Penny & Giles TrackerMouse
A trackball and mouse in one case: portability the Penny & Giles way.
Continuing our P&G archaeology. The year is 1984:
- The first wireless trackball.
- The first combined trackball and mouse.
- The first trackball designed specifically for a portable computer, the Apricot Portable.
Versions came with different interfaces, eventually including PS/2, and with calculator or extra-keyboard front panels. Mine is neither the oldest nor the fanciest version.
The mechanism and sensors are very similar to other P&G mice; see the previous post. The long side buttons let you use it as a mouse, moving the whole device across the desk. There was also a third method: turn the ball between two fingers, one above and one below, for very precise positioning. Despite the concept, contemporary publications mainly sold it as a trackball.
Even then, the wireless version had a special compatibility mode for two trackballs in one room, something some televisions still can't boast of today.
P.S. Do you think the picture is real or generated?
