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Nice bluetooth mouse for mac

GilGrissom

GilGrissom

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
1,042
1
Hey guys. Im thinking about getting a bluetooth mouse for my powerbook, ideally want a 2 button mouse with scroll (leading me away from Apples bluetooth mouse). I like the Microsoft bluetooth mouse, but it doesnt list Mac as compatible. So, gutted, I search elsewhere. I can remember reading about a kewl new mouse that was designed to look like Apple's own mice. It has 2 buttons and a scroll. They do a cable version and bluetooth version. "The Mouse BT" I think it is called, you all prbs know it. But its out of stock and I can't find any UK retailers that sell it.

Has anyone else had this problem or do you have any guidance for me??

Ive found plenty of bluetooth mice, its just finding one I like!!

HP apparently do one, its growing on me!!

Many Thanks

Ta!!
 
W

witness

macrumors 6502
Apr 7, 2005
435
0
Austria
I use a Microsft Bluetooth mouse with my PowerBook, it works just fine.

I even have some for sale if you are interested (in the uk). I have 10 of them @ £40 each (brand new), much cheaper than in the shops or even on the internet.
 
A

adamjaskie

macrumors member
Jul 19, 2005
45
0
Ann Arbor, MI during the summer, Houghton, MI for
I'm looking for one, too. The one from MacMice looks nice, but I have not heard good things about it. Bad battery life, cheap feeling, weird notchless scroll wheel, skipping, etc.

My requirements are:
- Regular (AA, AAA, et cetera) batteries, OR a way to charge it without some sort of giant dock thing (like Logitech's)
- Scroll wheel
- On/off switch (I will carry it in my laptop bag)
- Full size (none of those weird mini- or jr-mouse things) as I have rather large hands

Does anyone make something like this?
 
H

Hattig

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2003
1,457
92
London, UK
Gil_Grissom said:
Hey guys. Im thinking about getting a bluetooth mouse for my powerbook, ideally want a 2 button mouse with scroll (leading me away from Apples bluetooth mouse).
Ta!!
Click to expand...

Don't hit me, but ebuyer.com yesterday in the clearance section were selling wireless USB mice for laptops, in fact the below:

Item: Cellink OPM-602BK Wireless Black Mini Optical Mouse : £4.37

I ordered it to see what it was like. It should arrive by Thursday, remind me and I'll let you know. I also ordered

Item: Kensington Graphite Studiomouse - USB : £2.46

which is wired, but hey, spare mouse that'll go with the Kensington USB fan and light I also got:

Item: Kensington Fly Fan : £4.24
Item: Kensington Flylight V2.0 : £7.65

which'll be finding themselves plugged into this Cinema Display at work. I knew there was a use for USB!

Graham
 
ChrisBrightwell

ChrisBrightwell

macrumors 68020
Apr 5, 2004
2,294
0
Huntsville, AL
adamjaskie said:
- On/off switch (I will carry it in my laptop bag)
- Full size (none of those weird mini- or jr-mouse things) as I have rather large hands
Click to expand...
As I'm sure you've realized, these two, together, knock out nearly every mouse on the market. Ouch.

If you get a rechargeable mouse, though, you can throw it in your bag and just be sure to charge it every night (or keep a spare set of batteries in your bag) and not worry about the on/off switch.

Just be sure to turn of the option that lets bluetooth devices wakeup the [i|Power]book.
 
A

adamjaskie

macrumors member
Jul 19, 2005
45
0
Ann Arbor, MI during the summer, Houghton, MI for
ChrisBrightwell said:
As I'm sure you've realized, these two, together, knock out nearly every mouse on the market. Ouch.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know. The mini mice though, I just can't use them comfortably. Not to mention that my bag is plenty big enough to hold a full-size mouse. I use a USB corded mouse right now, and it fits no problem with the wire wrapped around it (the way I usually store it) so a mouse the size of Apple's bluetooth mouse is no problem.

Why is it that almost none of the full-size mice have switches on them? Desktop users don't HAVE to switch them off just because they have a switch, and it is a very useful feature for laptop users. It doesn't seem like cost would be an issue, especially when full size bluetooth mice cost upwards of $60. Its not as if a switch is a DISADVANTAGE to desktop use, is it?

I like the Logitech, but I doubt I would ever use that cradle thing. It takes AA batteries, which is a plus, even though since they are rechargable with the cradle they are probably a pain to install and remove, but I am paying for a combination charger/bluetooth hub that I will never use.

Pulling it out of the bag and sticking it in the charger every night wouldn't be that bad, as I do the same with my iBook if I used it a significant amount that day, and at worst it means I have a bluetooth hub for my desktop system, so the Logitech wouldn't be all that bad, I guess. But I really do wish someone made a fullsize mouse with a switch!
 
ChrisBrightwell

ChrisBrightwell

macrumors 68020
Apr 5, 2004
2,294
0
Huntsville, AL
adamjaskie said:
I like the Logitech [...] It takes AA batteries, which is a plus, even though since they are rechargable with the cradle they are probably a pain to install and remove[.]
Click to expand...
Nope. Just pop the battery cover off the bottom (similar to a TV remote control) and swap the batteries.
 
GilGrissom

GilGrissom

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
1,042
1
witness said:
I use a Microsft Bluetooth mouse with my PowerBook, it works just fine.

I even have some for sale if you are interested (in the uk). I have 10 of them @ £40 each (brand new), much cheaper than in the shops or even on the internet.
Click to expand...

Even though it says it isnt Mac compatible and "PC Only"? Thats what worried me. It looks a nice mouse. Whats with your spare ones?!

