Image: Air.0
There’s a fundamental hurdle when it comes to designing a mouse that’s supposed to be portable: Unlike a laptop, it’s almost impossible to make a mouse both thin and comfortable at the same time. There have been attempts to get around this, like Microsoft’s bendy Arc Mouse or Logitech’s pop-up V500 design from back in the day. But a new Kickstarter campaign might be able to claim the thinnest mouse that’s also pretty comfy, thanks to a fabric-based folding structure.
The Air.0 looks kind of like it started as a scrap from a tablet cover-kickstand. In its base state it’s just 4.5mm thin (except for a nub of a sensor area, which is about three times as thick), but it folds up along its origami creases to form the usual “hump” shape of a wireless mouse. The mouse powers on automatically when it’s magnetically assembled, and sliding feet at the four corners make it move like a typical optical mouse. Despite the super-thin profile, it uses real mechanical switches for the left and right buttons, though the central scroll “wheel” is a touchpad. A single recharge via USB-C can last for months.
The gadget (spotted by Gizmodo) would certainly be a lot easier to slip into a slim laptop case than a conventional mouse, or even hide in a pocket. But just how well it could replace a standard mouse (especially with that touch scroll area) remains to be seen. Surely the target audience of people so dedicated to portability that they’d want a paper-thin, paper-light mouse are likely already fine with just using a trackpad.
Air.0
Air.0
Air.0
But if you’re interested in giving the Air.0 a shot, it’s available for don’t-call-it-a-pre-order now on Kickstarter, running until November 25. The cheapest tier to get a mouse costs $49, with estimated delivery in March 2023. As with all Kickstarter projects, there’s no guarantee you’ll actually receive the product that you pay for.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.
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