Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mighty Mouse (quick review)
As many of you know, the Macbook Pro is Bluetooth 2.0 enabled by default. This opens up the opportunity to use wireless devices without needing a USB dongle or key. Most wireless keyboards and mice use RF wireless and require a USB connection of some sort to be usable.
Over the last month, I've been shopping around for a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. My first thought was to look at Logitech's deNovo line. The DeNovo Edge is by far the best looking keyboard on the market and has a pretty good feel to it. However none of the DeNovo's have support for Macs. I've read forum postings around the internet where people have gotten it to work ,but I would rather use it only if it is actually supported. It seems there are very few bluetooth keyboards and mice that have Mac support, so I finally decided to go with Apples own offerings, the wireless keyboard and mouse.
I have OS 10.4.8, so setup was an absolute breeze. I just went into System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Bluetooth and selected the "Setup New Device" button. The setup wizard was simple and worked flawlessly. It took less than 5 minutes to setup both the keyboard and mouse.
Lets start with the keyboard.
Pros: The keyboard has a setup very similar to a standard IBM style keyboard, which is a good thing. It is straightforward and simple with no add on buttons except for volume control and eject. The keys have a great feel to them and are very responsive. As I type this, I am about 3 feet away from the Macbook Pro, reclining in my chair. I've turned on magnification so I can easily see my monitor from this distance. It is an honest joy to use. Connectivity seems to be very solid.
Con: The only negative thing I can say about this keyboard is that it lacks any sort of wrist rest. Its not bad in that you need something to rest your wrist on, however I sometimes find myself accidentally leaning on the space bar while surfing the web with my mouse. That causes web pages to automatically scroll to the bottom of the page. Thats it, I've got nothing else negative to say and even that is a half-assed complaint.
Verdict: Buy it..
The Wireless Mighty Mouse:
Pros: Its bluetooth wireless and extremely easy to setup. If you squeeze the center of the mouse's sides it will turn on Expose' (fantastic feature)
Cons: Movement across the screen can be unresponsive at times. I always place my mouse on my desktop without a mouse pad. The desktop is a dark brown and I have no response issues with any other mouse I use. For a laser based mouse, it is tedious. I also find myself right clicking when I was intending to left click. The mouse doesn't really feel that good in my hand either. I guess I'm spoiled from the more ergonomic Microsoft and Logitech mice I've used. I've got several mouse controllers in my home and I think every one of them (cabled or wireless) is vastly superior to the Mighty Mouse.
Verdict: Some people out there simply swear by the Mighty Mouse. My advice is to try it IF you want a Bluetooth mouse. However, I think most people will do the same thing I'm doing today and return it.
Hey!Sorry for the question i know it has nothing to do with your review, but i got a wireless mouse form logitech, it has a dongle which i have to connect to the usb port for it to work, is it possible to make it work without the dongle?!
Hey!Sorry for the question i know it has nothing to do with your review, but i got a wireless mouse form logitech, it has a dongle which i have to connect to the usb port for it to work, is it possible to make it work without the dongle?!
Thanks man!
If it is a bluetooth mouse, and your Mac has built in bluetooth, the answer is "maybe." Most wireless mice are not bluetooth, they use RF (radio frequency) which means you have to use the dongle.
If you verify that it is a bluetooth mouse You should check the logitech forums to see if it supports Macs.
Last edited by Sgt Beavis; 02-11-2007 at 03:07 PM.
