Penclic Mouse R2 Review

The Penclic Mouse R2 on paper is the offspring of an indecent liaison between a mouse and a stylus.

The base of the device which sits on the desk is, in effect, a micro laser mouse.

Sprouting from the centre of this base plate, attached to a ball and socket joint, is a stylus like appendage.

Whilst the description of this device alone may sound rather Frankenstein’s Monster, in reality, the design is rather elegant and the proportions such that it reminds me of a pen sat in an ink-well.
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As far as ancillary function goes, on the baseplate there is a scroll wheel and the stylus contains the various click action buttons.

The Penclic Mouse R2 is delivered in attractive tube like packaging, containing the Penclic device, brief user manuals, an extensible micro-usb connector and a storage pouch.

The biggest question in my mind ahead of being asked to review this device was whether this was going to feel like I was using a strange mouse, or whether it was going to be more like a stylus.

I’ve used a Wacom tablet and stylus combination in the past and there are some really nice natural aspects to using a pen as an input device. However, a pressure tablet takes over a large portion of your desk space and switching back and forth to a keyboard is often then a difficult task.

The Penclic, if stylus like, could therefore offer the advantages of a stylus with the convenience of not having a tablet cluttering up your desk.

I can report that it goes some way towards this. Certainly, you have the natural feel of a pen in the hand when moving around the page. However, it can’t replicate the accuracy of a stylus down at the pixel level. If you are looking at this device and wondering whether it offers a great hybrid tool for freehand drawing, then the fundamental mouse like device translating the movement of your hand just can’t deliver on this.

That’s not to say that the action is not precise and accurate in use on the desktop. But in operation, this is very much a mouse with a novel, and natural, way of holding it.

To be fair, the device isn’t sold as a stylus/tablet replacement, but instead as a device that avoids Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) which can result from using an ill designed mouse.

On this front, it’s impossible to verify that claim within the scope of this review. The device feels natural to hold for mouse movement and left clicking. However, it’s awkward when stray to the other buttons on the pen. Even more so when you want to use the scroll wheel on the base unit.

One further niggle was the sloped front to the base unit, where the micro-usb charge point is located. Because of the angle, it’s not possible to use a standard micro-usb cable as in order to make a connection, the metal connector needs to be elongated. A slightly lessened angle would have prevented this being a problem and seems rather short-sighted design decision.

In day to day operation, I found that in an environment where use of the mouse and left click is prevalent, the Penclic excelled. It felt comfortable, accurate and natural. Where it falls down for me is where you need to keep switching backwards and forwards from the keyboard to the mouse and in situations where you want to use the scroll wheel extensively.

Under those use cases, I found simply that I was slower and less efficient than when using my traditional mouse.

The Penclic Mouse R2 is a nicely presented device and feels solid and well made. It has some design niggles that make it slightly less efficient to use than a mouse for day to day desktop application but if you suffer from RSI by using a traditional mouse and would find the action of holding a pen more comfortable, then this could be the device you’ve been waiting for.

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DigitalOutbox Episode 231

DigitalOutbox Episode 231
Join Chris and Ian as they discuss the Sony Hack, Europe wanting to split Google and the highlights from the Playstation Expo. There’s even a pick.

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DigitalOutbox Episode 230

DigitalOutbox Episode 230
DigitalOutbox Episode 230 – Snoopers Charter, Twitter Search and Nokia Tablet

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UK ISPs to introduce jihadi and terror content reporting button
Internet data plan back on political agenda
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Twitter opens its archive of every public tweet ever sent
Amazon adds 10,500 Post Office parcel pick-up points across the UK
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DigitalOutbox Episode 229

DigitalOutbox Episode 229
DigitalOutbox Episode 229 – YouTube Music Key, MS Opens Sources .NET and Halo Woe

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Spotify’s Daniel Ek responds to Taylor Swift: we’ve paid artists $2 billion
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Facebook Debuts ‘Privacy Basics’ And Updates Policies To Reflect More Personalized Ads
Microsoft Launches Free, Unrestricted Version Of Visual Studio For Small Teams
Microsoft bins Nokia name with new smartphone range
UK telecoms watchdog: EE and O2 offer fastest 4G downloads, while Three lags behind
UK operator GiffGaff is now offering customers 4G connectivity, from £12 per month
Samsung starts selling Gear VR in December, plans additional VR headsets and crazy VR live streams
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DigitalOutbox Episode 228

