Messy screens, dead batteries, endless tangled cords… not to mention deplorable ergonomics! What if navigating a device could be more intuitive, more natural? Enter Snowl: The Mouse Reimagined.
Take a look at the pitch below, and the subsequent Kickstarter page which features some immediate questions such as: how does this product compare to others on the market?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/852538132/snowl-the-mouse-reimagined/description
I would NOT invest in this product, although I do think I would buy one for myself! Despite the fact that the elevator pitch is nicely done, and it does sell the product as a valuable “improvement” or “aid” in the daily activity of using a device, I am simply not convinced that the “masses” would shift from a traditional mouse to something THIS different. My investment could be contingent on garnering some additional information on marketing and “the ask” from the venture (beyond the constraints of this elevator pitch), but with the provided information this would not be something I’d pursue. I am convinced of each of the pain points mentioned by Snowl (awkward collaboration huddled around a screen/mouse, lack of intuitive gestures, inefficiencies of touchpad use), and do find that the Snowl product responds to each of them, especially with its dual duty as a joystick mouse when it needs to be charged – does anyone remember the Apple mouse you couldn’t use while it was charging?! Other valuable points that help Snowl are their addressing of differentiation and competition further along in the Kickstarter page, along with added details on battery life and styling. The capacity of the owners does not come up at all which does not help the venture, and not surprisingly given the Kickstarter “end user” platform style of pitch, there is no note on “the return” from an investment standpoint. All in all, a great idea that I would likely support personally, but it lives in a reality that I’m not quite sure we have reached – yet!
This is a difficult one but it’s unlikely I would invest in it although I’m interested in seeing how Mouses/Keyboards can be improved with time and technology. The most important aspect which I look for in a Mouse is (i) reliability (ii) build quality and (iii) ergonomics. Funny enough the current ones we use are near perfect and fits a range of professional requirements in terms of design and usability. While I wouldn’t mind buying one to try, I’m slightly skeptical as to how reliable air gestures will be and whether it’s inclusion/product design will be practical for long term use in the office or at work. I will give it points for novelty and innovation though.
I would NOT invest in this product as I would be greatly pessimistic on its success without proper support by software developers. A dramatic change of UI control would need deep integration with operating systems (Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, etc) to be seen as more than just a “gimmick”. I would be willing to try the product, however I just cannot see the use and can only imagine the headaches it would cause compared to being able to click and point with a mouse with high accuracy. It does not feel like it fits in with the business crowd as simple pointers do the job and are inexpensive. In terms of the selling point of gaming, I also have trouble seeing it succeeding there as other immersive technologies simply do more and are built solely with gaming in mind. Snowl feels like a product that falls short compared to other products available.
I would not invest in this product. The market for computer mouse and controllers is very saturated. There are already many differentiated products that focus on different aspects of mouse usage such as gaming (Razor and controllers), ergonomic (trackball mouse and vertical mouse), multi-touch (Apple), presentation (presentation remote), and etc. The Snowl is advertised as versatile and convenient, but both of these aspects can already be fulfilled with other peripheral products on the market. While comparing the Snowl to other products, the only competitive advantage it has over its competitors is that it’s an all-in-one device. However, like many all-in-one devices, they typically fail to excel at all of its functionalities. Gaming for example is all about precision. The Snowl has failed to convince me that it is usable by any serious gamers. Another aspect would be ease of use. With the overcomplication of configuring gestures, this product is not one of those that can be taken out of the box and be used by anyone right away. This is a cool gimmick for people who have an interest in technology, but it’s not fulfilling any gaps in the computer mouse market that’s needed for it to be successful consumer product.
As an investor, I would not invest in this venture. The Pain Point seems to be that it’s a drag having to touch devices. Snowl solves this by attaching an AI mouse to your finger and interfacing with it instead of the device. This differs from other computer mice and touch screens as it allows the user to be more mobile. It’s primary market would be presenters in my mind, but they did show examples of others using it; someone reading, someone doing yoga, and someone practicing guitar. But, with reading and yoga, is it that much of a hassle to touch the screen to turn the page or pause your lesson? Even in their video, they show the users quite close to their device; it is not far for them to turn the page than go through the gesture with the finger mouse. I would believe that the mouse would make guitar playing quite awkward as the ring places the mouse close to the end of the pointing finger; the finger used to grasp onto a guitar pick. It also focuses itself on mobile game users who want to play their games on a TV. Yet most mobile game users have games on their phones primarily to play on their phones, not to be put up on a bigger device. There is not a lot of information on the venture’s team and they are asking for different pledges with different incentives for higher monies pledged. This seems to be going after the computer mouse market, yet the charger turns the AI mouse right back into a mouse. I could see a number of people just leaving it in the charger a majority of the time; pulling it out once in awhile for presentations. A remote can do this just as well…