I am going to be a first time mac user switching from windows. I just had my new macbook shipped today and it should be here on Mon. I haven't ordered a mouse yet because I wasn't sure which one to get. The mighty mouse reviews make it seem unreliable but I do like the ability to start expose by squeezing the sides and the 360 scroll wheel. Are there any that have similar characteristics but are more reliable? Thanks for the help.
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What type of mouse to buy?
- Thread starter RyMan1607
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any third party mouse with more than two buttons will allow you to activate exposé with a push of a button. i have a logitech mx revolution, and i think it's great. while it isn't a bluetooth mouse (requires dongle), it tracks great, feels good in my hand, and i have buttons for exposé and dashboard. plus, the free-scrolling can't be beat. the vx revolution is pretty good, too.
I have a wireless mighty mouse and I like it. I can run on one battery, you can check the battery status in system preferences and the scroll ball is great. Push on it to activate dashboard and of course squeeze it for expose. The only thing that I have found is that about once a month I take my can of compressed air and blow out the scroll ball to keep it scrolling well, same for the laser optics on the bottom. Also easy to turn off for portability.
Although the Mighty Mouse does have its fans (like the above!), it also has its fair share of detractors; the notoriously partisan Walt Mossberg raised a few eyebrows when he came out against it.
If you can, the best thing to do is to go to a shop that has a decent range on display - you don't have to buy it there, but it will give you an idea of what you like.
Choosing the right mouse is a very personal task - and given how much you'll be using it, it's important to choose wisely!
If you can, the best thing to do is to go to a shop that has a decent range on display - you don't have to buy it there, but it will give you an idea of what you like.
Choosing the right mouse is a very personal task - and given how much you'll be using it, it's important to choose wisely!
I'm a HUGE fan of Apple old Bluetooth One Click mouse....nothing quite like it. MM is nice, and I bought a wired one when it come out, but the BT One Click is so slick, and made me using keyboard short cuts, which are MUCH faster then clicking for things like copying, pasting, etc
I have a wired MM and I must say I am very happy with it. It hasn't get that stuck scrolling ball people talk about (bought it 6 months ago).
But you may want to try it out first.
So what is the cheapest Bluetooth Mighty Mouse anyone can get?
I can't see paying $60 for a mouse.
The best deals seem to be the wireless desktops... but are there any good ones that WORK with Mac well, and are Bluetooth?
Also, is there any real diff between regular wireless and Bluetooth wireless? I know you need a dongle in a USB for the reg wireless, but are they less battery or worse range or something?
The wireless MM is $69. The wired one $49. Link.
That's exactly the big difference. I am on the impression that battery life is the same. Maybe also the range would be better with bluetooth, but not something that makes any difference.
I was out the other day and I found a little travel mouse for only $10 at Marshals. It is GE and it comes with a little wind-up USB cable. It has 2 buttons and a scroll wheel. Perfect if you are a college student and may want to travel around with it. Mac OS 10.1+ is all it requires. I was hesitant about the MM because of the really mixed reviews on apple.com. At least with this inexpensive mouse I won't be upset if it breaks and I didn't spent $44 for it.
There's a couple answers for this.
First off, you need to get your hands around a variety of mice out there so you can determine which one(s) best fit your hand. Remember, if you're going to be using this thing a lot, you want to be as comfortable as possible.
Secondly, you also need to consider the type of optics used by the mouse. There's two basic types: "optical" and "laser". The laser optics are relatively new and offer the following improvements over traditional "optical" mice:
Higher Resolution
Greater Tracking Stability
Greater Surface Compatibility
Several months ago I decided I wanted something different. I had (I still own it, but it's moved to a different Mac) a Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000. It works, but I was really never totally satisfied with it. A good portion of my motivation for replacing it (besides wanting to get Microsoft junk in general off of my desk) is that the scroll wheel on it doesn't have side-scroll capabilities (!!!), but only a single rightward-clicking app switcher function.
So, I actually went through two other mice -- the first was an Apple (wired) Mighty Mouse, and the second was a Kensington mouse. I can't even begin to express how dissatisfied I was with Apple's offering. It tracked mediocre at best, and would jump around the screen at random (which is a symptom of first generation "optical" mice of 6-7 years ago). And, of course, since it's optical, you can't use it on a number of surfaces, amongst them "wood grain" which is what the keyboard shelf on my computer desk is made of.
The Kensington didn't pull the same crap that the Apple mouse did, but it's tracking was so sloppy -- even after significant tweaking -- that I found it completely unusable. And since it, too, is "optical" I would have been stuck using a mouse pad with it.
I then, at the suggestion of a knowledgable CompUSA rep, bought a Logitech MX400 Laser mouse. The difference between it and everything that came before was amazing. It tracks tight and true, even without any tweaking on my part, it's scroll wheel side scrolls, and since it's a "laser"-type, it tracks perfectly well on almost everything, including wood grain and speckled textured plastic (which is what my other smaller computer desk is made from).
In short, at a minimum you need to get a "laser" mouse. What you get for features beyond that is entirely up to you. When you look at mice with more than two buttons and a scroll wheel (and a lot of times even then), the software they ship with gives you considerable ability to assign (or re-assign) shortcuts and functions to each control, thereby letting you customize and tailor the mouse to your own needs. Me, for instance, I never (or rarely ever) use Exposé, so I don't have it configured to trigger that function.
Hope this helps.
First off, you need to get your hands around a variety of mice out there so you can determine which one(s) best fit your hand. Remember, if you're going to be using this thing a lot, you want to be as comfortable as possible.
Secondly, you also need to consider the type of optics used by the mouse. There's two basic types: "optical" and "laser". The laser optics are relatively new and offer the following improvements over traditional "optical" mice:
Higher Resolution
Greater Tracking Stability
Greater Surface Compatibility
Several months ago I decided I wanted something different. I had (I still own it, but it's moved to a different Mac) a Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000. It works, but I was really never totally satisfied with it. A good portion of my motivation for replacing it (besides wanting to get Microsoft junk in general off of my desk) is that the scroll wheel on it doesn't have side-scroll capabilities (!!!), but only a single rightward-clicking app switcher function.
So, I actually went through two other mice -- the first was an Apple (wired) Mighty Mouse, and the second was a Kensington mouse. I can't even begin to express how dissatisfied I was with Apple's offering. It tracked mediocre at best, and would jump around the screen at random (which is a symptom of first generation "optical" mice of 6-7 years ago). And, of course, since it's optical, you can't use it on a number of surfaces, amongst them "wood grain" which is what the keyboard shelf on my computer desk is made of.
The Kensington didn't pull the same crap that the Apple mouse did, but it's tracking was so sloppy -- even after significant tweaking -- that I found it completely unusable. And since it, too, is "optical" I would have been stuck using a mouse pad with it.
I then, at the suggestion of a knowledgable CompUSA rep, bought a Logitech MX400 Laser mouse. The difference between it and everything that came before was amazing. It tracks tight and true, even without any tweaking on my part, it's scroll wheel side scrolls, and since it's a "laser"-type, it tracks perfectly well on almost everything, including wood grain and speckled textured plastic (which is what my other smaller computer desk is made from).
In short, at a minimum you need to get a "laser" mouse. What you get for features beyond that is entirely up to you. When you look at mice with more than two buttons and a scroll wheel (and a lot of times even then), the software they ship with gives you considerable ability to assign (or re-assign) shortcuts and functions to each control, thereby letting you customize and tailor the mouse to your own needs. Me, for instance, I never (or rarely ever) use Exposé, so I don't have it configured to trigger that function.
Hope this helps.
huummm.........I've been using several optical mice on woodgrain desks for several years now, nottaproblemo...... M$, Logitech, Kensington, Belkin, MCE, GE...... all worked just fine.
Ditching the mousepad was the #1 reason I switched from ball mice to opticals in the first place
FWIW, I have yet to find any Kensington mice that I liked.....and I've tried out about 40 in the past few years
When I bought a Mac, I just kept using my microsoft mouse. Saved me money and time. I recommend doing this unless you are just absolutely sick of your old mouse.
Lots off users don't much like the BT Apple Mighty Mouse .... personally the only thing I wasn't keen on was the weight. Then a helpful MR poster informed me the mouse will operate fine on one battery......
Ten out of ten for the BT MM
Ten out of ten for the BT MM