Comments on: MacMice The Mouse BT Review http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/ Gadget reviews and news by Julie Strietelmeier and friends since 1997 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:45:26 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: GadgetFreako http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20306 GadgetFreako Wed, 13 Oct 2004 14:46:50 +0000 #comment-20306 I use a PowerBook G4 15". This looks like a great mouse. Looks good, good size, has on off switch, and works without drivers. However, I don't think I could tolerate the mouse skipping thing. There have been comments on this forum about the MX700 being a fantastic mouse. Unfortunately for me, the MX700 skips big time for me. And I don't think it is surface related. What I mean when I say "skip": moving the pointer quickly from one end of the screen to the other is ok. It's when I have to slow down to hit a button or icon, that the pointer jumps erratically despite small mouse movements. Annoying! I currently use the Apple BT mouse when I travel. And a very basic Microsoft wired optical mouse on my desk. Not keen to buy any more new mice, until one appears that is really really fantastic, and doesn't cost a bomb. The MX1000 looks good, but a bit too pricey. I actually relegated the MX700 to a desktop PC. I haven't used the PC enough to notice if the skipping thing happens there as well. And one last thing. I have read the MacTable/MacMice stuff. Although I would be wary of this company, I have bought the SightFlex from them. Works wonderfully. I use a PowerBook G4 15″.

This looks like a great mouse. Looks good, good size, has on off switch, and works without drivers.

However, I don’t think I could tolerate the mouse skipping thing. There have been comments on this forum about the MX700 being a fantastic mouse. Unfortunately for me, the MX700 skips big time for me. And I don’t think it is surface related.

What I mean when I say “skip”: moving the pointer quickly from one end of the screen to the other is ok. It’s when I have to slow down to hit a button or icon, that the pointer jumps erratically despite small mouse movements. Annoying!

I currently use the Apple BT mouse when I travel. And a very basic Microsoft wired optical mouse on my desk. Not keen to buy any more new mice, until one appears that is really really fantastic, and doesn’t cost a bomb. The MX1000 looks good, but a bit too pricey.

I actually relegated the MX700 to a desktop PC. I haven’t used the PC enough to notice if the skipping thing happens there as well.

And one last thing. I have read the MacTable/MacMice stuff. Although I would be wary of this company, I have bought the SightFlex from them. Works wonderfully.

]]> By: tthiel http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20305 tthiel Fri, 24 Sep 2004 03:43:03 +0000 #comment-20305 This page tells you even more. I would never buy a product from this company. <a href="http://macintouch.com/mactable.html">http://macintouch.com/mactable.html</a> <blockquote><cite>mclaugh wrote: </cite><br />The best explanation is found on this page: <a href="http://www.atpm.com/10.04/ibreeze.shtml">http://www.atpm.com/10.04/ibreeze.shtml</a></blockquote> This page tells you even more. I would never buy a product from this company.
http://macintouch.com/mactable.html

mclaugh wrote:

The best explanation is found on this page:
http://www.atpm.com/10.04/ibreeze.shtml

]]> By: tthiel http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20304 tthiel Fri, 24 Sep 2004 03:38:47 +0000 #comment-20304 The MX 1000 just came out. It uses a laser for tracking instead of an optical light. It is very precise and has a great shape and appearance. I really like it. It is supposed to be 20X more precise than an optical mouse. It uses a Lithium-ion battery can can go several weeks without a recharge. The charging cradle is much smaller and easier to get the mouse into than ther MX 700. It makes the MX700 obsolete in my opinion. You can see more information here. <a href="http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsUSEN,CRID=3,CONTENTID=9043&ad=hp_mx1000">http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsUSEN,CRID=3,CONTENTID=9043&ad=hp_mx1000</a> <blockquote><cite>Julie wrote: </cite><br />tthiel: I would not recommend this mouse due to the cursor skipping issue. One of our readers sent me his mx700 because he just purchased the mx1000. The 700 feels very nice! Tell me more about the 1000.</blockquote> The MX 1000 just came out. It uses a laser for tracking instead of an optical light. It is very precise and has a great shape and appearance. I really like it. It is supposed to be 20X more precise than an optical mouse. It uses a Lithium-ion battery can can go several weeks without a recharge. The charging cradle is much smaller and easier to get the mouse into than ther MX 700. It makes the MX700 obsolete in my opinion. You can see more information here.
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsUSEN,CRID=3,CONTENTID=9043&ad=hp_mx1000

Julie wrote:

tthiel:
I would not recommend this mouse due to the cursor skipping issue.

One of our readers sent me his mx700 because he just purchased the mx1000. The 700 feels very nice! Tell me more about the 1000.

