AlfaPen Optical Pen Mouse from Alfa Data

Summary

For people who draw, using a pen is more natural than using a mouse. Alfa Data developed the AlfaPen Optical Pen Mouse for this purpose. Like other optical mice of its time, it uses a special pad and infrared signals to determine horizontal and vertical position. Alfa Data calls the gridded surface the “OPTICAL Mouse Pad”, with a small cartoon mouse illustrated at the upper left. The pen has three buttons, two small and one larger, but they are so close together that users often press more than one. Accuracy is another weakness: despite a resolution of 300 DPI, reviewers reported a jerky cursor and uneven movement.

Alfa Data sold lots of Amiga accessories, some in collaboration with BSC. Among them is an infrared mouse (which has to take the same criticism about stuttering), a mouse/joystick switcher, trackball, a 86-pin expansion adaptor (to use two devices on the side expansion slot), handheld scanner, memory extensions, CD drives, IO cards, etc.

Picture: http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=1430