Contour Design is launching a new product iat MacWorld. We are wondering what everyone thinks of it. We are wondering if there is a market for it? Who can we target?. It is for FCP it has: Precise jog and suttle knob with adjustable speed settings Programmable buttons for easy multimedia and design command sets. Supports multiple key combinations Ergonomically designed for comfort and ease of use. One - hand access to a multitude of commands HIgh productivity software for application specific programming of its 13 buttons check out the pic http://www.contourdesign.com/prepress.h tm

Okay, I'm not going to discredit the design of your product, because I am not interested in buying it and therefore have no reason to object. I will say, however, that this is the saddest mouse I've seen since Apple came out with their $80 one-button Pro Mouse. I believe that mice should be small enough to be held in the hand. If you make a trackball then you have to reach for the buttons and click them manually, which is what a keyboard is supposed to do. This just goes to show that if the Apple hardware supported extended keyboards, third-party companies wouldn't have to work so hard to make up for it. Maybe your product is good. I hate the Apple Computer Corporation with all of my heart and mind, so obviously mine is a biased view, but I think it worth realizing to all the Mac owners that my view is the view of as much as 92% of the computer-user population. This is the part that doesn't use Apple computers. And the other 8% may not be interested because your trackball "doesn't match my Tangerine Green iMac".

It looks like a slick product to me, but I'm not sure what FCP is. I would suggest making tiny bumps on some of the buttons which are close together to provide tactile clues as to proper finger positioning. I have found that this dramatically speeds the comfortable transition to a new input device. Little ears on the shuttle ring would also be handy, as gripping the ring quickly can lead to inadvertent movement of the inner dial on such devices. USB has really opened up the possibilities of multiple simultaneous input types. I use a mouse, a writing tablet, and a thumb track-ball on the same computer every day. Possibilities are endless. I think I would use your product as a left hand device for scrolling and web browsing, but I can see great uses in other areas as well. Good luck.