Official Mouse Thread!

@cam-89

I've also been looking at mice for my Mac (new alu 13.3"), debating whether to go for a wired one for accuracy and reliability or a bluetooth one for convenience/portability/USB space.
If you don't mind I'll answer your question by suggesting some mice and also suggest some of the things I've been thinking about.

Ideally I'd go for a bluetooth mouse as the idea of still using a cable in 2009 bugs me slightly. However, several things bother me about the current crop of wireless mice:

• Design
  Not one mouse out there looks any good. Not one.
  Some come close, but none match the looks of my macbook. This really annoys me.
  After using the gorgeous little bluetooth mouse I got with my Vaio A197XP, I've wanted to match that but everything's either a huge great Microsoft lump covered in buttons, odd alien-looking gaming mice with lots of neon lights or its the good-looking but appallingly-rated Apple Mighty Mouse.
  
• Size
  As hinted at above, everything's too big.
  I don't want one of those tiny little gimmicky 'notebook' mice, but I don't want the whacking-great lump you might buy in a high-street store because they recommend all Microsoft crap.
  
• Bluetooth 'transceivers'
  A lot of the wireless mice come with 'receivers'/'transceivers' that use up one of those two USB slots on my mac. I often have my iPhone sync'd and run an Antec cooler which has a USB extension, but don't want to use that for a mouse.
  I've been unable to find out exactly whether every mouse out there can run off the in-built Bluetooth radio in the Mac (I would presume they do, but who knows eh?).
  Having to use one of those little receivers would really narc me.
  

With these things in mind I've been trawling the 'net looking for something suitable.
Here are two lists (both UK but all are available in US) that demonstrate the range of mice out there:

Wireless Mice @ Overclockers

Cordless Mice @ Amazon

I'm not really a gamer, but the Razer mice look okay but are mainly wired or very expensive. I'd like the Mamba but really couldn't justify that much cash on a mouse.

So, if I'm not getting a Razer, then after reading most of the posts here it's either going to be a Logitech or Microsoft. Yawn.

I'm lucky in that I've been able to test a few mice (through friends and there's also 1500 of them at work).

Logitech VX Nano Advanced

A couple of guys at work have this mouse and it's okay. I'm a little against the very hard curve of the design but it's smaller than most of the big MS mice and is less 'brash'. The guys use the tiny little USB receiver as they use desktops, but they've got more than enough spare.
I had a quick go and it worked fine on a plain desktop without a mat, didn't feel any different or less accurate than a corded mouse. For basic work anyway.

Logitech VX Revolution Notebook

Also had a go on this one at work, in fact I used one went I took a work laptop on the road for a few days. It's much like the Nano, yet slightly smaller I think. Again, worked fine although I used the receiver due to the laptop being old and naff.

Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse

My parents have this mouse. Not seen it around before but of all the Microsoft mice it's once of the nicer looking, except for perhaps the chavvy blue light on the bottom. Works well again, Dad uses his with the receiver because again he's got an ageing PC.
This felt nicer in my hand than the Logitech ones and apparently it can be used on all surfaces although I didn't test that.

Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4000 - Dark Grey

A friend's got this one and although it's basic it's one of the nicer ones I've used. I like small mice and this is small enough without being ridiculous. It doesn't look too bad either and isn't covered in silly buttons or strange 'ergonomic' design features.
It might be too small for prolonged comfortable use though.


Conclusion(apologies for posting an essay!)
I'm still undecided.
I want a nice looking, relatively small, smooth and accurate wireless mouse. But with the current crop I'm not so sure I'm going to find it.
I think I may go for the MS Explorer Mini Mouse (at around £20/$35) for in my laptop bag and maybe, just maybe, a Razer Copperhead for home use (I do want to play the odd game and am quite a frequent Photoshop user).

I hope I've helped slightly and that you end up with a mouse that suits you!

I'm sure I'll post back once I've made my mind up.

Well, I went ahead and ordered the wireless Mighty Mouse last night! I know some of you here don't like it, but I talked to someone in person who's an Apple Guru who loves his Mighty Mouse, so I guess I'll see what I think when it gets here!

@macsdontfloat, I'll let you know what I think when it gets here!

Right, now I need some help.