]]> By: thsu http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20303 thsu Fri, 24 Sep 2004 03:11:54 +0000 #comment-20303 Obviously we'll get Julies opinion on the MX700 soon, but my experience was about 2-3 days of heavy usage, and a week, at most 2 weeks, of typical usage between recharges. Docking the mouse just never became a habit for me. It was annoying to dock it everytime you left your desk, but if you didn't do that, you wouldn't remember at the end of the day. The reviews I've read about the MX900 have been that the battery life is worse, not better than the MX700. More like a day of heavy usage, and at most a week of typical usage. Obviously we’ll get Julies opinion on the MX700 soon, but my experience was about 2-3 days of heavy usage, and a week, at most 2 weeks, of typical usage between recharges. Docking the mouse just never became a habit for me. It was annoying to dock it everytime you left your desk, but if you didn’t do that, you wouldn’t remember at the end of the day.

The reviews I’ve read about the MX900 have been that the battery life is worse, not better than the MX700. More like a day of heavy usage, and at most a week of typical usage.

]]> By: mclaugh http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20302 mclaugh Thu, 23 Sep 2004 19:33:08 +0000 #comment-20302 The best explanation is found on this page: <a href="http://www.atpm.com/10.04/ibreeze.shtml">http://www.atpm.com/10.04/ibreeze.shtml</a> The best explanation is found on this page:
http://www.atpm.com/10.04/ibreeze.shtml

]]> By: Julie http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20301 Julie Thu, 23 Sep 2004 19:21:56 +0000 #comment-20301 Can someone elaborate on the problems that MacMice as a company may have had before? I've never done business with them. Can someone elaborate on the problems that MacMice as a company may have had before? I’ve never done business with them.

]]> By: mclaugh http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20300 mclaugh Thu, 23 Sep 2004 18:54:53 +0000 #comment-20300 I figured the MacMice history was not that important in this case b/c their mouse only got an "ok" review here. I was thinking that if I saw a glowing review of the BT mouse, I might research a little more to see if this company had emerged from its checkered past- but I think it's moot considering the various logitech mice are much better suited.... I figured the MacMice history was not that important in this case b/c their mouse only got an “ok” review here.
I was thinking that if I saw a glowing review of the BT mouse, I might research a little more to see if this company had emerged from its checkered past- but I think it’s moot considering the various logitech mice are much better suited….

]]> By: Julie http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20299 Julie Thu, 23 Sep 2004 18:11:14 +0000 #comment-20299 tthiel: I would not recommend this mouse due to the cursor skipping issue. One of our readers sent me his mx700 because he just purchased the mx1000. The 700 feels very nice! Tell me more about the 1000. tthiel:
I would not recommend this mouse due to the cursor skipping issue.

One of our readers sent me his mx700 because he just purchased the mx1000. The 700 feels very nice! Tell me more about the 1000.

]]> By: tthiel http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20298 tthiel Thu, 23 Sep 2004 17:55:01 +0000 #comment-20298 This company has a very checkered past so thats one consideration. As much as I would like a bluetooth mouse to go along with my bluetooth keyboard I don't think there will ever be one fast or smooth enough for me because I play alot of games. Bluetooth is just to slow for that. I have the new Logitech MX 1000 and its the best mouse I've ever used. My first mouse was on the 128k Macintosh so I've been through a few of them. :) This company has a very checkered past so thats one consideration. As much as I would like a bluetooth mouse to go along with my bluetooth keyboard I don’t think there will ever be one fast or smooth enough for me because I play alot of games. Bluetooth is just to slow for that. I have the new Logitech MX 1000 and its the best mouse I’ve ever used. My first mouse was on the 128k Macintosh so I’ve been through a few of them. :)

]]> By: mclaugh http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20297 mclaugh Thu, 23 Sep 2004 17:39:23 +0000 #comment-20297 Well, the few things I've read about the MX900 (and similarly, the new mx1000) say that it only needs to be charged every few weeks or so. Unless you vacation in several week chunks, it should be ok taking a trip every now and again.... There are a million reviews on the mx900- you can google it to see them- but this is the 1st review I've seen of the BT MacMice. None of the mx900 reviews reference a battery problem- perhaps that was fixed as they moved from mx700 on? Well, the few things I’ve read about the MX900 (and similarly, the new mx1000) say that it only needs to be charged every few weeks or so. Unless you vacation in several week chunks, it should be ok taking a trip every now and again….
There are a million reviews on the mx900- you can google it to see them- but this is the 1st review I’ve seen of the BT MacMice. None of the mx900 reviews reference a battery problem- perhaps that was fixed as they moved from mx700 on?