DigitalOutbox Episode 228
DigitalOutbox Episode 228 – Microsoft and Dropbox, Amazons Echo, Games

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GCHQ’s Robert Hannigan says tech firms ‘in denial’ on extremism
Dropbox – We’re partnering with Microsoft
Google CEO Larry Page Reorgs Staff, Anoints Sundar Pichai as New Product Czar
Google releases redesigned Android Calendar app with contextual autocomplete and more visual content
Malicious software campaign targets Apple users in China
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Amazon Begins Extending Prime-Member Perks to Other Shopping Sites
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DigitalOutbox Episode 227

DigitalOutbox Episode 227
DigitalOutbox Episode 227 – Google Inbox, Yosemite and eveyone gets healthy

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Google CEO Larry Page Reorgs Staff, Anoints Sundar Pichai as New Product Czar
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Google Fit App Now Available For Android Devices
Microsoft Health platform launches with payments-friendly, $199 Band wearable
Fitbit Joins the Smartwatch Race, and Replaces the Rash-y Force With a New Wristband
UK operator EE switches on ‘4G+’ in London with speeds of up to 150Mbps – but not for your iPhone 6
Twitter introduces Fabric, its first platform for mobile app developers
Facebook built a forum platform for your smartphone inside the new Rooms app
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DigitalOutbox Episode 226

DigitalOutbox Episode 226
DigitalOutbox Episode 226 – Apple iPads and Retina iMac, Google Nexus 6 & 9

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2:26 – Apple Keynote
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33:48 – BBC to publish ‘right to be forgotten’ removals list
35:26 – Facebook Launches “Safety Check” Feature For Major Disasters
36:25 – Google changes ‘to fight piracy’ by highlighting legal sites
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39:07 – Twitters Music Card Now Plays In Its Mobile Apps And Supports iTunes Previews
40:05 – Tweets from accounts you dont follow will soon appear in your timeline
41:29 – Amazon launches Pass My Parcel for same-day in-store order collection in the UK
43:26 – HBO will launch a standalone streaming service in the US next year
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DigitalOutbox Episode 225

DigitalOutbox Episode 225
DigitalOutbox Episode 225 – RIPA, HP and Evernote

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1:30 – EE, Vodafone and Three give police mobile call records at click of a mouse
4:04 – HP To Become Two Companies As Consumer PC And Printer Business Splits From Corporate Services
6:46 – Evernote Conference
13:09 – Tesco unveils the £129 Hudl2
16:11 – British music fans have streamed twice as many songs in 2014
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DigitalOutbox Episode 224

DigitalOutbox Episode 224
DigitalOutbox Episode 224 – Windows 10 and Ello

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1:21 – Windows 10
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10:31 – eBay to Spin Off PayPal With New CEOs for Two Publicly Traded Companies
15:04 – Peter Nunn jailed for Twitter abuse of MP Stella Creasy
18:29 – CloudFlare gives Internet a present: free, no-hassle Universal SSL
20:13 – New Apple tool helps you avoid buying a stolen iPhone or iPad
22:12 – DVLA tax disc renewal website buckles under pressure of high demand
25:26 – Podcasting industry starts to fulfil its financial potential
27:51 – Ello: the anti-Facebook meant to be private and pretty, but not this popular
32:07 – Pebble drops the price of its smartwatches by $50, adds background fitness and sleep tracking
33:26 – UK legalises music, film and e-book back-ups
34:26 – Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Tests The Waters With A Paid BitTorrent Album

DigitalOutbox Episode 223

DigitalOutbox Episode 223
DigitalOutbox Episode 223 – Does it bend?

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0:50 – Larry Ellison Will Step Down as CEO of Oracle, Will Remain as CTO
4:01 – Cracking the problem of online identification
7:52 – Unix/Linux Bash: Critical security hole uncovered – ShellShock
10:38 – The Blackberry Passport is the most unusual smartphone on the market
19:09 – Apples New Flexible iPhone 6 Plus?
22:44 – Apple Pulls iOS 8.0.1 Update Amid Reports of Problems
27:47 – Amazon launches Kindle Unlimited – a Netflix-for-books – in the UK
29:45 – Crescent Bay is Oculus’ newest version of the Rift hardware, and one step closer to retail
31:39 – Steam Is Getting A Massive Overhaul
33:17 – Microsoft drops the price of the Xbox One to £329.99 in the UK