Bluetooth Mouse Census (what works without a dongle)

[djellison]

My Macbook is winging its way to me as I type ( my first Mac..very very excited ) and I'm looking to get a mouse to sling in my laptop bag. I've read a variety of horror stories here, about 'bluetooth' mice that only work with their own bluetooth adaptor, or don't work without using SteerMouse or work only with a very long set of workarounds.

I thought a census of wireless mice and how well they work would be a usefull resource to later drop into the guides section - what make and model, what you had to do to get it working etc. - It might help me, and anyone else, pick a mouse to buy. Of course, the wireless mighty mouse is something of a given, but I, like many here, really don't like it.

Doug

RESULTS
Apple Mighty Mouse
Logitech V270

 

[ghall]

Well, I use the Bluetooth Mighty Mouse, but any Bluetooth mouse should work without any sort of dongle.

 

[rogersmj]

Yeah any bluetooth mouse will work. For some of them you might want to buy SteerMouse in order to fully program all the buttons, but any BT mouse will work. The problem is, they all suck on one way or another. I carry the Logitech V270 around with my MacBook because it's compact but still nice to hold, but it doesn't have any extra buttons that I can use for Back in a web browser for for Expose. I hate the Mighty Mouse, so that's out. And every brand of mouse I've ever used except for Logitech and Microsoft feels cheap.

 

[Father Jack]

I use BT mighty mice (plural)

FJ

 

[djellison]

Yeah any bluetooth mouse will work. .

Untrue Just look through this place for people with a bluetooth mouse having to use the mouse's own bluetooth dongle instead of the built in BT, or the hassle people go through to get the Microsoft 8000 to work etc etc. Apart from the MM - I've not seen anyone say "I got this Msoft / Logi bluetooth mouse and everything worked from the start" - that's what I want to see if we can catalogue - mice that are known to work straight off, without workarounds, their own dongles, or extra software...i.e. mice that just work.

Doug

 

[katie ta achoo]

Add me to the chorus of people that are quite fond of their BT Mighty Mice.

 

[bartelby]

I'm still using the original Apple BT mouse.

 

[WillJS]

I love my BT MM

 

[rogersmj]

Untrue Just look through this place for people with a bluetooth mouse having to use the mouse's own bluetooth dongle instead of the built in BT, or the hassle people go through to get the Microsoft 8000 to work etc etc. Apart from the MM - I've not seen anyone say "I got this Msoft / Logi bluetooth mouse and everything worked from the start" - that's what I want to see if we can catalogue - mice that are known to work straight off, without workarounds, their own dongles, or extra software...i.e. mice that just work.

Doug

OK well my Logitech V270 works without any extra dongles or software. There you go. So does my friend's cheap bluetooth mouse he bought on eBay, although I don't know what kind it is.

 

[nickster9224]

My BT MM is awesome, i dont see what all the bashing is over.

 

[r.j.s]

I have the Targus AMB02 US that I got at CompUSA for about $30, I think. I forget exactly how much it was, but it was cheap. It worked right away - although all the extra media control features don't work - but then again I didn't buy it for that. I bought it because it was cheap.

 

[Daveway]

BT MM is great for me.

Even though you have a Macbook, I'm really excited about the Mogo Mouse that fits inside the MBP ExpressCard slot.

 

[onebloodonelife]

I just picked up the original Apple BT mouse on eBay for $20, and so far, I'm loving it.

 

[djellison]

i dont see what all the bashing is over.

Some people just don't like the feel of the thing. Can't really explain it - it just feels horrible to use. It's not bashing - it's just taste. We all know it works fine (as at should, obviously) - but there are a lot of people who don't like it - and you can't criticise them for that.

We're totally PC based at work, and I build the machines - but always leave the mouse+keyboard decision up to the individual users - we go up to PC World, and try all the keyboards and mice - no two people have the same parts. Wierdly - I have an Apple keyboard

The Logie V270 is - hand-on-heart - the first bluetooth mouse from the big-two manufacturers that I've read about working without any trouble here. We have one big mouse that can be listed as working right out the box.

Doug

 

[savar]

Are there no good bluetooth mice?

Found this thread while searching for info about which BT mouse to get...disappointed in the results so I am bumping it.

Is there really not a good BT mouse out there? (Besides the mighty mouse, which is just not what I'm lookin' for.)

I tried a Kensington PilotMouse mini but I found that its pretty bad for actual day-to-day use. It's jerky, takes a long time to turn on, etc.

On the other hand, I have an RF logitech laptop mouse (no model printed on it) that I bought for $20 a year ago that has super long battery life and turns on instantly. I just wish it was bluetooth (to save the dongle space) and had more buttons.

The Apple keyboard is great..the batteries last a loooong time and the thing turns on instantly and has zero lag while typing. I just can't use the MM because the scroll ball is too small for my hands and is very tedious to operate, plus I really need more than 2 buttons.