oldmouse blog minis; trackballs; tablets & touchpads; index / miscellanea
1960s: Engelbart's first mouse; Telefunken "Rollkugel"
1966: Orbit X-Y Ball Tracker
1970s: Mystery wheel mouse; Hawley Mouse House
1972: Alto I [2]
1981: Xerox 8010 Star [2]
1982: Logitech; VisiOn GUI; Mouse Systems; KoalaPad
1983: Hawley Mark II X063X; Lisa; Microsoft; Microsoft green-eyed mouse
1984: Macintosh
1985: NeXT Computer; Microsoft grey-eyed mouse
1986: Hawley DEC mouse; GEOS GUI; Atari ST mouse; Commodore 1350 Mouse
1987: IBM PS/2; Microsoft 'Dove bar' mouse
1996: USB (see: Connectors)

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Mouse Systems PenMate

Mouse Systems diversified into a tablet and pen stylus in 1992. It came with Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing Version 1.0 on 3.5" and 5 1/4" floppies. The tablet surface area is 9" x 6". Its plastic sheet can be lifted to place an image underneath to trace and digitize.

The PenMate and software bundled for $349, aiming for the personal computer market.

System requirements are An AT or compatible computer, serial port, DOS 3.3 or greater along with Microsoft Windows 3.1. It also requres 2 MB RAM and a hard disk. The round plug from the pen plugs into the tablet and the cable with the DB-25-hole plug plugs into the serial port of the computer.

A Pen Computing Quick Reference sheet illustrates the gestures to accomplish copying, pasting, editing text, deleting, etc.

The pen has one button. On the bottom of the desk pad two folding feet can prop up the surface at an angle.

FCC ID: GSUGT09A
MOUSE SYSTEMS
PenMate
Model No.: 403583-001
S/N: 92000654

Mouse Systems Corp.
47405 Seabridge Drive
Fremont, CA 94538
Made in Taiwan R.O.C.
K3002061

Mouse Systems PenMate bundled with Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing Version 1.0.

Mouse Systems PenMate.