-----------------------------------------------------Background------------------------------------
Boy, was I thrilled when I'd finally snagged one of these from Office Depot for $10! I'd missed the last sale, and I really wanted another input option for my newly-acquired
IBM Thinkpad X22 laptop. On to our mission...
------------------------------------------------------What's in the Box?-------------------------
The mouse comes inefficiently mega-wrapped in the increasingly-common thick plastic "sandwich" wrap. The mouse itself is handsomely dual-tone colored in charcoal and light gray, with 2 buttons, and a scroll wheel. The receiver is a small USB dongle that very conveniently snaps into the bottom of the mouse, when not in use, and also turn s it off, thus prolonging the battery life.
-------------------------------------------------------In Use----------------------------------
I simply plugged in the receiver, pressed the buttons, both, on the receiver (which can be done with just a finger), and on the bottom of the mouse (which requires a small, blunt object like a pen or paper clip), and things were set into motion. The computer underwent a brief "found new hardware" cycle, and the unit quickly became operational. On several computers, the mouse simply became operational within 20-30 seconds, skipping the "found new hardware" routine.
The mouse itself is of an excellent size-not so tiny as to be nearly impossible to use, and not so large, heavy, and clunky as to not be truly "portable" (in fact, it weighs just 6.52 ounces, and is basically undetectable in a carrying bag)-and is of a very nice ergonomic design, optimized to be used with, either, the right or left hand. The range has been good enough to enable me to use it on most IBM PC-compatible desktops, as well--about 5 feet. However, it is best to use a side USB port, as I had some issues with it being detected when I had it plugged into the rear of my laptop (sometimes sporadic cursor movement). It is also Macintosh-compatible, providing you have OS X version 10.1 to 10.3.x (but not 10.0), although I have not had the opportunity to try this. The minimum pc requirements are: a 233-MHz or faster processor, 128 MB of RAM, 60 MB of available hard-disk space, a CD-ROM drive, any Windows XP or 2000 version, and (after some initial failure, an update likely enabled use with my)
Windows Vista Home Premium (installation). Of course, you also need an available USB port. Lastly, the unit has not interfered with my wireless network, even when using a
wireless-G USB dongle, concurrently on my laptop, on both, my home network, and corporate ones. Also, the battery life is a claimed "up to 6 months" and, in my experience, it is very long. On several occasions, I've left the unit on (by not replacing the dongle), and it's worked fine the next day, as well as long afterwards, with no apparent ill effects. I use mine with rechargeable nickel metal-hydride and regular batteries (1 AA is required, and a non-rechargeable one is included).
---------------------------------------------------------In Summary-----------------------------
I haven't had any issues with this unit, and it fits my needs perfectly. It is lightweight, ergonomic, energy-efficient, reliable, and even stylish. A good trade for 10 bills.
Mwave.com
CompuVest
