On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 08:38:52 -0800, Shel Belinkoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I need a new mouse. The one that came with the computer is acting up. > It's a Mitsumi optical wheel mouse. I never bought a mouse before (hard to > believe, but I just used whatever mouse came with the computer), and > looking about I see that there are mice with some neat features. Any > comments on: > wireless mice
You are no longer bound to the desk and chuck the mouse in a drawer when you're not using your desk as a computer only area, but make sure you always have some spare batteries to hand (I had my keyboard and mouse die within minutes of each other, meaning no way to save what I was working on as I didn't have a spare wired...keyboard or mouse) > plain optical wheel mice (connected with a wire) if by "optical" you mean "without a ball" i would recommend them. It may just be that my flat is overly dusty, but i have to clean my mouse every week or so and like my little microsoft, red glowing mouse at work > mice with programmable buttons (sounds neat!) I had one of the original, overly chunky explorer mice which had an extra couple of buttons on the side that you could assign actions to. They can be nice once you've for used to them, but now I don't have them I don't miss them - although while I was writing up my end of degree work it was very useful to be able to cut and paste without mashing the keyboard. > brands logitech and microsoft - say what you want about MS but their mice are pretty good (although the new models of each type take a while to settle down). The ball-less MS simple mice with a wheel are fairly cheap and work really well. I have a logitech wireless set at home and the mouse is starting to get a bit temperamental (no matter how charged the batteries are) > features to look for/avoid Mouse wheel - I can't do without this now. The most important thing though imo is to actually get it out of the box, put it on a surface and then have a go, even if it's not connected - they keyboard and mouse are how you communicate with your pc, so make sure its comfortable to use. My biggest peeve with the high street electrical shops is that they normally won't let you try them out first. > I'd prefer not adding lots of software just to run a mouse. As others have said - if you want to use the advanced features of whatever you buy you will probably have to install something extra (unless it's an MS mouse), but it's normally a simple "plugin mouse, put in cd, press go" style install with some potential customisation if you want after the fact. Big tip - don't buy cheap unless you really like the feel of it. You might get lucky, but most cheap mice i have had havce died very quickly. Avoid Genius, they suck :) I'm still looking for my ideal trackball...until that day I shall keep using my keyboard as much as poss, and only resort to my mouse when i'm forced. billy -- Billy Abbott Photography - http://www.cowfish.org.uk/paw/
