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Main Area and Open Discussion => Living Room => Topic started by: mouser on November 04, 2007, 06:44 AM

Title: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: mouser on November 04, 2007, 06:44 AM: You'd think I would have learned my lesson the first time, but somehow I wasn't careful enough in reading descriptions and bought another rechargeable mouse.

Big mistake.

I never remember to put it in its charging base until it runs out of power, requiring me to go connect another corded mouse while it charges. Plus when i put it in its recharging cradle most of the time now it doesn't quite get the connection it needs so i have to sit there fiddling with it for 10 seconds trying to shift it around until it makes good contact. what a pain.

Seriously, never again. Battery powered mouse is 100x better and doesn't eat so much power as to make buying batteries a concern to me.

Consider this a warning to all those of you who haven't yet experienced a rechargeable mouse and might buy one by mistake -- read the descriptions carefully before ordering.

ps. ok you messed up criminally insane rechargeable-loving freaks can post your replies now telling me how wrong i am. :-\
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 07:04 AM: I have the solution, mouser-sen! Use rechargeable batteries in a battery powered mouse! Best of both worlds. This is what I do and I've had to recharge the rechargeables (being ahead of the curve, I have an extra set of rechargeables so just swap them and keep on working) twice in two and a half years. Ditto for the keyboard. Crazy.

I dunno, just thought this might placate the criminally insane rechargeable types!

PS I realize this doesn't help you with your current situation. I've been there. I feel your pain.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: mouser on November 04, 2007, 07:20 AM: Thanks for reminding me of a point i wanted to make!:

If you want to use rechargeable power in a mouse -- by a battery powered mouse and use rechargeable batteries just like Darwin says!!! Then there is no waiting time while the batteries charge since you can do that offline, and you can always use regular batteries in an emergency, and you can always buy new rechargeable batteries when they stop holding a charge.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: nudone on November 04, 2007, 07:25 AM: solution. don't use a wireless mouse at all. whenever i have to use someone's wireless mouse i'm kind of surprised why anyone would want to shove that weight around.

long live cables - and the very lightweight mice that are attached to them.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 07:30 AM: Funny, Nick, I find the extra weight makes the mouse more... ergonomic? I like the heft of a wireless mouse. I don't know if I'd like it in one of those "portable" versions for notebooks that are available, but I've tried a couple of times to go back to my old, corded Intellimouse and it just feels flimsy and "cheap" now. The other advantage of a cordless is that you never have to worry about kinks in the cord or objects on your (physical) desktop snagging it. Of course, this reduces the incentive to keep an orderly workspace, so maybe it's not a good thing after all!
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: mouser on November 04, 2007, 07:34 AM: i am very easily frustrated -- getting rid of the wires and eliminating the periodic fight with the cable pulling back on me was a big win. no more wired mice for me.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: nudone on November 04, 2007, 07:51 AM: well, yes, i have to agree that you just get used to whatever you use, Darwin.

as for cable snagging, mouser, that just sounds like you've not made any effort to put your cables in a place where they don't snag.

my mouse can easily travel over a horizontal and vertical distance of about 30 or 40 inches. this is without cable snagging or pulling. maybe it's because there is sufficient cable and it's laid out above the mouse in a bit of an 'S' shape. the only way i can imagine this layout snagging is if i started to rotate the mouse around and thereby twist the cable.

one other important part is that the cable is clipped to the top of the desk - this makes sure that the only part of the cable that moves is the part that actually rests on top the table, i.e. the bit that is directly above the mouse. the part of the cable that hangs down never moves.

okay, i am now officially a cable mouse bore.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 07:59 AM: okay, i am now officially a cable mouse bore.

And I am a wireless mouse bore. I'm renowned for being a lot of fun at parties - people like to wind me up on this subject and watch the fireworks. Good fun ;D
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: nudone on November 04, 2007, 08:01 AM: not only am i a cable mouse bore - i am also bored.

so here are photos of my mouse cable and the clip i spoke of.

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oh yes, and look at the size of my mouse mat. i'd have to pay about $30 for something that size but i just stuck a few together that cost about a $1 each.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: mouser on November 04, 2007, 08:14 AM: am i the only one who thinks we need to chip in and get nudone a hi-res artist mouse?
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Gothi[c] on November 04, 2007, 08:21 AM: Don't feel alone nudone,

I feel exactly the same way, I refuse to use any wireless mice. Not only have I experienced the battery drama with them, but I also have had one which received interference from other devices... Actually my wacom tablet is the same. If I put my joystick close to my wacom tablet, my mouse starts to move by itself!

I'll stick with cables. The cable is never in my way either, you just have to make sure it's long enough and that you have it laid out well :)
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: nudone on November 04, 2007, 08:27 AM: thanks for suggesting such a thing, mouser, but i'm really happy with the mouse i've got (and its cable). it's my trusty 8 button mouse friend that never lets me down.

i'm glad to hear that Gothi[c] hasn't succumb to the fad of the wireless warriors.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 08:36 AM: Resistance is futile, Nick. You will be assimilated.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Renegade on November 04, 2007, 08:51 AM: I can certainly understand the desire to get rid of wires...

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:(

No matter what I do, there are just too many things that need wires...

