Left Handed Peripherals - Where are they?

Anonymous Coward asks: "Why is it that Microsoft and many other manufacturers of PC Peripherals do not make left handed models of their products? Every day the peripherals on offer become more ergonomic, have added buttons and functions. I am not able to use these Peripherals as they are only produced for Right Handed People, so I remain using these crappy mice and joysticks that have a generic layout. Are there any manufactures that produce left handed versions of their products (eg. mice and game controllers)?"

Comments

Re:Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice

[Zachary Kessin]

You are assuming that all types of work can be done without a mouse. There are a lot of things for which a mouse (or trackball) is much easer than a keyboard. The problem is that with only 10% of the population being left handed there is just not that big a market. On the other hand if you could get one lefty in 10 to buy your mouse that would be a decent market so I don't know why someone isn't doing just that.

Try Ned Flanders' Shop.

[Bazman]

Its in the Springfield Mall - he's got left-handed versions of everything.

Re:Try Ned Flanders' Shop.

[Bazman]

Only one thing I can say to that...

Doh!

Sue under the ADA in the US!

[A nonymous Coward]

Semi-seriously, it would be verrrry interesting if some leftie were to sue under the Americans with Disabilities Act as if left-handedness were a disability....

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Re:Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice

[griffjon]

English words are left hands. Check out the number of complete words you can type one-handed using normal typing (home keys+up and down rows), courtesy of x42.com. For the lazy, there's 1447 complete words you can type left-hand-only, compared to 187 right-hand-only (not moving from that side of the keyboard, mind you)

So, left hand on the keyboard, right on the mouse (and using the right to CRLF using the numberpad Enter key) is the ideal setup for lots of situations.

Well, here's a leftie ergo mouse.

[hfcs]

A left handed mouse in 3 different sizes.

Kensington Optical Mouse

[scotpurl]

Try the Kensington Mouse-in-a-Box Optical Pro. Five buttons, plus a scroller. USB, with a PS/2 adapter.

Not ergonomic, but comfortably contoured, and perfectly symmetrical.

As a rightie, I'd like for there to be less stuff on the right. The cursor keys are to the right, the number pad, and my mouse. With the text keys centered on my monitor, my mouse is forced to be too far to the right. Anyone know of a good, ergo keyboard that ain't huge? Not a mini-keyboard, but a normal-sized-keys keyboard.

Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice

[remande]

I'm a southpaw, and I love having the mouse on the right. Why? Because I hate meeses to pieces. I'm a Unixian touch-typist, and I feel that nice are a vast downwing conspiracy to break your flow by forcing you to reposition one hand. If I have to sacrifice hand position to a mouse, I'd rather the mouse eat my non-dominant, right hand. That way, I can use my left hand for typing.

Now if I could get a mouse or equivalent that works with my fingers on the home row, that would be cool.

Re:Real Lefties Use Right-Handed Mice

[Mignon]

Now if I could get a mouse or equivalent that works with my fingers on the home row, that would be cool.

Look for the IBM Trackpoint keyboard. It's got a tiny joystick between the G and H keys, I think, just like on the IBM laptops. I used one of these laptops for a while and really liked this feature, especialy compared to touch pads, and even trackballs.

Re:I can't resist this one!

[StenD]

Close, but not quite. QWERTY was developed in the early days of mechanical typewriters to slow people down.

Check out Why QWERTY Was Invented" for an alternative explanation.

We don't want them?

[Mike Connell]

I have no idea if this is an answer to the question posed, but I (being left handed, and not ambidextrous) can use a mouse with either hand. In fact, whilst my PC mouse at home is on the left (although it's a right handed intellimouse), my two machines at work (set up side by side) have one mouse on the left, and one on the right.

I think the point I am trying to make is that maybe there isn't that much market pressure to create left handed mice (etc) if some left handers will use right handed peripherals (in either their left or right hands!)

Re:We don't want them?

[db_two]

Trust me --- getting manufacturers to retool for anything without PROOF of SALES is next to impossible ---- UNLESS you have VERY DEEP POCKETS. I speak from experience in trying to market my own PC Products (see http://www.nite-surfer.com ). I have people begging for the ergonomics version, and I am still just trying to get a standard released.

