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<B>Intro</B>:
Last week I showed you the nice <a href="articles.php?id=46">red cathode from CompUSA</a>. This week I want to show you something that I think will bring wireless optical mousing™ to the masses. No, it isn't the Logitech MX700 (Too expensive for me
). I spotted it in a CompUSA ad, and it is still running through Saturday!
<B>The Box</B>:
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I don't even know why I put this section in my reviews, but I do. What a box... In all its CompUSA branded quality. By the way, save the UPC code for a rebate! Just go to the next section.
<B>The Parts</B>:
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</CENTER>
Here we have the parts that came in the box. We have the mouse, a pair of AA batteries, the base station, a small manual, and a USB to PS/2 converter. The last one surprised me the most. When I had done a review on the <a href="articles.php?id=32">Gyration Wireless Optical mouse</a>, the base station wouldn't work on the PS/2 port, not enough power. CompUSA seems to not have this problem. I really don't like to use USB when I've got ports dedicated for mouse/keyboard.
<b>The Looks</b>:
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</center>
The mouse and the base station are a very nice silvery Aluminum looking color. If you have an aluminum case, this will match it very nicely. The base station has one button which also houses the status LED (which is green, but I'm sure you can do something about that). The mouse is split into like three sections, the bottom, the middle and the button area.
I actually like the look of this mouse. If you click the top view of it, you'll see that the buttons aren't cut, it is all once piece. It reminds me of a single button mac style, but believe me, the two buttons work perfectly. There is also a scroll wheel, every mouse should have one.
<B>Intro</B>:
Last week I showed you the nice <a href="articles.php?id=46">red cathode from CompUSA</a>. This week I want to show you something that I think will bring wireless optical mousing™ to the masses. No, it isn't the Logitech MX700 (Too expensive for me
). I spotted it in a CompUSA ad, and it is still running through Saturday!<B>The Box</B>:
<center>
</center>I don't even know why I put this section in my reviews, but I do. What a box... In all its CompUSA branded quality. By the way, save the UPC code for a rebate! Just go to the next section.
<B>The Parts</B>:
<CENTER>
</CENTER>Here we have the parts that came in the box. We have the mouse, a pair of AA batteries, the base station, a small manual, and a USB to PS/2 converter. The last one surprised me the most. When I had done a review on the <a href="articles.php?id=32">Gyration Wireless Optical mouse</a>, the base station wouldn't work on the PS/2 port, not enough power. CompUSA seems to not have this problem. I really don't like to use USB when I've got ports dedicated for mouse/keyboard.
<b>The Looks</b>:
<center>
</center>The mouse and the base station are a very nice silvery Aluminum looking color. If you have an aluminum case, this will match it very nicely. The base station has one button which also houses the status LED (which is green, but I'm sure you can do something about that). The mouse is split into like three sections, the bottom, the middle and the button area.
I actually like the look of this mouse. If you click the top view of it, you'll see that the buttons aren't cut, it is all once piece. It reminds me of a single button mac style, but believe me, the two buttons work perfectly. There is also a scroll wheel, every mouse should have one.
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<B>The Test</B>:
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</center>
To use this mouse, all you need to do is learn the mouse to the base station, just follow the directions. Pretty straightforward.<br/>
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I used this mouse for a couple of days and my Dad is using it as his primary mouse. My thoughts were positive across the board, but with one minor exception. The sensitivity of this mouse is VERY high. This is the first time I needed to put down the mouse speed. But Dad got used to it after a day or so. The mouse uses the old sensor technology, if you move it very fast across the surface, it won't pickup the correct movement. This will probably inhibit gaming for many of you. I used it in Tribes 2, and it was fine though. The sensitivity in that game is high enough that I don't jerk the mouse around to look. Everything functioned as it should. It is also RF wireless, so no line of sight required and the range was about 5 feet.
Dad says: It was worth the $20, and much more after the $10 rebate. He really likes the freedom of the mouse. He will never go back to using a ball mouse.
<B>Conclusion</B>:
There is only one part of this mouse that I'm not sure about, the battery life. It has lasted a week so far, but only time will tell. I think it should last at least a month before replacing the batteries, and longer the better. I'll update the review when the batteries die out.
All in all, I really think this is a well put together mouse. You can't go wrong for $20 at CompUSA (If the battery lasts long enough). I believe this is the kind of mouse to bring wireless optical mice to the masses. If I knew that the battery was good, I'd give it an editor's choice. But since I don't, I won't.
<B>The Test</B>:
<center>
</center>To use this mouse, all you need to do is learn the mouse to the base station, just follow the directions. Pretty straightforward.<br/>
<br/>
I used this mouse for a couple of days and my Dad is using it as his primary mouse. My thoughts were positive across the board, but with one minor exception. The sensitivity of this mouse is VERY high. This is the first time I needed to put down the mouse speed. But Dad got used to it after a day or so. The mouse uses the old sensor technology, if you move it very fast across the surface, it won't pickup the correct movement. This will probably inhibit gaming for many of you. I used it in Tribes 2, and it was fine though. The sensitivity in that game is high enough that I don't jerk the mouse around to look. Everything functioned as it should. It is also RF wireless, so no line of sight required and the range was about 5 feet.
Dad says: It was worth the $20, and much more after the $10 rebate. He really likes the freedom of the mouse. He will never go back to using a ball mouse.
<B>Conclusion</B>:
There is only one part of this mouse that I'm not sure about, the battery life. It has lasted a week so far, but only time will tell. I think it should last at least a month before replacing the batteries, and longer the better. I'll update the review when the batteries die out.
All in all, I really think this is a well put together mouse. You can't go wrong for $20 at CompUSA (If the battery lasts long enough). I believe this is the kind of mouse to bring wireless optical mice to the masses. If I knew that the battery was good, I'd give it an editor's choice. But since I don't, I won't.