optical mice

This is the Belkin - Mini-Wireless Optical Mouse that you can see more about on Belkin's site. I tried three wireless mice so far, all of which I bought from Amazon at about the same time (March 2003); they are: the Kensington StudioMouse Wireless, the IOGear Phaser, and this one, the Belkin Mini-Wireless Optical Mouse. You can read my reviews of them on Amazon. I end with this one because, although it can use improvements, it is by far the best product of the three. First off it features USB connectivity, a small wireless receiver that juts out of your laptop's USB port, and it comes with a cable if you're using a desktop and you need to bring the wireless receiver closer to where you're using the mouse. It does not ship with a USB->PS2 port (wise because notebooks now seldom ship with a PS2 port and because USB is hot plug-able & Mac & Windows compatible).

In my testing the mouse works at two feet away from the receiver comfortably. At the advertised three feet, you get patchy and jittery results, beyond that, nothing. Since it is symmetrical, it is the same for left or right handed use. It's rubberized sides and rear and wheel feel good.

Most notably, it really is "mini". It is probably 2/3 the size of an average mouse. This takes getting used to and I'm not yet sure if it's ergonomically straining. I do notice that I switch between left to right hand more than I used to, but that may be because I'm getting used to my new Powerbook's keyboard. The small size is likely going to be the main subject of debate about this mouse - at first, you may not like it, but given time, I'm surprised how monstrous my ordinary mice feel.

When the silver region in the center (which says "BELKIN") is depressed, the rear pops off so you can change the batteries. That feature is a brilliant way to solve the battery changing problem. It ships with two AAA alkaline batteries. For the first two-three days, rechargeable batteries work great. When they start to run down, you'll see the performance of the mouse degrade. This is a feature of rechargeable batteries, not the mouse; at that point, just leave the batteries in the mouse overnight, and it will run them down to nothing so you can recharge them from 0%. Normally though, you'll want to shut off the mouse when not in use for long periods - you do this by shifting a small digit from one side to the other on the bottom of the mouse. It is hard to get your fingernail into this little groove.

It scrolls well, but the scroll wheel makes a clicking noise - I think it should be silent. Same with the two side buttons - they do as expected but make noises - they too should be silent (if I click I click, if I scroll I scroll and it all happens on screen - I don't need the sound effects to reinforce what I just did). It's optical tracking runs at 800 DPI. Overall, this is a fine mouse. I looks really good. People are impressed with it and want to play with it. It's the perfect weight - a little on the heavy side but I like that because it feels like I'm moving something more substantive than a light-as-a-feather mouse.

Additional ways this mouse could improve: 1. Bluetooth - so that you can use it without a wireless receiver if you have the capability (ie, my PowerBook G4 17" features a built in Bluetooth card). 2. Belkin could incorporate a flexible digit that lets you angle the receiver out of the way (so it's not jutting two inches off the side of your notebook). Kensington did a good job on this for it's Pocketmouse Pro Wireless. 3. If I had my way, I would increase the size of the mouse. It is a bit too mini to me. I suspect that not too many people are going to want to feel that as they travel, they are using something which cramps the hands a little.