It’s mighty mouse
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, September 25, 2004
SAN JOSE, Calif. – If you’re still pointing and clicking with the factory-issued mouse that came with your computer – or, heaven forbid, if you’re still using your laptop’s barbaric touch pad – it’s time to upgrade.
A new generation of cordless mice debuts this month, featuring lasers and rechargeable batteries. They even provide a modicum of relief to carpal tunnels and aching fingers.
Eat your hearts out, co-workers.
The sleek new gizmos that now pass for computer mice look more like miniature spaceships or palm-sized remote controls than gray rodents whose roller balls choke on dust – even if they do set you back at least $50.
I tried two new models from Logitech Inc., the Swiss technology giant that has sold more than 500 million mice since 1981. Doug Engelbart, who invented the mouse in 1962, still maintains an office at Logitech’s office park in Fremont, Calif.
My favorite was the $80 MX1000 Laser, billed as the world’s first commercial laser mouse.
It comes with a built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that requires a recharge every three weeks in its docking station. It works with Windows 98 or Macintosh OS X or newer operating systems and requires a USB or PS/2 port.
The MX1000 tracks movements using Agilent Technologies’ short-wavelength laser instead of a typical optical mouse’s light-emitting diode, making the MX1000 roughly 20 times more sensitive to surface details.
The laser beams through a silver ring on mouse’s belly. The light bounces off the surface of your desk (or filing cabinet, or piece of cardboard, or slab of marble) and signals a sensor that captures 5.8 megapixels of detail per second.
That lets you click and point over most flat surfaces, such as glass, tile or lacquer – a boon to graphic artists, Web designers and others in the Bang &Olufsen crowd who disdain plebeian wooden desks.
But you don’t have to be a fashionista to appreciate the 1.7-pound MX1000.
From sticky tabs to manila folders, crumbs and dog hair, so much junk clogs my desk that old-fashioned mice trip more often than track. The MX1000 never missed a point or click, even on a daunting obstacle course of reporter’s notebooks, a cookie sheet and a pile of stamped postcards.
It even performed admirably – though not flawlessly – on the rubberized, curved arm rest of my office chair. It worked up to a distance of about 5 feet.
I also tried the $50 MediaPlay Cordless Mouse, designed for people who listen to music and watch videos on their PCs.
MediaPlay is a wireless mouse that doubles as a remote control to adjust volume, forward and rewind digital media programs up to 10 feet from the base station. The 16.6-ounce mouse works with Windows 98 or newer operating systems on IBM-compatible PCs and requires a USB or PS/2 port.
The slick design includes six backlit media buttons, such as play, pause, forward and back. The software works with media players including Windows Media Player and RealPlayer.
Buying a MediaPlay mouse gets you 10 free downloads from Musicmatch. A button just beneath the scroll wheel launches Logitech’s MediaLife software, which gives you more free music and video.
Associated Press
The Logitech MX1000 is one of a new generation of computer mice. It retails for $80.
