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Best mouse for a MacBook?
- Thread starter weezite
- Start date
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Well said. I own the Mighty Mouse and I've had no problems with the ball. I wouldn't say the Mighty Mouse is anywhere near being the best mouse (then again, it seems mice don't work that well with Macs anyways; the trackpad is the best bet) but if you're looking to save a USB port, I myself don't know of any other comparable bluetooth mice. Yes, it might be best to wait for Macworld though.
Check cnet.com for detailed reviews and ratings.
I hate the mighty mouse aswell... I was also of the idea of that nothing beats the trackpad, which is true, but i have an external monitor and I got the elevator stand, so I cant use my trackpad cause it is not within my reach.
So I started an intensive search for a good mouse. As I didnt want to fool around with dongles and stuff, I searched for bluetooth mice. Results:
Wireless Mighty Mouse
Microsoft Laser Mouse 5000
Logitech V470 (I think)
Some keningston mice
some other.
Problems I found, the mighty mouse has horrible reviews plus I disliked its tracking.
The MS mouse is ok, but it is too small for me, I have large fingers and as I wanted it for my desk it is very uncomfortable, I wouldn't mind if it was an on-the-go mouse.
Logitech V470 seems good, has good reviews but it has little functionality... so it was a turn off for me. And as someone commented, the trackpad is awesome, so I needed something to match its functionality.
So i noticed the MX Revolution which is a pricey mouse but it feels smooth, and it is awesome. If you pair it with the Steermouse app, you can configure it to do the same things as the trackpad. In my case, with the multiclutch app, i open, close tabs, cycle through them, expose, and more.
However, for me i didnt want a dongle.... So i noticed that logitech sells a set called MX5500 which includes the MX Revolution in a bluetooth version, and a keyboard. Both bluetooth, yet no Mac support. After looking around, I see that it works, btu there is no support from logitech, so you need to use this apps. I ended up paying a lot, but I love this mouse. The tracking is soooooo smooth and beats the MM hands down. It feels confortable on hand and using it is the next best thing to using the trackpad. So I ended up paying a lot, but for me it was worth it.
However, if the dongle is not a problem from you, the MX Revoluion in the standard version is the a good choice, but for 30 bucks more (in amazon) you can get the MX5500 kit.
I would recommend using steermouse to see waht functionality it adds to an external mouse.
And fyi, amazon sells refurbished versions of the MX5500 for a very low price, around 70 or something like that. So it might be worth giving it a try.
Good luck
So I started an intensive search for a good mouse. As I didnt want to fool around with dongles and stuff, I searched for bluetooth mice. Results:
Wireless Mighty Mouse
Microsoft Laser Mouse 5000
Logitech V470 (I think)
Some keningston mice
some other.
Problems I found, the mighty mouse has horrible reviews plus I disliked its tracking.
The MS mouse is ok, but it is too small for me, I have large fingers and as I wanted it for my desk it is very uncomfortable, I wouldn't mind if it was an on-the-go mouse.
Logitech V470 seems good, has good reviews but it has little functionality... so it was a turn off for me. And as someone commented, the trackpad is awesome, so I needed something to match its functionality.
So i noticed the MX Revolution which is a pricey mouse but it feels smooth, and it is awesome. If you pair it with the Steermouse app, you can configure it to do the same things as the trackpad. In my case, with the multiclutch app, i open, close tabs, cycle through them, expose, and more.
However, for me i didnt want a dongle.... So i noticed that logitech sells a set called MX5500 which includes the MX Revolution in a bluetooth version, and a keyboard. Both bluetooth, yet no Mac support. After looking around, I see that it works, btu there is no support from logitech, so you need to use this apps. I ended up paying a lot, but I love this mouse. The tracking is soooooo smooth and beats the MM hands down. It feels confortable on hand and using it is the next best thing to using the trackpad. So I ended up paying a lot, but for me it was worth it.
However, if the dongle is not a problem from you, the MX Revoluion in the standard version is the a good choice, but for 30 bucks more (in amazon) you can get the MX5500 kit.
I would recommend using steermouse to see waht functionality it adds to an external mouse.
And fyi, amazon sells refurbished versions of the MX5500 for a very low price, around 70 or something like that. So it might be worth giving it a try.
Good luck
mighty mouse
X2 I have the wireless mighty mouse and love it. Yes the ball gets stuck but its easy to fix and doesn't happen enough to really be that annoying...at least not for me.
X2 I have the wireless mighty mouse and love it. Yes the ball gets stuck but its easy to fix and doesn't happen enough to really be that annoying...at least not for me.
X3 for that. I bought the 'bluetooth set' from Apple (MM + Alu Chiclet Keyboard). MM doesn't have a crapload of buttons but doesn't lack them either. Feels great, scrollball got stuck for the first time in about half a year or so with moderately heavy to extrememly heavy usage daily. My hands aren't that clean as well. Don't listen to horror stories. Those who got defects shout louder than those who did not. In short, there are more people with perfect units that don't post threads about it than the ones with defects. So it appears that the product has lots of horror stories, but is in fact, not.
I also love me some Mighty Mouse. I have had the scroll nub fail to respond, but side-scrolling solved that problem for me. I will try the "rub it on a piece of paper" routine, though.
For everyone who likes the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 bluetooth mouse, but think it's too small for everyday use, please consider the Wireless Laser Mouse 8000. Not the portable mobile variant, but the full sized desktop version. It's awesome. Used it with my iMac (which I sold since I got my MacBook) and use it with my MacBook now (but only when gaming). It's really good. Large, but that I consider a plus when using a mouse, since large tends to also be very comfortable. It also comes with a recharger base. Quite convenient.
