Where Apple might be trying to eliminate buttons from their mice altogether, Italy’s WarMouse goes the opposite direction, catering to power users of applications like AutoCAD, Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and (of course) OpenOffice.org with its new OOMouse which features no fewer than 18 programmable buttons—each of which offers double-click functionality—along with an Xbox 360-style joystick and clickable scrollwheel. The mouse gets its name from OpenOffice.org (OOMouse, get it?), and includes open source software for creating and managing application profiles.
“The OOMouse is a really cool addition to the desk of any keen OpenOffice.org user,” said OpenOffice.org marketing project lead John McCreesh, in a statement. “The Mouse team have worked closely with experts from the OpenOffice.org User Experience project to deliver the full benefits of the world’s leading open-source office software to the fingertips of users.”
The OOMouse will ship with profiles for the five base OpenOffice.org applications, along with default profiles for 20 other games and applications. The mouse itself includes 512K of flash memory and can store up to 63 profiles—WarMouse is even touting the OOMouse to gamers, noting that the mouse’s extensive macro capabilities are just as applicable to World of Warcraft as a spreadsheet. WarMouse also notes the OOMouse is the first to include an analog-style keystick on the site of the mouse, and the first to enable the use of the joystick as a keyboard: users can activate three joystick-as-keyboard modes (Key, Keypress, and Macro) and assign up to 16 different key sequences or macros to the joystick. The OOMouse also features a clickable scroll wheel, 1024-character macros, and adjustable resolution from 400 to 1,600 cpi.
How much does all this goodness cost? WarMouse says the OOMouse will be available for $74.99, and works with Windows, Linux, Macs, and even PS3s.