I've found my old Sony Vaio PCGA-WMS5 wireless mouse and am trying to use it with my MacBook.
I'm not sure if this can be done (I've naively assumed that because it's wireless it can be picked up by my wireless receiver in my MacBook) and have trawled the net and various forums looking for the answer.

Can I use with my MacBook? Are there any drivers I can use to do it?
Or is it just not possible?
I would've thought by pressing the 'Connect' button on the bottom of the mouse would trigger some sort of detection by my laptop, but no.

Anyone able to help?

macsdontfloat said:

Right, now I need some help.

I've found my old Sony Vaio PCGA-WMS5 wireless mouse and am trying to use it with my MacBook.
I'm not sure if this can be done (I've naively assumed that because it's wireless it can be picked up by my wireless receiver in my MacBook) and have trawled the net and various forums looking for the answer.

Can I use with my MacBook? Are there any drivers I can use to do it?
Or is it just not possible?
I would've thought by pressing the 'Connect' button on the bottom of the mouse would trigger some sort of detection by my laptop, but no.

Anyone able to help?

Click to expand...

It should work. You will need the USB dongle plugged in in order to use it, however. It is *not* a Bluetooth mouse, so you need an RF adapter.

PCGA-WMS5/S Product Information

Thanks cwa107.

However, the mouse came with my old Vaio A197XP laptop and had no dongle with it.

I would have thought that my laptop would be able to pick it up using the wireless radio receiver?

macsdontfloat said:

Thanks cwa107.

However, the mouse came with my old Vaio A197XP laptop and had no dongle with it.

I would have thought that my laptop would be able to pick it up using the wireless radio receiver?

Click to expand...

I believe that your laptop may have had an integrated RF receiver.

RF is generally proprietary (i.e. RF receiver only works with the mouse it was sold with). If you had a compatible USB adapter (as noted in the link above), it should work.

Macs use Bluetooth, which is ubiquitous, for wireless peripherals. I don't believe that mouse is Bluetooth compatible.

The good news is, there are TONS of great Bluetooth mice out there. In fact, I just took delivery of one of these today:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/5747&cl=us,en

Ah, so my MacBook doesn't have an integrated RF receiver. The penny drops!

I've managed to blag my work into ordering a load of mice, all of which are turning up tomorrow.
The best of which I'll be commandeering for my own personal use!

The MS Blue Track Mini is one of them (RF with dongle), I'm hoping that will turn out well.

Have decided to get a nice wired mouse too for home use when I'm at my desk playing games. Possibly a Razer.

Thanks again, much appreciated.

macsdontfloat said:

Ah, so my MacBook doesn't have an integrated RF receiver. The penny drops!

I've managed to blag my work into ordering a load of mice, all of which are turning up tomorrow.
The best of which I'll be commandeering for my own personal use!

The MS Blue Track Mini is one of them (RF with dongle), I'm hoping that will turn out well.

Have decided to get a nice wired mouse too for home use when I'm at my desk playing games. Possibly a Razer.

Thanks again, much appreciated.

Click to expand...

That's right. It's actually quite unusual for a notebook of any make to have an integrated RF receiver, in fact this is the first time I've heard of it. The reason being is that as I mentioned previously, RF is typically proprietary to a specific mouse model (i.e. you can't use one RF adapter with a mouse for which it wasn't designed to work).

I would caution you on one thing - unless the RF adapter installs flush with the laptop, be careful not to leave it plugged in when you're traveling with your machine as this is a common cause of damaged USB ports.

I assumed that all laptops had in-built RF after my Vaio (and I bought that in '04), but oh well.

I've got my new mice home tonight (both Microsoft) but I'm having major issues.
I've followed the instructions and installed the Intellipoint software, then plugged in the dongle, inserted the battery in the mouse and... nothing.

In the Intellpoint settings I can see that the mouse is connected but I can't get the cursor moving at all.
Tried uninstalling, re-installing, re-starting etc but nothing.

Any suggestions?

macsdontfloat said:

I assumed that all laptops had in-built RF after my Vaio (and I bought that in '04), but oh well.

Click to expand...

Well, Wireless USB is on the way, let's hope it gets here sooner than later

I've got my new mice home tonight (both Microsoft) but I'm having major issues.
I've followed the instructions and installed the Intellipoint software, then plugged in the dongle, inserted the battery in the mouse and... nothing.

