse. A one or two finger tap is a single click and a three finger tap is equal to a double-click. To right-click, you tap your finger and your thumb. It's very intuitive, and you'll pick it up almost as soon as you start using it. For anyone who has suffered RSI problems from the repetitive nature of clicking a regular mouse all day, you should be able to see the benefit to this before you even try the iGesture.

The iGesture pad is about a quarter of an inch thick and takes up a little less room on your desk than a standard-size mouse pad. There are no extra buttons or clunky features; everything you see is usuable mousing area. This alone makes it much easier to use than the touchpad on a laptop, because the greater available area allows your movements a better flow with none of that awkward/crowded feel.  The iGesture is also far more responsive than the touchpads I have used on laptops, so if you're shying away from this technology because you think you've used touchpads before and disliked them, I encourage you to give the FingerWorks version a try.

Besides the replacement of clicking with touching, the iGesture offers a number of shortcuts in the form of gestures. For example, you place your thumb and three fingers on the pad and move them left or right for backward or foreward in your browser window. (The package comes with cheat-sheets that you can hang up next to your monitor until you learn all the gestures.) So, not only does this "mouse" have the benefit of taking mouse-clicking out of your life, it can also lessen the amount of typing you need to do on a daily basis.  (If you can't tell yet, I'm an iGesture fan.)

The only downside I can think of is that pinpoint precision isn't quite as easy as it is with a mouse.  For example, sometimes when I go to File, then navigate to New, then go over to Window, I'll end up in one of the other menus on accident.  In general though, unless you're doing graphic artist type stuff where you need pixel by pixel precision, I would definitely recommend the iGesture Pad to just about everyone. At about $130, it's pricier than a regular mouse, but it's far superior ergonomically speaking to a mouse.  Also, it's a very solid piece of equipment. Although I've only had the iGesture for a month, I have faith that it will last since I used the TouchStream (a keyboard, also by FingerWorks, that uses the same technology) for a year of dedicated use, and it still looked and responded as new after that time.

There are more user reviews at Amazon under the Fingerworks iGesture Pad page. (There's only one negative review, at the time of this writing, and I'm sure that fellow just got a bad board as I've had zero of the problems he mentioned; in his case, I'd recommend sending an email to the company as they'd probably replace it.)

Comments

[Barry Neville]

Just curious: do you still use the TouchStream keyboard? I'm thinking of getting one.

[Ergoblog]

Barry,

I actually switched from the TouchStream to the Kinesis Contoured (which I'll hopefully get around to doing a good review of soon). While the TouchStream is a sturdy keyboard that does everything it claims to do, I never did get good at typing without any tactile clues. Since they are quite pricey, you may want to find a place that will let you rent one or borrow one for a few weeks before you commit to buying.

[Mike G]

Hi,

First off, great site. I found out a lot of good info. My wrists are killing me. I've finally decided do something about it. I'm a graphic artist/desktop publisher who works 8 hours a day/5 days a week at a computer. What do I do when I get home from work? Get on the computer. You can imagine the type of repitive movements I've been doing.

Anyhow, I checked out the FingerWorks pad you have online, and it looks like a nice solution. But I do a lot of precision work. Have you had any experience or knowledge of pen/tablets? A lot of detailed work can be done with these, and they can be used instead of a mouse. I would think this would solve the standard mouse issue, and be more precise then the FingerWorks pad.

Also, I checked the FingerWorks site and they are out of business! This means no more updates or further developments. Amazon.com seams to be still selling them. But I wonder how many are left? I would almost think about buying a back-up in case yours ever breaks!

Thanks!

[Ergoblog]

Mike, I hope you take some time off for those hands! At least when you're not at work. I was the same way though... worked at a computer all day and then came home and gamed in the evenings.

I just recently learned about FingerWorks going out of business; the TouchStream keyboards (originally $300) are going for more than $600 when they show up on ebay. I hope nothing happens to my iGesture, but maybe you're right that I should buy a backup while I can.

I never did try pen/tablet combos because holding a pencil and writing extensively can also bother my hand. It seems like any kind of fine work can aggravate them if they get it in them to have a "bad hand day." I think it's different for everyone though, so it might work better for you. I do think a pen setup might be better for precision work than the iGesture.

You may also check out flextend which I've had some success with (a system for strenthening the muscles opposite those that work all day clicking the mouse/typing). I've heard of others who were able to get rid of all their pain with it. The link is www.repetitive-strain.com

Good luck with your wrists!

[Arki]

Hi ( sorry but i´m spanish )
I have one and is fantastic, on the better still very very trustworthy precision ...... and of high accuracy. I recommend it to everybody, soon sustituira totally to the mouse, since the functionality is incredible and configurable and highly easy to use.

[Mike McCabe]

Hi -

You might be just the person to ask about this - I'm a long-time Kinesis user, and lately I've been using a touchpad (cirque glidepoint) silly-puttied into the broad space in the middle as my mouse. Haven't touched my real mouse since.

I'm considering an igesture, after trying a friend's touchstream. I couldn't quite touch-type on it, but the gestures are really effective. What's your experience? Does it fit in the middle of the kinesis? Is there a setting to put it in 'portrait' mode?

Many thanks -
Mike

[Ergoblog]

The iGesture would probably be a little large to put smack in the middle of the kinesis keyboard. (It's bigger than a touchpad on a laptop, more like 6-8 inches across).