Apple's Mighty Mouse is absolutely the worst mouse I have ever had to use in my entire life. It's a terrible product which values form far more than function.
For one thing, the unit is always confused by what you want to do. If you want to left click you have to remove ALL of your other fingers from the top of the mouse so that it knows your fingers are only on the left side. When you want to right click, you need to do the same thing. It's a pain.
Then there's the ball, which gets clogged up with dirt. Again, it was Apple being different for the sake of being different and it bit them in the ass. It works far worse than a standard wheel, takes a long time to get used to and ends up being a nuisance. Oh and don't try to click with your finger on the ball or the mouse will think you want to do a middle click!
I bet if it didn't have the Apple logo on it then it would have been written off a long, long time ago. None of the people here would be singing its praises. I wish they would get whoever is responsible for the new keyboards to make a mouse.
And then there's the fact that this, the worst mouse ever constructed by any company, costs £49.99 for a wireless version.
My suggestion is to get the Logitech MX Revolution, or something from Microsoft. These companies seem to know something that Apple doesn't about building mice.
For one thing, the unit is always confused by what you want to do. If you want to left click you have to remove ALL of your other fingers from the top of the mouse so that it knows your fingers are only on the left side. When you want to right click, you need to do the same thing. It's a pain.
Then there's the ball, which gets clogged up with dirt. Again, it was Apple being different for the sake of being different and it bit them in the ass. It works far worse than a standard wheel, takes a long time to get used to and ends up being a nuisance. Oh and don't try to click with your finger on the ball or the mouse will think you want to do a middle click!
I bet if it didn't have the Apple logo on it then it would have been written off a long, long time ago. None of the people here would be singing its praises. I wish they would get whoever is responsible for the new keyboards to make a mouse.
And then there's the fact that this, the worst mouse ever constructed by any company, costs £49.99 for a wireless version.
My suggestion is to get the Logitech MX Revolution, or something from Microsoft. These companies seem to know something that Apple doesn't about building mice.
I'm using the wireless mighty mouse and I've never had a problem with the device detecting my left/right/middle clicks. Never - seriously. Being able to squeeze the mouse to bring up spaces is invaluable for me!
I set up my middle click to bring up the All Window Switcher - again no probs for me but I suppose we are all different.
I upgraded my mouse for only £13 when I bought my iMac so I didn't pay the full price for it but I totally agree - it's way too expensive! £50 for a mouse is beyond a joke.
Anyway, this leads me on to a problem I have so I thought I might briefly mention it. It used to be paired with my iMac but I no longer have it. Now I'm trying to pair it with my new baseline aluminium MacBook and I can't - it finds the mouse and resolves the name but it just gets stuck at that point. Left it for over an hour last night and when I got back to the machine still no joy. Took the batteries out overnight and have tried it this morning again but still no joy. Any ideas?
i'm anti the mighty mouse because of the trackball thing. yes, i do have 10 seconds to wipe it but it is annoying anytime all of a sudden something starts acting up.
i have a logitech bluetooth traveler mouse. it is a little small for my hands but quite solid. battery life is great too.
the microsoft arc mouse looks pretty sweet, i might have to check that out.
i have a logitech bluetooth traveler mouse. it is a little small for my hands but quite solid. battery life is great too.
the microsoft arc mouse looks pretty sweet, i might have to check that out.
I have the Logitech VX Nano, and I absolutely love it.
Sure it takes up an extra USB port, but the dongle is very low profile, and the mouse has excellent response and is very comfortable.
The battery life is also a feature of note. I've been running some energizer lithiums for nearly a year now, and I'm still going.
Sure it takes up an extra USB port, but the dongle is very low profile, and the mouse has excellent response and is very comfortable.
The battery life is also a feature of note. I've been running some energizer lithiums for nearly a year now, and I'm still going.
MX Revolution - Hands down. Although it may be a bit bigger (and the receiver isn't as convenient as the nano), it wins with it's functionality. And it's only $40 at Best Buy this week!
I use this...
I use this mouse:
Microsoft Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack Technology. Basically, it uses both optical and laser. It is a 2.4 GHz wireless mouse, and the receiver is reasonably small for travel (compared to the Logitech's Nano receiver). It has desktop and notebook variants. Both are portable, but the desktop version comes with a rechargeable battery and charger. A full charge will last you weeks before you need to recharge it. I highly recommend it. It works great on carpet, my glossy wood desk, counter tops and my lap
I use this mouse:
Microsoft Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack Technology. Basically, it uses both optical and laser. It is a 2.4 GHz wireless mouse, and the receiver is reasonably small for travel (compared to the Logitech's Nano receiver). It has desktop and notebook variants. Both are portable, but the desktop version comes with a rechargeable battery and charger. A full charge will last you weeks before you need to recharge it. I highly recommend it. It works great on carpet, my glossy wood desk, counter tops and my lap
I just got the Microsoft Arc Mouse, and I'm really liking it so far. It's full-sized, but it folds up for travel. Has a micro-usb thing that magnetically clips under the mouse. It's black and silver so it matches my iMac/MacBook nicely. Has a side button for Expose too. I think it was $59.
Here's a MacWorld review.
I have this, the downside is that the batteries last about two weeks
Logitech VX Revolution, cheaper than the MX yet still great. Avoided the trackpad when I can since my hand would cramp after prolonged use.
Another vote here for the VX Revolution, I have it and I love it.