]]> By: Julie http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20296 Julie Thu, 23 Sep 2004 15:24:20 +0000 #comment-20296 thsu: I'm just too lazy to deal with switching batteries in and out like that. It's a pain. But just setting a mouse on a charger is easy. Now what would be super cool would be to have a special mousepad that had the inductive charger built in (like the cradle for Spot watches). So the mouse would be constantly charging all the time. thsu:
I’m just too lazy to deal with switching batteries in and out like that. It’s a pain. But just setting a mouse on a charger is easy. Now what would be super cool would be to have a special mousepad that had the inductive charger built in (like the cradle for Spot watches). So the mouse would be constantly charging all the time.

]]> By: thsu http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20295 thsu Thu, 23 Sep 2004 14:54:07 +0000 #comment-20295 On mice and docks.... Having used a wireless, dockable MX700 in the past, I can say that a recharge docking station is NOT the best solution. The problem is that you can and will forget to dock the mouse. Leaving it for a day or two is okay, but if you leave it undocked during a vacation, it'll be dead when you come back. The better solution is 2 sets of NiMH batteries and a small charger. One set is in the mouse, the other is in the recharger that you've dedicated to your mouse (plug it into an outlet next to the computer). Some RF mice will have this recharger built into their base station unit, which is a perfect solution, but for a bluetooth mouse, you'd have to buy the setup yourself (costs about $20 for 4 AAs plus charger). While I too like wireless mice and use one at work, I find that they are not good enough when playing games or manipulating graphics. With a 100ms lag and 300ms wakeup times, wireless mice become objects of frustration very quickly during any activity that requires fast or precise movements. On mice and docks….

Having used a wireless, dockable MX700 in the past, I can say that a recharge docking station is NOT the best solution. The problem is that you can and will forget to dock the mouse. Leaving it for a day or two is okay, but if you leave it undocked during a vacation, it’ll be dead when you come back.

The better solution is 2 sets of NiMH batteries and a small charger. One set is in the mouse, the other is in the recharger that you’ve dedicated to your mouse (plug it into an outlet next to the computer). Some RF mice will have this recharger built into their base station unit, which is a perfect solution, but for a bluetooth mouse, you’d have to buy the setup yourself (costs about $20 for 4 AAs plus charger).

While I too like wireless mice and use one at work, I find that they are not good enough when playing games or manipulating graphics. With a 100ms lag and 300ms wakeup times, wireless mice become objects of frustration very quickly during any activity that requires fast or precise movements.

]]> By: Julie http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20294 Julie Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:49:30 +0000 #comment-20294 I really like the style of this mouse, and could even deal with the cursor skipping issue if it wasn't for the need to replace batteries every couple of weeks or so. I really like the style of this mouse, and could even deal with the cursor skipping issue if it wasn’t for the need to replace batteries every couple of weeks or so.

]]> By: mclaugh http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20293 mclaugh Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:24:21 +0000 #comment-20293 Good review- I've been holding off on buying a bluetooth mouse for my 15" PB until I saw a review of this MacMice model (they recently sent out an email that it was available for preorder). From your comments at the end of the review, you may want to check out the logitech mx900. It's a bluetooth mouse that apparently (if we are to believe the reviews at newegg) pairs well with the Powerbook. It's also around $70, has a rechargeable dock, and has a few extra buttons that you can pair w/ the various F9-F11 Expose functions (depending on your mac, you may have to install a program like gamepad companion if your mac's not recent enough). Anyway, this review just about cements it for me- I think I'm going to get the logitech. Good review- I’ve been holding off on buying a bluetooth mouse for my 15″ PB until I saw a review of this MacMice model (they recently sent out an email that it was available for preorder).
From your comments at the end of the review, you may want to check out the logitech mx900. It’s a bluetooth mouse that apparently (if we are to believe the reviews at newegg) pairs well with the Powerbook. It’s also around $70, has a rechargeable dock, and has a few extra buttons that you can pair w/ the various F9-F11 Expose functions (depending on your mac, you may have to install a program like gamepad companion if your mac’s not recent enough).
Anyway, this review just about cements it for me- I think I’m going to get the logitech.

]]> By: Julie http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/09/22/macmice_the_mouse_bt_review/comment-page-1/#comment-20292 Julie Thu, 23 Sep 2004 04:19:34 +0000 #comment-20292 Post your comments here on the MacMice The Mouse BT Review. <a href="http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/macmice-the-mouse-bt-review.html">http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/macmice-the-mouse-bt-review.html</a> Just click the POST REPLY button on this page. Post your comments here on the MacMice The Mouse BT Review.

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