That is until around 2004 when Logitech manufactured a laser computer mouse which removed the need for a pad as its MX1000 mouse model managed to work across any kind of surface. Bob McDermand and his company, Mousetrak, helped meet the surge in demand by mass-producing mousepads with the Apple logo on them. When Apple introduced their version of the computer mouse also some time in the 19 80s, which acted as complementing computer accessory to Apple’s Macintosh, the mouse mat became more valuable and, thus, faced increased demand. However, Xerox’s early designs and technology were too costly for the public to purchase. Armando Fernandez, who worked at Xerox at the time, created a rubberized mouse mat that kept it in place when being used. Give them a try for big boost in functionality and versatility.Xerox stepped into the market in the early 80‘s, refining the original mouse design, which was made of a wooden base and two wheels, into one with LEDs and optical sensors, thus also redesigning the pad into one that was grid-printed in order for its unique computer mouse to function. There is more than one way to use your phone as a mouse, and we have just covered just a few methods. By the way, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
No matter Android or Apple iphone, you can control your PC in the distance up to 15 meters just by your smartphone, it is really amazing. By default, there is no password, although you can set your own on your computer. Your phone and computer must be connected using the same WiFi network for this to work effectively. The final menu is the keyboard, allowing you to mirror the physical keyboard. The forth menu displays the programs running in the background on your computer (similar to Task Manager). With this menu, you can also use the phone's volume buttons to adjust computer volume or change slides in presentation mode (PowerPoint and Keynote).
The third menu is Media Remote, with broad support for iTunes, Keynote, Hulu, and PowerPoint on Mac, Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Viewers, PowerPoint and iTunes on Windows. This functionality far exceeds that of an ordinary mouse, and is more akin to a remote control. panels, feedback or help.įrom the second menu, you can control critical computer functions, including shutdown, sleep, restart and log off. Settings can be set from the menu at the top, e.g. The different buttons on your phone correspond to the mouse buttons, the cursor can be moved by using the empty area, and 2-finger swipes are also recognized. Open the Remote Mouse client on your computer, ensure your phone and laptop are connected to the same WiFi network, and launch the app on your iPhone.Ĭlick on " Not Connected" at the bottom of the screen, find and click on your computer name.
It's available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux.
Go to the Apple Store to download and install Remote Mouse.ĭownload and install the Remote Mouse client (click here to download) on your laptop. Requirements: Apple iPhone, a laptop, and a WiFi environment. Note: this method is recommended for laptops, it's not suitable for complicated network environments. mouse sensitivity) can be set from the top left corner. Click on the keyboard icon on the top right corner to bring up your phone's keyboard for remote text input. The multi-touch functionality of your phone can be used on your computer. The empty area above operates like a laptop touchpad.The right corner button represents your right mouse button.The left corner button corresponds to the left mouse button.Once connected, you will see the following image: On WiFi Mouse, click " Auto Connect" or input the IP address (from previous step) of your computer. Click " Connect", waiting for your Android device connect with your PC. Run the WiFi Mouse client and activate WiFi on your phone, your phone and laptop must be connected to the same WiFi network.
Enter " ipconfig" to view your IP address, take a note of it. To continue, get your computer's IP address.Ĭlick on " start" and type " cmd" and open the MS-DOS prompt.
There is no setup required after installing. The client is compatible with Windows XP onwards, Mac OSX, Ubuntu and Fedora OS. Go to the Play Store to download and install the Remote Mouse or WiFi Mouse app on your smartphone (here I introduce WiFi Mouse app for Android).ĭownload and install the WiFi Mouse client (click here to download) on your laptop. Requirements: Android 2.1 or above smartphone, a laptop, and a WiFi environment.