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If things are going well, you will have lots of new users with lots of questions - like me. I got the SmartNAV3 because I am having carpal tunnel troubles and still want to be able to work on my GIS classwork and play my games (yes, it's easy to see how I got in trouble).

So it arrived yesterday and I'm learning the ropes. I am starting to get pretty decent at basic manipulation of windows, web browsing, etc. It was a complete bust with my game on my initial tries, it's simply way to imprecise (at least so far) and the software doesn't get along real well.

What I'm looking for here is advice from experienced users to help me through the learning curve. Here are the things I struggle with so far:

1) Coarse vs fine tuning - on slower settings, I achieve pretty OK accuracy but I get neck cramps craning my head around. At faster settings, I can make it over large distances easier but have an impossible time hitting anything. I have been using "gravity" features, and it does help, but too much "gravity" makes it very difficult to maneuver around - i.e., it's easier to "stick" somewhere but it can be harder to land on it because it keeps trying to stick to everything and the buttons are usually pretty close together. I see the Precision mode, and that helps some, but I don't find toggling it on and off to be very easy, and holding it down is rather uncomfortable if I don't use the toggle mode. Which brings me to my next issue...

2) Assigning the keys - not a problem to assign right and left mouse buttons. But one finds out that one has to press that Center button frequently, and then the Precision button would be handy, and the Scroll button... The software defaults to assigning all of these extra keys to the F keys. Which is OK, except the F keys are not real convenient - having to reach all the way across the keyboard with my right hand (left is controlling mouse buttons, right is the one I am trying to avoid using). If I use more of the keys down at the bottom of the keyboard, I find that I am losing the use of keys I need... For something designed to free one from using the mouse, it seems like you still do a lot of button pushing.

3) Neck pain - so I have learned that rather than being "the natural movements of my head" it's really UNnaturally precise movements of my head alternating with sweeps of my head that feel like I am craning my neck up or to the sides. I still have to deal with some handstrain because the hands have to constantly be in use pushing buttons to control the movement of the cursor. And my neck is getting quite sore. I understand that there is a learning curve, and my control is getting better, but I'm hoping other people who have suffered through that learning curve can give me some helpful pointers!

[ August 28, 2004, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: Keith V ]

Well, I continue to experience some pretty severe neck pain using this device, and I'm thinking I will be returning it to get my $200+ back. It doesn't seem like there is much of a support community going on, as this post has sat for a week without any response. I think this is a product with a lot of potential but for the price and the difficultly adjusting to it, it isn't much of a benefit to me. Doesn't help much to just trade hand pain for neck pain.

Hello:

Perhaps I can jump in here to offer some suggestions.

- First, I would use the unit with a hat, the dot placed on the end of the brim. This will increase your precision by a factor of 2X. Hopefully you don't mind wearing a hat .

- Second, I use Key Activated mode, with Key Release Clicking. This is the most convienent way of using the system, according to me anyway. If you assign the Move key to your CapsLock then you can simply press this key to engage your mouse control and let up over the item you want to select, press down again and you can double click, drag as well.

- Third, try adjusting your Windows Mouse settings, in Relative Mode these settings will matter and you can increase your precision by turning on Mouse Acceleration, or Increase Your Pointer Accuracy, whatever it may be called in your version of Windows. Also try turning up the speed in here, about 3/4 way and then lowering our speed setting, that can help.

- Finally, play with the Gravity feature, I think it rocks, but you do have to set it up for your own tastes. Try just having it turned on for the Control Boxes, those are the Close Minimize and Maximize ones, the hard to hit little ones. Once you get comfortable with this, you can add more buttons in.

- The SmartNAV does take some time to get used to, but we do have thousands of people who use it on a daily basis. It is important to get it setup correctly, to your liking, so that you don't experience neck strain. If it is setup correctly, you should not have to "control" the cursor, that is what causes the strain, you have to just move freely.

The forums are a bit sparse on the SmartNAV side, compared to our gaming side, this is because people tend to just get the unit and not be involved like gamers, or they call our toll free tech support line. We love our online community and are very happy that you choose to use this forum for support.

Good luck with the system. Feel free to call and ask for me on the phone if you need more suggestions.