Bluetooth Mouse... Not so good

April 10, 2008 | Tags: Hardware

I searched high and low for a Bluetooth Mouse to use with my MBP. I honestly went to about 10 different stores and looked a lot online. Some were too small, others uncomfortable. There aren't a whole lot of bluetooth mice to choose from in the first place. This is my review of the ones I did seriously consider.

The first one I bought was the Kensington Si670m Bluetooth Mouse. This is a compact travel mouse that works off a couple of batteries. I plugged in the batteries and my laptop didn't have a problem finding it. The first thing I noticed however was the design. Whenever I clicked a mouse button, my finger would hit the lip of where the mouse button ended. I didn't like that, so I ended up returning it.

Name: Kensington Si670m Bluetooth Mouse
Price: $49.99
Pros: Rugged construction
Cons: "Compact" mouse feel

Second up was Apple's very own Wireless Might Mouse. I have always been a huge fan of Apple design, but this one just didn't suit me. The first thing I noticed was that the right click won't work unless you lift your index finger from resting on the left button. If you keep your index finger resting on the left button, a right click will not register. That got to be an annoyance, even after I tried it after a while.

The second annoyance with the Wireless Mighty Mouse was the trackball. Originally, I thought the design of the trackball was ingenious. And it is, probably for most users. I however use the "rocker" feature in FireFox a lot to switch between tabs. This feature with the Mighty Mouse trackball "spins" through the tabs in the tab bar way to quickly. It is nearly impossible to scroll between tabs in a controlled manner.

Name: Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse
Price: $69.99
Pros: Apple native product, unique design
Cons: Must lift index finger to right click

Last up, the Logitech V470 Bluetooth Mouse. This mouse was getting rave reviews on Amazon. I bought the white version online and even found a $15 rebate for it. When I got it, I was impressed at first. The comfort of the mouse is nearly perfect. There is a nice contour to the buttons, it's relatively small, and has a nice glossy white finish. However, after a while, I started hitting some annoyances.

The first annoyance with this mouse, which was subtle at first, was its precision and response time. At first I was very tolerant of it, just happy to have a comfortable cordless mouse, but after a month of use, plugging in a corded mouse quickly showed me what I had been missing. The precision and response time is huge, especially for quickly getting around a desktop. So unfortunately, I've even put this mouse aside and am back on a corded Microsoft Laser mouse.

Name: Logitech V470 Bluetooth Mouse
Price: $49.99
Pros: Comfortable, traditional mouse design
Cons: Poor precision and response time

You always hear bluetooth mice get interference easily, that the batteries run out too quickly, that getting them to pair is a pain. Who knows what the issue is, I'll just have to wait a little longer until I find one I like.

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