I do ideally want a full sizes one, or one that is pretty much small size. Dont mind a smaller one, as long as it isn't a really small piddly little thing.

I agree with the switch thing though, would be good. Does the Apple one have an on/off switch?!
 
A

adamjaskie

macrumors member
Jul 19, 2005
45
0
Ann Arbor, MI during the summer, Houghton, MI for
What I have heard about the MS one is that it works fine on a Mac...

IF you use the supplied MS Bluetooth hub.

Compatibiltiy problems I have heard stem from trying to use it with the integrated Mac Bluetooth, or the D-link dongle.

IIRC, the Apple one does indeed have an on/off switch, but the one-button is a deal breaker for me. I used Linux before Mac, so I am used to my 5+ button mice.

The MacMice model is EXACTLY what I want, but I have read bad reviews of it, and heard poor reports on it, so I am hesitant to spend my money on the thing. In fact, I was just about ready to buy it, and decided to see what else was out there when I came across all the bad reviews.
 
W

witness

macrumors 6502
Apr 7, 2005
435
0
Austria
adamjaskie said:
What I have heard about the MS one is that it works fine on a Mac...

IF you use the supplied MS Bluetooth hub.
Click to expand...
I have the latest PowerBook with Bluetooth 2.0, the Microsoft mouse (latest version) works fine with it. I've never even tried plugging in the USB dongle that came with it.
Gil_Grissom said:
Even though it says it isnt Mac compatible and "PC Only"? Thats what worried me. It looks a nice mouse. Whats with your spare ones?!
Click to expand...
I found a shop selling them very cheap, so I bought a load of them to sell on, after I bought them the shop I bought from (ccl online) put their prices up. I have them on eBay for £41.99 + postage (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=96892&item=5790786828&rd=1), but if anyone here wants one I'll sell them for £40 including postage (to the uk).

I'm not normally a wheeling and dealing type, but this was an offer I couldn't refuse.
 
G

gamestriker

macrumors regular
Dec 18, 2004
174
0
As far as bluetooth, I can't give you alot of suggestions, because I've been looking for one myself. As far as wireless/portable mouse, however, I can give you a few options that I have heard/know are suitable.

- http://kensington.com/html/1743.html - I have this one and I'm hoping to get a slightly better one; 3.5 out of 5 if I had to rate it. When it works, it works fine, but it tends to lose its connection with the receiver sometimes, and that can be annoying. I definitely would not recommend it for something like an FPS game, though for general usage, its fine.
- http://kensington.com/html/5566.html - The wired brother of the above, this one has a retractable cord, which by all accounts works great, along with the mouse itself. Its cord is only 3 feet long though, so its scrictly laptop use.
- http://kensington.com/html/5529.html - The bluetooth sibling, its worked as expect according to my friends who have one, except it will loses connection from time to time (i.e. reboot, sleep, mouse inactivity) and it has no on-off button, which is the only real dealbreaker about it.

Yes, all those are kensington mice. I'm not a Kensington fanboy or anything, but after alot of research on wireless/portable mice, companies like Logitech and Microsoft have had lot of "hit or miss" from what I've read and seen. Kensington has had more consistency in good quality of their mice (if I had to rate their entire line of portable/wireless mice, I'd give it a 3.5 or 4 out of 5). They don't have any outstanding/excellent mice, but they will get the job done as expected.

Again, these are just recommendation. Be sure to do your research on any mice that you might be interested in. Amazon user reviews are a great place to start. :)
 
G

gamestriker

macrumors regular
Dec 18, 2004
174
0
dxm113 said:
medium
Click to expand...

This mouse looks very good. Its definitely new, because I google reviews for it, and I couldn't find any yet. It seems they thought of everything; lets hope it works as great as it looks/sounds when the reviews start coming in.
 
GilGrissom

GilGrissom

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
1,042
1
dxm113 said:
I've heard that RadTech makes a nice mouse

mini

medium
Click to expand...

Yes I can remember seeing the medium one somewhere, possibly on PowerPage. Looks intriguing. I wasn't sure on the design first, but it could grow on me!!...the mini one looks way too small in the hands shown on the page!!

the MacMice one always seems to be out of stock. I thought it was good but all these bad reviews suggest otherwise!! Sometimes I think I do not need one. 90% of the time I dont use any mouse or are in a situation to use one. I stick with the superb touchpad (double finger scrolling works 100% btw!!) so I keep changing my mind!! lol!!

hmmmm...
 
A

aptmunich

macrumors member
May 29, 2004
51
0
Hey guys, what about this one?
OMM810_web_s.jpg


Even has an on/off switch! Bit small though...

Bluetooth Mini Rechargeable Mouse
Model No. OMM810
Description: - Super-mini size
- 2 x AAA rechargeable GP batteries (included)
- Black rubber or iPod White color
- 2-year product warranty
 
Jay42

Jay42

macrumors 65816
Jul 14, 2005
1,416
588
Really?

From the RadTech site:

"All recent Apple notebooks feature built-in Bluetooth."

Ummm...what am I missing? I don't think this is true.
 
YS2003

YS2003

macrumors 68020
Dec 24, 2004
2,138
0
Finally I have arrived.....
ChrisBrightwell said:
I have a Logitech MX900 and absolutely love it.

It was a little slow (acceleration-wise) in Panther, but Tiger seems to have cured that.

Highly recommended.
Click to expand...

I have a Logitech MX900 BT mouse as well and I used it with my 12" PB running Tiger. I find there is more-than-normal lag for tracking capabilities. I like the no dongle/no wire BT than the RF based mouse. But, somehow, this MX900 is not performing to my expectations (too much lag and sometime too jumpy).
 
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