Low End Mac Reviews

Contour UniTray

Dan Knight - 1999.07.29

Does anybody make the perfect mousepad?

I don't think there is such a thing. I've used a lot of different ones over the years: the rubber backed fabric pads, the Apple plastic pads, the 3M textured pad, a nice M.C. Escher pad, the Mac Professionals Book Club pad, and who knows how many others. Most are okay, but nothing you'd care to invest money in.

Mousepads have their problems. If they're too thick, your wrist rubs against them. And sometimes the mouse cable catches on the corner of the mousepad. And they get dirty.

I've seen some clever designs, ones I wouldn't want to use. I remember one that was round and had a springy thing to hold the mouse cord out of the way. I think it even had a wrist rest. But the cord holder tended to get in the way of smooth mousing.

The Mac Professionals Book Club mousepad was great, until it started chipping on the edges and catching the mouse cord. Now the corners are turned up. Too bad, because it was a nice pad.

I really liked 3M's flexible pad. It was very thin and had a textured surface. It was also impossible to clean and started to warp and get bumpy over time.

The most promising basic mousepad I've seen is the thin plastic MacPad, which was shown at Macworld Expo. It's textured and easy to clean. They've promised to send me one for review; I'm looking forward to it.

Until then, I'm using the Contour Contour UniTray UniTray I bought at Macworld Expo. It's about 0.6" high, has rounded edges (so it won't snag your mouse cord), has a textured surface, and has a gel-filled wrist rest.

I'm becoming a fan of wrist rests. I have a nice foam one by my keyboard. It's just the right height for resting my hands.

Contour Design solves the height problem on the UniTray with two inserts that can sit beneath the gel wrist rest. With no insert, I find the wrist rest just a bit low. It shipped with the 6mm insert, which I found too high. The 1mm insert seems just perfect, especially with the Contour UniMouse, which is a bit higher than many mice. (After a year-and-a-half, it remains my favorite mouse.)

The UniTray is also longer than it is wide, recognizing that while your screen is horizontal, the mouse itself is vertically oriented. Very smart.

I'm very impressed with the design of the UniTray, which comes in all the usual Mac and iMac colors. My hand moves comfortably from keyboard and wrist rest to mouse and mouse pad. The gel provides a nice level of support comfortably.

If you're looking for a better mousepad, the UniTray is a definite contender.

The Macsense keyboard is avaiable in any of the old iMac flavors from Outpost.com, MacMall, and other vendors for about US$20.

Manufacturers and distributors: Interested in having your product reviewed? Please read our review policy.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent Low End Mac Reviews

$4 iPhone 3G/3GS Case Is a Winner, 2012.01.12. Why spend $20 or more on a case for your iPhone 3G or 3GS? This $4 case could be just what you need.
Memory Cleaner for Intel Macs: It Works, 2011.12.14. If you're running low on system memory, Memory Cleaner can free up additional RAM until you can afford a real memory upgrade.
Macally iKeySlim: Great Feel and USB 2.0, 2010.11.18. If you're looking for a great USB keyboard for your Mac, the $30 iKeySlim is a winner. The USB 2.0 hub is a bonus.
More in the Rumor Mill index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay