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Very Specific: Bluetooth Wireless Mouse w/Back+Forward Buttons

G

Gregintosh

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 29, 2008
1,939
565
Chicago
Hey,

As the title says, I am looking for a bluetooth wireless mouse to use with a mac (currently Macbook, and eventually iMac once I get back to the US).

I am looking for something specific though:

1. Must be bluetooth wireless so it does not require a dongle of any sort to work

2. Must look decent, I don't want some multicolored mouse with a design that makes it look like its from the set of some upcoming sci-fi movie. I like the MightyMouse and some of its imitations, but none of them meet the third requirement.

3. Must have BACK and FORWARD side buttons to use with browsing. I LOVE using the three finger swipe on my macbook when I am on the touchpad. And on my Microsoft Mouse which is ages old, there are buttons on the sides that let you navigate back and forward in web browsing, file browsing, etc.

Why no notebook mice or even any other wireless mice have this I cannot for the life of me figure out. It makes using the computer SO much more pleasant.

4. It must have left and right click that doesn't get confused EVER, unlike the mighty mouse.


So if anyone knows of a mouse that fits all 4 requirements. please let me know!!!

I am getting ready to return the MightyMouse (for not meeting requirement #3, and for having a crappy right click).

I was looking at the v470 I think from Logitech, which is also white, and looks semi decent, but I don't think it has back and forward.
 
Do you find it works well? Is it comfortable? I am weary of "ergonomic" mice that are a pain the butt to hold!

I just can't believe that not even the Mighty Mouse nor most notebook mice have a back and forward button. Is that such a weird thing to ask for? I'd think its a no-brainer since most time people spend on their computers is surfing the web!
 
It works very well. I haven't had any disconnection or other problems with it. When I first started using it, I wasn't thrilled with the way it felt, but now I'm very used to it and I prefer it's feel to other mice. The only thing you have to get used to is having the button on the left side where your thumb rests.

I know. My biggest complaint about most mice is that they have no forward/backward buttons.
 
Bluetooth types

I've been doing some research on bluetooth mice. What is the difference if one mouse is 1.2 bluetooth and another is 2.4? Bluetooth frequency?
 
I would really prefer a full size mouse, kind of like the Intellimouse Optical from Microsoft (which is the best mouse I ever used).

I wouldn't mind a notebook mouse if it was comfortable and not too tiny.

I've used a logitech mouse before (wireless but not bluetooth, it had a dongle) which was a notebook mouse. I forget which model it was exactly, but it was pretty damn comfortable for a notebook mouse and it wasn't dinky like many notebook mice usually are.
 
How about using a browser that supports mouse gestures? I find this much preferable to using hardware buttons - and they are compatible with any mouse. Gestures are among the most important browser feature to me - and one of the primary reasons I don't use Safari.
 
I've been using Apple's BT Mighty Mouse for the last 18 months or so, and while I really like the feel and performance, I've always missed the fwd/back facility of other mice. However, the frequent clogging up of the scroll ball (and necessary cleaning) was the straw that finally broke the camel's back for me.

In November, I bought the Targus Bluetooth Mouse for Mac and have been extremely pleased with it. In place of a scroll ball/wheel, it has an optical sensor/window, and while this took me a couple of weeks to fully get used to it, I feel it's the best interface out there. It doesn't do diagonal scrolling like the Apple BT MM, but you can flick your finger across the optical sensor and freewheel across screens extremely fast.

This is a good review of the Targus mouse:
http://www.gulker.com/hidden-from-pages-sidebar-list/review-the-targus-mac-line/

You can find it online for ~ $50, and I thoroughly recommend you install SteerMouse to customize it, instead of the bundled Targus mouse software.
 
parkinni, I think the Targus may be looking good as the alternative!

The back and forward mouse buttons work well and are comfortable?
 
...I'm happy with my v470 BT logitech mouse - the scroll wheel is also tilt so you can program it for forward/back on pages and its bigger than the VX nano (which is why I returned the VX nano)...
 
Gregintosh said:
parkinni, I think the Targus may be looking good as the alternative!

The back and forward mouse buttons work well and are comfortable?
Click to expand...
Fwd/back buttons are almost a rocker type action, and are low profile enough that they don't get in the way when you're not using them, but have a nice, easy positive action when you do click them.

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I think the overall form factor of this mouse is very good - it's comfortable in the hand for long periods, IMO. Also, battery life is at least as good as my old BT Mighty Mouse.

Out of the box, the sensitivity is much higher than anything I've used before, so I had to set it to slow. Get one and play around for a week or so, and you'll find your happy place!
 
The MX Revolution is a great mouse, but keep in mind that the Bluetooth version isn't really supported on OS X. The LCC that controls the wireless USB version works just fine with a Mac, but it doesn't recognize the Bluetooth version at all, and the software that comes with the 5500 set won't run on a Mac. This means that you need to factor in an extra $20 or so for third-party software. I tried SteerMouse, which worked very well but didn't see the quicksearch button on the top of the MX. I have been using Controller Mate for a week or so now, and it works really well.

BTW, Bluetooth mice often have a certain amount of lag - if you go a few minutes without using it, it takes a few seconds for the computer to reconnect and start to recognize the mouse again. It's a little annoying, and I would very probably not buy another Bluetooth mouse because of it.
 
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