If you read my review the other week, you'll know I got a black Acer mouse when I bought my computer. I almost immediately switched to using this mouse purely because of its optical ability. The Acer mouse was the old tracing ball kind, and so wouldn't work well on anything other than my desk. This mouse is optical, so will work on pretty much any surface - wood, bed, skin! The only thing I have found it will not work on so far is glass. It even works vertically on my rough wallpaper.
The mouse is slightly shaped, so you would expect it to be moulded to fit either one hand or the other. But I have found this is not the case and
it works equally well in either hand. I currently use it on the left.
It is easy to switch over which button is the primary button going through the Windows Mouse menus (It also works on Mac, but I can't comment on that). Besides Right click and Left click, the only other button this mouse has is a scroll wheel. Again in the Windows menus you can control how fast you scroll, and what you want a 'click' of it to do. I find the click action very useful in Firefox Internet browser as it opens the link in a new tab. The scroll button is very smooth to turn, and yet it still has a little click, click, click as it turns so you know its moving. It's not so smooth that you accidentally hit it, but similarly its not so tough that you need force to move it. The same is true with the right and left buttons.
A software CD does come with this mouse but I don't know what it contains as I don't have it here for reference. I do know that it allows you to change what you have as your cursor - myself; I have a mouse for my mouse! And instead of an egg timer, it starts to eat cheese!
The mouse connects directly by a USB socket, which may not be suitable for everyone. Therefore it also comes with a PS/2adaptor to plug into the usual round mouse hole - this is the one I use. The only disadvantage of this is that the adaptor is about three inches long, so, if your computer is close to the wall, you may find you have to pull it out slightly. (It's also bright green which is fairly ugly, but its hidden behind the computer so that's okay)
Whether this mouse is plugged into the USB or PS/2 sockets, it gains all its power from the computer and so no batteries are required. This is a definite advantage as a wireless optical mouse I had previously used to eat batteries by the truckload!
The cable itself is about 2metres long, so more than adequate for most normal usage.
The optical part of this mouse works very well, and I have never had a problem with it not picking up movement (except for on glass as stated earlier), and there is no delay between me moving the mouse and the image on the screen reflecting that. It occasionally seems to move of its own accord, and the mouse moves up, or across, the screen. This is very annoying if you are watching a full screen movie as the menu bars appear, and on my slow computer that causes the video to lag for a few seconds.
On some mice, the optical light dims if you pick it up off the desk for more than a few seconds. This mouse doesn't do that - the light maintains the same intensity all the time. Even when the computer is off. To me this is one of its most annoying attributes. The mouse sits on my desk, in my room, about a foot from my head, and casts a very dim red light across the room all night long. The only way around this problem that I have found is to unplug the mouse after shutting down, and re-plugging it in before powering up - but that seems slightly drastic and I generally just push it behind something so the light is blocked.
The design of the mouse means that it has a small lip at the back, where the white plastic ends, and instead there is a small red window so you can see the light is on. It doesn't seem to serve any purpose beyond that - although it is one of the main reasons why the mouse can light my room at night!
Beneath the mouse, there are four rubber pads lifting it off the table. Like the button clicks, these make for perfect performance - not so slippery that it slides across the desk, but not so tough that you need force! In the centre of the upturned mouse is a slight hole where all the optical stuff goes on. It is here that the mouse tracks your movements, before communicating them with the computer. Also on the base should be the Microsoft hologram showing you this is an authentic Microsoft product.
It is claimed that this product has a 100,000-hour life. Which if my maths is correct … 24 hours in a day, 365 days a year, works out to over 11years of life. I think that's pretty damn good and will probably far surpass the life of my computer!
I just noticed that 'robustness' is one of the categories to select for this item, so I thought I'd make a note of it in here. Ask my Dad and he'll tell you that I abuse computers, and it's true. I don't give my mouse an easy life. It's traveled long distances just thrown in the back of a car, and hit the floor falling off my desk numerous times. And yet it still works perfectly, and looks immaculate. I also have a habit of playing with the cable if I'm bored/nervous/on the phone and this shows no sign of wear at all.
This is a very basic mouse from Microsoft, but its does it's job brilliantly. The only things I would fault are the fact that the light is permanently on, and occasionally it moves on the screen by itself. Aside from that this mouse is perfect, for both right and left-handed users, and at about £15, why spend more! It isn't as advanced as other mice, and doesn't have programmable buttons beyond right, left, and scrolling, but personally I don't see the need for these. I've been using this mouse for around 2 years now, and a mark has developed showing where my finger sits on the primary button. This isn't dirt, its ware and tear of the plastic. Even so, it doesn't hinder the usage in any way at all.
Even though this white mouse doesn't fit aesthetically white my black computer, I'd chose it over a tracing ball, or wireless mouse any day.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Wow, you could write a two-page review about a single baked bean. And when do you sleep, honestly? I have to catch up with all your other reviews now.
loopymum65 13.11.2006 13:35
Very thorough.Great review, Sue xxx
Ritatsu 12.11.2006 17:06
Looks like a very sweet mouse, although I'm interested in those laser mouses, they look cool but are kinda pricey, superb review nonetheless! love it (^_^)b
Get optical reliability at an affordable priceThis optical mouse features a convenient ... more
scroll wheel, customizable buttons, and stylish designOptical technology refers to the use of an optical sensor to track mouse movement, rather than the traditional ...
Postage & Packaging: £4.00 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Works anywhere, extremely responsive, robust, well designed Disadvantages: Not wireless, only three buttons (I don't consider these as serious disadvantages)
Nov 11th, 2006
very helpful by (98%):
helpful by (3%):