In the Intellpoint settings I can see that the mouse is connected but I can't get the cursor moving at all.
Tried uninstalling, re-installing, re-starting etc but nothing.

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Typically the drivers aren't needed, since most mice use standard drivers. So, I would start with removing Intellimouse altogether. The process that I've used in the past is to just insert the dongle, power on the mouse (I assume you've got good batteries in it?) and then press the connect button either on the dongle or the mouse (or both).

BTW, I just put a review of my new Logitech m555b up on the blog if you're interested:

Mac-Forums Blog

Nope. Just uninstalled Intellipoint, rebooted and nothing.

Changed the battery in the mouse and nothing.

Been through the limited instructions with the mouse and nothing.

Really annoying me now! Especially as Intellipoint knew the mouse was connected.

It's not got anything to do with my MacBook not supporting a two-buttoned mouse has it? Please don't tell me it's not the trackpad and OS X stopping the mouse working?!

Well, I just got my wireless Mighty Mouse in today, and I must say, I love it! How anyone could say anything negative about this mouse is beyond me. Oh, and all of that BS about not being able to right click is just that: BS. It right clicks and does everything else just fine. It's a must have addition to any Mac IMO!

Give it some time and you'll see why.

Will be interesting to hear some new user's feedback on the wireless mighty mouse.
As it's the Apple mouse, it was the obvious choice for me but I was severely put off by the feedback.

On the continuing saga of my own mouse-hunting, I've dug out an old wired MS notebook mouse to use whilst I suffer the issues with my new Explorer Mini.
Still hunting for answers, although I'm still slightly nervous that it might be the touchpad being dominant somehow (eg although I can see there's a connection to the mouse via Intellipoint, OS X just doesn't know it's an actual mouse and so doesn't treat it as such).

I dunno, but I'm beginning to enjoy my Mac experience slightly less every day.

I'm convinced that most of the negative feedback about the Mighty Mouse comes from people who don't know how to use their Mac to set it up properly. (I.E. "It doesn't right click".)

I have been using the Mighty Mouse Wireless for the last 2 weeks on my MacBook and have now registered it onto my new MBP.

It is a lovely device, I absolutely love the scrolling ball, it works perfectly. It fits very well in the hand and seems very accurate. The only thing I would change is the 'click' it is quite loud and feels quite rigid - but that is me being very 'picky'.

I have been using it daily for the last 2 weeks and the battery indication still says full.

A slight annoyance is that on my MB White it sometimes disconnects so you need to go to the bluetooth menu and reconnect it. This however has not happened on my new MBP.

After reading he reviews about the track ball failing, I make sure that I keep it away when not in use so that no dust or dirt gets on the ball.

All in all I love it and definitely recommend it.

I bought the wireless Mighty Mouse when I bought my MBP and I hate the thing. I hate it so much I'm using my wired Logitech G5 which is the best mouse in the world.

The Mighty Mouse just doesn't work right. Yeah it has right click but one out of five times it doesn't register, the mouse is shiny which means it gets really sticky if it's even a hint of heat in the room. The tracking is horrid and the plastic rim around the mouse serving as it's click base feels like it's gripping rather than floating.

I've tried numerous surfaces with no difference in result. I'll probably get the Logitech G7 to have the comfort of the G5 shape with the convenience of Bluetooth.

I just bought the MX Revolution hoping that it would do everything that I wanted. Well, it does most things.

Does anyone know if there is a way to configure the scroll wheel button to click to open a link in a new tab or to click to close a tab? I have been using my old Dell mouse and it does it. Why wouldn't a $100 mouse be able to do this? Thanks for any replies.

Big Fonz said:

I just bought the MX Revolution hoping that it would do everything that I wanted. Well, it does most things.

Does anyone know if there is a way to configure the scroll wheel button to click to open a link in a new tab or to click to close a tab? I have been using my old Dell mouse and it does it. Why wouldn't a $100 mouse be able to do this? Thanks for any replies.

Click to expand...

It can: Just make sure you have it set to 'click' with the command modifier instead of switching between scroll modes. Then any links you click in safari will automatically open in a new tab.