Combining the 90% of the population who are right handed with the 5+- % of the population who are left handed but go ahead and use the righty products, the manufacturers just laugh when you cry out.... No way are they going to shut down to run a 5% run....

Now have you ever thought about a discrimination suit, or filing for disability. It might work in this day's legal system... you never know.

Anyway Good luck....

David Byrd
CEO - 21st Century Tech., Inc.
URL: http://www.nite-surfer.com

A single-button mouse doesn't care which hand

[Mononoke]

Every single mouse Apple has ever made was suitable for use by either hand.

Kensington's trackballs are also symmetrically designed, and the buttons are all assignable so you can use it from either direction. I'm using a Kensington Orbit at my left. Leaves my right hand free to...um...uhh...work the keypad and chase keyboard shortcuts.

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Re:A single-button mouse doesn't care which hand

[biglig2]

Well, I must say the round iMac mouse is un-usable whatever hand you have it in, true ;-)

You can certianly get symettrical mice, but asymetrical ones are more comfortable.

There's a wonderful shop in Soho called Anyhting Left Handed that just sells things that have been reversed, like can-openers, notebooks, watches. You may have something similar, or, by the power of google: http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/Niche/Lef t-Handed_Products/

Switch hands?

[Lish]

Have you considered switching mouse hands? I am right handed, but I mouse with my left hand for repetitive-stress reasons. I switched to left-mousing without a lot of trouble. It was really easy since you can switch the buttons in software, took maybe a week to get proficient. I also know two people who are left handed, who mouse with their right hand. Reason: they can mouse and write at the same time, or stop to take a note or point something out without taking their hand off of the mouse. Pretty slick, I think. I'm not quite coordinated enough to do that yet, but I'm working on it.

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I'm right handed, but would like one too!

[shippo]

At work all the mice are awful ergonomic things. My work involves a lot of jotting things on forms whilst operating a GUI and typing the odd number. The work would be a lot easier if I could use the mouse in my left hand whilst writng and using the numeric keypad with my right hand.

Due to the nature of my first PC I was only able to operate the mouse left handed, and have prefered to do so ever since.

Re:I'm right handed, but would like one too!

[caite]

Absolutely. Writing and mousing are incompatible for right-handers.

It honestly seems like it would be a much better idea to have left handed mice. When I find one I like as well as my trackball, I'm going to buy 2, one for home, one for work.

Since mice are the main cause of wrist/hand RSI, it really makes sense to mouse with your non-dominant hand (and be careful, of course).

Re:Well, here's one...

[AliasTheRoot]

I have one of those too, excellent mouse - and i'm right handed.

Left-Handed GUI for PalmOS

[CritterNYC]

Haven't seen one for windows, but there is a hack available for PalmOS that moves the scrollbar to the left-hand side. It's called Left Hack and I've heard decent stuff about it. Of course, it makes more sense to move the scrollbars on PalmOS, since to scroll (normally) with your left hand, your hand covers the screen as you scroll.

Where are they?

[grammar nazi]

On the opposite side of my desk from all of the right handed peripherals!

Doesn't bother me...

[jchristopher]

I don't speak for every leftie, but I guess since the first computers I used with mice all had them on the right side, that's the way I learned.

Once I tried moving the mouse to the left and swapping the buttons, but I just couldn't get the hang of it, even though I'm left handed.

There is a website, the Left Hand, that sells computer junk for lefties, including a keyboard, mouse, and joystick.

Also, In San Francisco, CA, on Pier 39 I believe, there is an entire store that sells stuff for lefthanders. Maybe you can call them.

I can't resist this one!

[Technician]

Umm, You mean like a QWERTY keyboard? It was invneted by a left handed man. The most common keys are all in the left hand.

Logitech

[wizzy403]

Logitech makes lefty versions of all their products. You probably won't find them at CompUSA, but if you order direct from Logitech you can get them. No price difference either. (Or at least there never was. I don't have any lefties in my new office, so I haven't ordered anything in a while)