Labtec Wireless Optical Mouse Plus - mouse

I recently got the Labtec Wireless Optical Mouse Plus as a temporary replacemtn until I can get a proper mouse and have to say that it is probably one of the throw out products. By this, I mean that Labtec has made something without putting any effort into.

I agree that the mouse looks good and simple but ergonomically it is awful. Most manufactures would consider comfort and ease before designing a product, on the other hand, here ...
...low profile forces the wrist to rest on the desk which can cause repetative strain injury as you would be forcing your fingers to operate the mouse rather than moving your arm to do so.

The mouse isn't the most responsive I've come across. If the surface you're using it on is slightly reflective, the cursor on-screen goes mad. I know that this is a common issue with optical mice but this one is worse. The RF receiver is supposed to ... more

I recently got the Labtec Wireless Optical Mouse Plus as a temporary replacemtn until I can get a proper mouse and have to say that it is probably one of the throw out products. By this, I mean that Labtec has made something without putting any effort into.

I agree that the mouse looks good and simple but ergonomically it is awful. Most manufactures would consider comfort and ease before designing a product, on the other hand, here I have a mouse that is tedious to use. It's low profile forces the wrist to rest on the desk which can cause repetative strain injury as you would be forcing your fingers to operate the mouse rather than moving your arm to do so.

The mouse isn't the most responsive I've come across. If the surface you're using it on is slightly reflective, the cursor on-screen goes mad. I know that this is a common issue with optical mice but this one is worse. The RF receiver is supposed to flash when connecting with the mouse but no such indication is given anywhere on it. Even though it is a basic mouse, the instructions manual doesn't cover everything.

The mouse is pretty well built; there are no creaking sounds made if pressure is exerted on it. Also, I haven't managed to drop the mouse anywhere so at the moment I can't really comment on it's durability.

You get a USB to PS2 connector in the box, which is a good thing if you want to save the USB ports on your computer. Another reviewer mentioning the same product had said something about getting a CD with it; although I didn't yet the mouse worked fine without the need for installing any additional drivers. The RF receiver has a cable length of 1M which should prove long enough for a standard desktop set-up. You also get two AA batteries in the box.

Now for one of the main issues with the mouse. The battery-life! The 'Getting Started Guide' says that the battery should easily last for 2-3 months 'depending on usage'. Believe it or not, it lasted for around 2-3 days! Being wireless, it need juice, but I didn't expect this much. I mean it not like it's one the high-end products that it would need so much energy to function. I've replaced the batteries twice and simply haven't bothered again.

I guess that as a back-up mouse it did it's job but even so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants to be able to use their hands fully in the future. Only buy it if you fancy replacing batteries every two days or so. For a lower price, you can get MUCH better alternatives.

From my experience I'd advise to stick with Microsoft or Logitech mice.

To sum it up: At £10, you get what you pay for! 

...less