The Ergoption Oyster Mouse Wireless ($109) isn't the first mouse made to take stress off your elbows and wrists, but it's the first we've tested that offers varying degrees of tilt, as well as an ambidextrous design. It gives you a welcome choice of positions, as well as the ability to switch hands at will. It's too bad that its price is high and ergonomics come at the further expense of the functionality of its buttons.

Design and Features
The Oyster Mouse Wireless ($129.99 at Amazon) is black, with silver trim. As befits its name, it folds open like an oyster, to lock in one of five positions. It has a range of outward tilt from 20 to 60 degrees, in 10-degree increments. You can increase the tilt by pulling the mouse open as if it were a hinge. At each increment, it snaps and locks into place, and it only unlocks if you pull it further open. Downward pressure has no effect on the tilt. The mouse measures 3.6 inches wide and 3.8 inches long; its height ranges from 2.3 inches when at a 20-degree angle to 3.6 inches when at 60 degrees.

Its tilt doesn't go as far as the Evoluent VerticalMouse 4 for Mac , which is tilted nearly to the vertical (in excess of 80 degrees), so you're using it in handshake position. Many people, myself included, find a lesser tilt more comfortable.

The Oyster Mouse is a true ambidextrous mouse—you can switch the hand you're using it with by flipping a switch on the bottom and rotating the mouse by 180 degrees This is more convenient (and economical) than hand-specific mice such as the Hippus HandShoe Mouse (with LightClick) , which comes in left-hand or right-hand versions.

Setup
Setup is simple. The mouse charges its rechargeable batteries through an included USB cable attached to a computer or a power adapter (not included). The wireless dongle fits into a computer's USB port. The mouse driver automatically installs, and you're ready to go. The mouse buttons aren't programmable.

To fit the ambidextrous design of the Oyster Mouse, most buttons are duplicated; thus, no matter which hand you use the mouse with, the controls are identical. For instance, there are two sets of right- and left-click buttons and two scroll wheels, one on either end of the mouse, but only the set nearest the tips of your fingers is operational at any one time. Oddly, the inward (thumb) buttons are labeled in the (very cursory) user guide as "Dubbel Click" and "Dubble Click," and the outward buttons are Copy and Paste.

I actually found the side buttons difficult to use. The thumb button works best with the mouse at a high angle, but even there it was hard to press in my tests. It's as if they were designed so that they wouldn't accidentally be activated—they're narrow, and flush with the mouse's contoured surface—but they don't work when deliberately pressed, either. The outside buttons, which you would use either your pinky or fourth finger for, depending on the angle, are no better.

The clever ergonomic design lets you hold the mouse at various angles to help reduce stress on your joints. I used the Oyster Mouse at different angles, and with each hand. I appreciate the feel of the mouse at non-standard tilts that don't apply as much torque to my elbows. I found the middle angle (40 degrees) the most comfortable, but it's good to periodically switch angles, as well as use your non-dominant hand. I largely stuck to the standard right-click, left-click, and scroll controls, as the side buttons—both thumb and pinky—proved barely responsive. I found it to be a decent mouse, though I wish that Ergoption had given half as much thought to the side buttons as it did to the overall ergonomics of the device.

The Oyster Mouse is worth a look if you're seeking an ergonomic mouse. It gains points for its adjustable tilt and ambidextrous design, and loses some for its barely responsive side buttons. It doesn't offer as smooth a navigating experience as the Evoluent VerticalMouse 4 Small, our Editors' Choice for ergonomic mice. Mac users should consider the Evoluent VerticalMouse 4, for its vertical "handshake" tilt, and broad range of (usable) buttons. The Penclic Bluetooth Mouse B2 ($93.99 at Amazon) eschews traditional mouse design for a comfortable, ergonomically friendly swiveling pen. However, if you can get over its poorly functioning side buttons, the Ergoptron Oyster Mouse Wireless offers a versatile, innovative design that may help you avoid repetitive stress injuries.

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