Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,uk.comp.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (
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I use a MS Wireless InteliMouse Explorer 2.0 ... wouldn't trade it for
anything! The batteries add just the right amount of heft missing from many
optical mice, but i've grown use to the lighter feel of optical mice anyway.
I've never had ANY surface related issues with any optical mouse, ive used
on white formica, woodgrain formica, blue jeans, slacks, t'shirts, and when
the cat didn't want to get down... cat fur! they work on every surface i've
tried so far! Some wireless mice now are rechargable, but frankly i prefer
the battery kind, rechargables are known to run out of juice when you need
the mouse the most, and its a pain to have to wait 45mins+ to get enough
charge back on to function well, wheras I can throw in 2 spare AA batteries
in seconds and be on my way , and getting a massive stick of bats at costco
isn't all that expensive(i have half a stick of bats sitting in desk drawer
to have handy for the mouse), Ive run 2 months now without needing to
replace! Bluetooth does little more than give you more range, who cares
about bandwidth of a wireless connection when its just a friggen mouse, not
much data to tx, much less rx! I'm fine with my setup, the USB powered
"base" sits out of the way behind my monitor, and i can still use the mouse
from almost across the room, not that i need to, 99.9999 percent of the time
it sits in its usual place right next to the keyboard on the desk, but i
don't have to worry about its cables getting in the way (like they do on my
other desktop), and on a cramped desk its nice to be able to work the mouse
from wherever there is room instead of wherever the cable lets me go (even
if it meens the knee of my pants!) Bluetooth will add considerably to a
mouse, and like i said all it does is provide more range, perhaps it may add
some security, but on a mouse there isn't much that can be listened to, just
movements and clicks, listener has no idea what is being moused and clicked
so i'm not worried about it. Now for keyboards i will always be wired,
simply for security, sure someone can install a keylogger onto my system,
but firewalling and good spyware antivirus go a long way to prevent that,
but NOBODY can sit outside with a reciever and pick up what i'm typing cus
it ain't broadcast wirelessly! IF i had to go wireless for kbd it would be
bluetooth, and even then i would want the best encryption possible! An
optical mouse is good for price, and IMO not much else. They work great on
semisoft surfaces, usually poorly on hard surfaces, and surfaces need to be
flat as a general rule (usually not an issue.) DOWNSIDE is a major one for
me, and is the reason i left the balled mouse behind, AS A BALL MOUSE AGES
IT WILL NOT WORK RIGHT! And they do tend to age quickly! ANY dust ona
surface starts to build up on the rollers and before you know it the mouse
starts to "hang" or "skip" across the screen in one or both dimensions, you
can start to feel "bumps" in the movement. Sure you can clean it out, and
its not that hard to do, but ive found no matter how clean you make a dirty
mouse, it will never work like it did when new. Wheras opticals don't have
any moving pieces to get gummed up, and ive never had an issue with the
sensor not being able to see the surface, tho I imagine with LOTS of use it
would be wise to gently clean it (Have an optical mouse that ran for 2 years
on my machine, and has now run 2 more years when i gave that system to my
grandmother, both of us use(d) the computer more than 3 hours a day, never
needed cleaning!)
Gotta say that the wheelmouse is the way to go, especially if you are used
to it. If you go to a mouse without you will find yourself trying to scroll
a page without realizing you don't have the wheel anymore, you never know
how much you miss it. Some wheelmice can now tilt to scroll horizontally,
but i have yet to see a SMOOTH implementation of this idea, usually tilts to
click instead of being an axis like a good wheel behaves.
Like other posters have stated try out several, not just in the store, but
try and find someone that actually has a working mouse you can use (look
around the demo machines in your local computer megastore, chances are you
will find a decent variaty of mice to try out), but i think there is
something to be said for removing mechanical components from the mouse and
going to optical technolegy, Tend to get much more precise mouse movement,
and just like a ball mouse you can tell the OS how fast you want to dictate
mouse movement/acceleration.
Just my $0.04
"E2E t-bot BT" <English-to-English.translator.bot@Babel.Fish> wrote in
message news:94C6825DEB901K187D@64.62.191.98...
> I am still using a corded mouse (logitech wheelmouse).
>
> I would like to get a better mouse which has at least as good
> precision, responsiveness, accuracy, etc.
>
> Would an optical mouse be better on all counts?
>
> What about a cordless mouse. Are they poor performers? What about
> a Bluetooth connection - is that good. Is it pricey.
>
> Are there any web sites which discuss this. Google is no help to
> me.
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