mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, 'pencil'? what do you recommend or use?

[ella]

I've always played these games at a regular computer, but after serious mouse issues recently, I'm wondering. I don't have an ipad, but I've always wondered if that would be easier or harder. Between my horrible sight and my new mouse issues, I've been unable to complete loads of puzzles recently, so before I randomly start ordering things just for logic puzzles, thought I'd ask you smart people. Any thoughts or experiences appreciated.

[boxeeboxeebox]

I play 7x7 puzzles and I prefer a mouse over a touchscreen (and definitely over a touchpad) because it's easier to be precise and headers get highlighted as you hover over cells with a mouse. Theoretically, you could have the best of both worlds (direct input & hover) with a stylus, but I haven't tried it yet.

I have a friend who swears by a vertical mouse, so that could be an option if you're having problems with the ergonomics. Trackballs are another solution.

The only downside to using an iPad is that depending on the size of puzzles you do, it may be difficult to see the entire grid and the clues at the same time.

[ella]

Thanks so much. Yeah - I too do the large puzzles, and I love the ability to highlight. I find it extremely useful because of vision issues. Because of this, I use pretty large screens but I also have to make the pages pretty large, so I spend time scrolling up and down to see the clues. I haven't looked into a vertical mouse, but since I can't sleep, seems like a good way to waste a few hours in the middle of the night. I do wonder about a stylus - I may try that with my hybrid computer. Seems like it could also be a problem, but it has to be better than quitting in disgust with myself. Thank you so much for your help, and after I try the stylus, I will report on the experience. I do have a feeling that it's all rather individual, but you've given me lots to think about, and thank you so much for the help.

[boxeeboxeebox]

Hmm, your reply got me thinking: One of the gamechangers for me was a two-armed monitor mount. The ability to push, pull, and pivot the monitor based on my needs (and also to have a second monitor for things like office chats and emails) has really helped with my neck and back pain because I'm no longer leaning in to look at something when my eyes give out at the end of the day. Portrait mode is great when I'm proofing documents, but also excellent for logic puzzles. Having a mount also means that you can have a larger monitor (or two) secured to your desk but not have to deal with the usually bulky base that comes with them.

[soy yo]

I'm new to these puzzles and this site, and I use a stylus with a tablet the majority of the time, but I would say if you care about the times, it's not the best. I have times that are 200-300 seconds slower using the stylus. I don't know why, but I can do much faster with a mouse. I just can't make myself sit at a desk to do these puzzles. I do them while laying on the couch watching TV. I would guess, like boxee says above, that monitor size and flexibility would create more ease. I wish I had a much bigger screen, but I work with what I have.

[ella]

Thanks to you both.

I tried the stylus with my convertible laptop and had two issues (three if you count the fact that it's super unfamiliar.) The first was simply the tiny screen. It's made for work, not logic puzzles, and I just couldn't cope with scrolling around. The stylus, which I thought would be more exact is, in fact, not - because you can't really rest a stylus without marking the boxes fairly easily. I'm sure I could get used to it, but it would have to be on a much larger screen surface. Another oddity is that I couldn't really figure out what to do with glasses because it has to be close to use the stylus, but that brought issues with vision. Not really an issue if you have better eyesight than me. I would bet that on a much larger screen this would be the way to play, but for now, it's not really an option.

So I've decided to get myself a better set-up - not just for the logic puzzles, but all the things that are randomly irritating in my work life are magnified when I play puzzles, and I realized that I've got to make some changes, so I'm going to get a larger screen and have it mounted like you suggested, Boxee. I think I will play around with a better mouse in general, and I will hopefully have a more healthy work station as well as being less frustrated with logic puzzles.

Honestly, I'm glad I asked because it made me think about the general wellbeing of my computer life and I'm going to try out a vertical mouse (if nothing else, I think it's good to change up through the workday if possible and that will be good.) Again, many thanks. Happy puzzling!

[uigrad]

If you want to be competitive on these puzzles, it is definitely mandatory to experiment with different options, and find what works best for you. For me, it's a desktop PC, sitting in an office chair.

I've found that the height of the mouse makes a lot of difference. Your arm should be at the point it is most comfortable. I frequently solve these puzzles sitting on the couch with a laptop, and the mouse on the armrest, and it really slows me down. The main reason is just the mouse is too high.

One month, I used an iPad (while sitting in bed) quite a bit, and got decent with that method, but I had a lot more variance. Even though my best times were almost competitive with my best times at a PC, my average times on the iPad were far worse than my average times on a PC. YMMV.

[MaryWIP]

Definitely a mouse. I have a touchpad version of this game for my Kindle, and it's a bit frustrating to correct errors.