Son of Mouse Talk

[chris h]

Out on a ram buying spree this afternoon and was snared by the Logitech Cordless/Optical rodents which were on offer................


Basically a wheel mouse with an auxiliary side button, all buttons being fully programmable via the simple software. The receiver is plumbed into either the Ps2 or USB sockets with an adaptor supplied. Logitech offer advice on positioning the receiver in order to avoid interference from other peripherals. The device looks like a quarter of a bread roll and is about 2 by 2 by 1 inches overall, it has a wire about 3 feet long to give you some flexibility of position although I found even shoving it in a drawer didn't upset the signal from the mouse.
In 98 I plugged it in and it worked fine although you need the software to make the side button functional, in XP I had to download a complete software bundle from the makers site as software supplied only covers up to 2K. The mouse itself runs on 2 AA cells (supplied) and I can't comment on battery life yet although you could use rechargeables. Full marks to Logitech for not making it dependant on some 'exotic' battery !

Thats about it, performance wise its as pleasant to use as the Microsoft optical although slightly heavier with the batteries not a bad thing from a personal point of view. Colour is a tasteful mix of midnight blue and silver. The only minus point I can think of is that being untethered by the connector cord it will become buried under paperwork or make a break for freedom down in the dungeons !

[DJ Dubovsky]

Sounds like you need a mouse with a built in signal locator. Beeps when it's buried under debris. So you went for the cordless. You will have to update us on the battery situation in the future. How much Ram did you get or did you end up with mouse instead. In the animal world some would say you got short changed, rams are much bigger then mice.
DJ

[Doug Nelson]

I could live with AA batteries. Mine took exotic lithiums that set me back like $15 every couple of months.

I remember liking the extra heft, though. Felt more 'precise'

[chris h]

DJ,

Ram is at it lowest ever over here about $28 for 240mb so I've shoved in another 500mb wether it will make much difference to Photoshop I dont know but everything else doesnt so much load as leap onto the screen !
Ref Jokes, Don't ring us !!

Doug, As regards the batteries I'd always assumed until Chris mentioned hers that cordless mice had proprietry batteries as you mention. When she said hers took AAA's it interested me as by an order mistake earlier this year I'm knee deep in the blasted things. However like you I can live with AA's as I've loads of NiMh ones for the digital cameras and other stuff. However I'll let you know how long the supplied Panasonics last although they've probably spent the last 3 months in a warehouse.

[Doug Nelson]

The Panasonic batteries aren't too bad. I used to own a company that sold batteries, and more than once we bought the entire U.S. inventory of bulk Panasonic AA batteries.

[chris h]

Doug,

Ordinary battery prices vary wildly over here, you can pay anything from £3.50 to £1.50 for the same 4 pack of AA's.

[Richard_Lynch]

Of Mice and Tracking

I was once allowed by a former employer to sample about every device known on the market for input. I ended up the beneficiary of some experience that is hard to get otherwise. By the end, I'd selected the Kensington Turbo Mouse as my input of choice. This was above tablets and any mega-mouse you could find. I still use the device by choice for Photoshop work to this day (some 7 years later).

The benefits to a trackball are 1) they don't move, 2) they take up little desk space, 3) they are easy on the wrist, 4) they have stability and control (as long as you get one with a big ball), 5) maintenance is near nill, 6) The replacement and service are excellent (the one time I had a problem in 5 years, the item was completely replaced). This particular trackball has 4 programmable buttons...Don't be fooled by cheap immitations. I was. I'd used bad trackballs before and thought they were completely useless devices. In fact, at first I didn't like this one (you get used to the mouse bump and grind). With this, cleaning amounts to lifting out the ball and blowing in the cradle. If you use your computer 10 hours a day (I don't really know anyone who does THAT!), the wrist movement this saves can keep you out of surgery. When my daughter was 3, I have both the mouse and trackball hooked to the machine, and when she knew how to use both, she always used the trackball...It isn't a great study, but I think it says something.

I have not been impressed with expensive mice over-all, as eventually I find the mechanisms difficult or impossible to clean. In fact, I like CHEAP mice better as they have internal parts that are easier to get at, and less difficult to damage when you do (I have a 4$ mouse I use with my laptop -- in case I lose it, of course, but it has functioned flawlessly for years; there is another on a noname PC workstation that I have not had to actually clean ever! In 3 years, I've opened the little ball release and blew in it to remove anything in the way). I have used several optical mice which all ended up needing to be cleaned far too often to be useful. In fact an idea for a digital photography book cover I once did came from the idea of a flying mouse...They sometimes seem to deserve to fly...

