By and large, most computer mice are oriented horizontally. You get a curved surface on top where you find the regular mouse buttons and then you can scroll your way through web pages and documents. That sounds simple enough, but it may not be the most ergonomic of form factors.

Putting a different spin on the conventional PC mouse is the Wow-Pen Joy Ergonomic PC Mouse. Instead of having the main mouse buttons located on the top of the mouse, they’ve been relocated off to the side. This “vertical mouse” has a large grip in the middle, so you can get a real handle on moving it around. It’s like holding the handle to something, rather than hovering your hand over a mouse. This offers what the creators call their “signature, pen-grip comfort.”

In addition to the regular left and right mouse buttons, you also get the middle button with scroll wheel. On the other side, accessible with your thumb, are the forward and back buttons. The Wow-Pen Joy Ergonomic Mouse is compatible with Windows 98/Me/2000, Windows XP, Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux. It appears to be a wired mouse, though I wouldn’t be surprised if a wireless version was also in the works.

For more information, check out Wow-Pen.com.