Question about Bluetooth/wireless mice

[Ingsoc75]

I just bought a 17" PB and wanted to get a wireless mouse. Now tell me is the difference between wireless and Bluetooth in that you don't need to hook up a receiver for your Bluetooth mouse since the PB has it built in? All the wireless mice have a receiver that I would plugin to the computer and this is not good since I am portable.

Hope this makes sense because I am looking for a wireless/Bluetooth mouse that is 2 buttons and that I don't have to plug any reciever into the PB in order for it to work.

I've see the thread posted about the wireless mice and I know what models are Bluetooth.

cheers

 

[KBFinFan]

Yes, your 17" PB has bluetooth built in.. so if using a bluetooth mouse then you should have no difficulty.

A 'wireless' mouse usually transmits its signal through radio waves or infared i believe... and since that is not built in to your PB you would need an external device.

Bluetooth is 'wireless'.. its just a different signal that is sent through the air.

 

[stoid]

Traditional wireless mice have used a system similar to your TV remote control based on infrared waves. Bluetooth is a totally different system based on a system similar to AirPort using radio waves. The bonus is the infrared needs line-of-sight like a satelite reciever, and bluetooth just needs to be in range like an AirPort station. Of note though, there are different bluetooth standards, so a bluetooth communicating mouse might not operate with the internal bluetooth receiver on your laptop because to two use differing frequency bands.

 

[aphexist]

Originally posted by stoid
Traditional wireless mice have used a system similar to your TV remote control based on infrared waves. Bluetooth is a totally different system based on a system similar to AirPort using radio waves. The bonus is the infrared needs line-of-sight like a satelite reciever, and bluetooth just needs to be in range like an AirPort station. Of note though, there are different bluetooth standards, so a bluetooth communicating mouse might not operate with the internal bluetooth receiver on your laptop because to two use differing frequency bands.

This is false. Traditional wireless mice use radio waves on a certain frequency signal similar to portable phones. Not to say there have never been any infrared mice, but all the wireless mice I have seen in the last few years have used RF.