Just another take.

RL

[chris h]

Richard,

When you mention cleaning an optical mouse I presume your talking about the lens for the sensor ?

[Ed_L]

I just checked out the Kensington Turbo Mouse. Evidently it is only for a Mac, is that right?

Ed

[Richard_Lynch]

Ed,

I believe Kensington was making it for both, and that the PC one is harder to find: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...4LD/newwriting

Chris,

I have tried several mice with different "tracking" systems, some exhausingly particular (older technologies), relying on some type of coordinate system, and others that were tracked by means I am not even sure of, but in at least 2 there were optical sensors of one form or another (internal or external) that were liable to be blocked with debris, dust, etc., due to proximity with rollers, etc. This seems to me to collect more readily in mice (I don't know about you, but my hands are usually cleaner than the desktop!). I think it is interesting technology, and true the wireless devices can free you from using something with a cable, but the trackball doesn't need to be moved and the footprint on my desk is about 3.5x4...it never moves...I never have to wonder which stack of papers it might be under. It solves the problems of a cluttered desktop and wires. If that wasn't clear, I am familiar with the problem.

There is a STRONG possibility that there are newer, better optical and wireless devices which I have not had the opportunity to try, in fact I believe Kensington makes some of these with either the same or very similar software to the trackball, but there is still a lot of wrist movement. I am not looking to turn you away from mice, I am just offering my opinion as to what I am most comfortable using, and the experiences I had. If you are considering a new device, this is the best time to look at your broad options. There's a good chance you'll be using that new device for quite a while. I know of a few who swear by Wacom, but I fumble with them, and feel I have to have even more space to use them -- that's not for me. Quite honestly I know few who use a trackball...but since I've started, I can't stop. I can cross 2 monitor screens with a flick of my finger and feel I have way better control in fine work (which was originally the reason my employer allowed me the budget for testing). I never lift - move - lift. Part of that is the software, and part is the design of the trackball. All it is is a big ol' mouse turned upside down -- but it seems to me it is easier to push the ball directly than to move the device than moves the ball...And I didn't mean to knock on optical tracking or wires...really the Kensington has internal optical tracking (the big ball pushes a roller which is read by a light sensor), but I've cleaned it once in the past 5 years due to skipping. Just a nice piece of equipment.

[Doug Nelson]

I guess the lesson here is to find what you're comfortable with, and use it. And everyone will have differing opinions on what they're comfortable with. But what works, works.

I've used that Kensington ball, and it is quite nice. The difference (in my opinion) is the size and heft of the ball. It's quite enormous, and feels very heavy. These both give a feeling of security and precision. The company makes several models, most of which are knock-offs of competing models. But the one that looks like a billiard ball in an ashtray is the one to try.

As for the new breed of optical mice, they have no moving parts (save the click switches). A tiny 'camera' looks at the surface and detects any motion. Sounds a bit iffy, but in practice works quite well. They work on any surface as long as there's some sort of texture for the camera to see (I've yet to find one that didn't work...perhaps black glass). I can imagine possibly having to wipe the lens off with your finger every once in awhile, but in over a year I've not had to do even that.

[chris h]

Doug,

I've noticed that the sensor light in the Logitech mouse never actually goes out but flickers away (at a reduced intensity) when dormant. How this affects battery consumption remains to be seen

[Doug Nelson]

Corded version is the same. If it went out, how would it know if it moved?

[chris h]

True enough Doug ! Of course the body of the beast is translucent so the sensor light is always in the corner of your eye.

[chris h]

Logitech cordless is still flashing away when I douse the candelabras at night so that makes about two weeks so far ! I was going to try it on USB but found all four slots taken.

My mother uses an Agfa CL18 digi which is very basic having no detachable media just internal storage giving a choice of 16 decent snaps or 32 indifferent ones. She carts it around and I download and print anything she thinks of merit, usually the local townswomans guild whisky sampling evening etc. Just to get to the point having used four digi cameras in the past few years none have a standard male socket at the camera end, so don't assume you can hot swap your camera with the printer or whatever USB cable.