When selecting a new mouse to take home with you from the store, it’s a safe bet that one of your prerequisites isn’t that the mouse should also double as a camera. It seems like a bizarre combination, doesn’t it? Those were my thoughts anyway, heading into my review of the Genius Cam Mouse, a budget-priced wired accessory that acts as a competent peripheral and camera for those of us who happen to need our input device to function as a camera as well.
Surely there’s someone out there who needs an all-in-one solution to both problems, right? I was surprised to learn Genius’ solution performs both jobs reasonably well, though it does feel a bit rough around the edges.
The mouse itself is attractive enough, coming in several color combinations. There’s a rubber scroll bar between the left and right mouse buttons, with a light indicator to notify you if the camera is active. To keep things simple, there’s a camera button on the left of the mouse, making it easy to hit with my thumb to snap pictures. The slider at the bottom of the mouse regulates Cam Mode, and it’s up to your inner photographer to take things from there. Just don’t be surprised if people give you a few funny looks for taking photos with a mouse and dangling cord. It just doesn’t look right.
The 2-MP camera is surprisingly functional, however, taking clear photos and impressive quick shots of items around my desk without needing to fumble for an extra device. Its 720p output was useful for recording short video clips as well, making the mouse great for photos at your desk or video chatting while you’re working at the office or needing quick reference shots when you can’t get to your pricier equipment.
It’s a handy device to have around, though it does tend to heat up significantly after a few hours of use. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the ArcSoft WebCam Companion software it came bundled with, with bugs here and there that frustrated me. I enjoyed Fun Frames to add some silly effects to photos, but took issue with the freezing and various issues that stemmed from my trying to sync with Twitter. I also had a problem with the auto snapshot feature, which hardly worked when I needed it to. Those were all important demerits, considering its main usage would be to share photos and make things easier for the user rather than more frustrating.
Overall, I found the Genius All-in-One Mouse & Camera to be an interesting novelty that works well for its intended purpose, but it’s clear that the companion software needs some work before it’s fully functional and reliable. Those looking for a superior image or video quality clicker should look elsewhere, but they’re probably not who this combo is for anyway. It’s still a cheapie alternative to buying a mouse and a webcam seperately for office or home use. And hey, it’s a nice-looking piece of tech as well.
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Genius
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1010169101
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$29
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