Camera
Phone
Video Camera (I don't even use the darn thing!)
USB Audio Device
Mixer
Wireless Router Switch (That I don't use for wireless because it's just too annoying and slow)
Microphones (2)
Another USB Audio Device
Speakers
Subwoofer
Converter for 220v to 110v
Printer
2 computers (1 is in the shop being fixed at the moment...)
2 monitors
MP3 player
Extra audio jack to switch speakers between computers because device immediately below doesn't do it :(
KVM
Etc. etc. etc...

I would LOVE to get rid of all those wires... :'(

Then again, I've tried some wireless stuff before and didn't like it - too fickle and not responsive enough. What was that about 22?
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 09:07 AM: I have it at about 20... but your description is certainly familiar to me. Modern home offices are mazes of wires and the greatest stress of modern life has got to be trying to untangle and make sense of them! Hate them, hate them, hate them... Everything that one does today requires two or three cords and a dongle. Necessary evil, I guess. I'd go bluetooth but I'm not overly fussed by it, either! Why? Because right now manufacturers are charging a premium - often big premiums - for bluetooth devices and I'm sick of buying new hardware (and the need to run software to manage my bluetooth connection in the background doesn't thrill me either. I just managed to get rid of my wired keyboard, for instance, and I've three wired mice gathering dust. Can't afford to change over hardware yet again, either.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: cranioscopical on November 04, 2007, 09:10 AM: Got the mouse thing solved!

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Edit: But not the posting thing!!

edit by jgpaiva: fixed the image for you, chris ;)
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 09:11 AM: You missed a golden opportunity there, Chris: you've got the mouse thing "wired" :P
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: nudone on November 04, 2007, 09:53 AM: hey, that clockwork mouse isn't such a bad idea. why not have a wireless mouse that recharges itself via the motion you put it through - yes, that's right, using a ball underneath it connected to a dynamo (or whatever).

or like those windup flash lights - have a squeezy type mechanism that you can squeeze a few times to put some power back in.

AND connect the dynamo thingy up to the mouse buttons as well.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 10:48 AM: Nice idea, Nick - a Kinetic mouse a la Seiko's Kinetic watch.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Nighted on November 04, 2007, 11:05 AM: I agree with Mouser about the rechargeable annoyance. Many times I too have had to plug in my wired mouse because I forgot to charge the @#$%ing thing or the batteries ran out. I had an expensive Logitech MX 1000...one day I just put the thing on the floor and jumped on it.

I bought a Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse about 2 months ago, hooked everything up, put the batteries in....it's still working fine today on those 2 AA batteries (to my astonishment).
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: cranioscopical on November 04, 2007, 11:10 AM: hey, that clockwork mouse isn't such a bad idea. why not have a wireless mouse that recharges itself via the motion you put it through - yes, that's right, using a ball underneath it connected to a dynamo (or whatever).
-nudone (November 04, 2007, 09:53 AM)
Some mice now use that dirty great flywheel of sorts for scrolling... so you're right, harness the energy! :)

You missed a golden opportunity there, Chris: you've got the mouse thing "wired" :P
-Darwin (November 04, 2007, 09:11 AM)
You and I both know that the only opportunity I missed was to avoid posting more nonsense ;)

edit by jgpaiva: fixed the image for you, chris ;)
Thank you kindly! :-[
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 04, 2007, 11:22 AM: You and I both know that the only opportunity I missed was to avoid posting more nonsense

Ouch! Touché! ;D
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: lanux128 on November 04, 2007, 09:48 PM: repeat to fade.. wireless mice are evil! ;D
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Deozaan on November 04, 2007, 10:10 PM: I bought a rechargeable Logitech Wireless MX1000 mouse a couple years ago. I've had problems with the mouse jumping around the screen or not responding to movement. Contacted tech support and they said it the receiver needs to be 1 foot away from electrical equipment. Excuse me? A mouse that needs to be away from electrical devices?

I've had the mouse die on my a few times while in use, but to be honest it hasn't happened in a while because I hardly use the thing. I much prefer my trackball as it requires less desktop space and doesn't hurt my wrist.

If I were to get another wireless mouse in the future, I think I'd go for the rechargeable AA batteries option.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: wreckedcarzz on November 04, 2007, 10:35 PM: I have the solution, mouser-sen! Use rechargeable batteries in a battery powered mouse! Best of both worlds. This is what I do and I've had to recharge the rechargeables (being ahead of the curve, I have an extra set of rechargeables so just swap them and keep on working) twice in two and a half years. Ditto for the keyboard. Crazy.
-Darwin (November 04, 2007, 07:04 AM)

I have been doing the same thing for about 6 months now. But then the rechargables sometimes lose a charge or sometimes I am charging them and the ones in the mouse die (usually during a game or something else "important" :P) so then I have to run to get normal AAA's...

I am waiting for wireless power. That will be the day. ;D

EDIT: My current mouse (Micro Innovations Wireless Optical Mouse PD950P- try saying that 3 times backwards) takes 2 AAA's; its that small. And it still dies like once a week! :huh:
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: iphigenie on November 05, 2007, 06:54 AM: I have a love-hate relationship with wireless too. I keep falling for the idea of free movement only to find myself in a world of connection problems and dying batteries before the month is out.

When the computer doesnt move I stick with wired, because I never have a problem with wires getting in the way on the desktop.

When the computer moves, as a laptop, I have gone back to wireless. Cables get always messed up in a bag. And, now that the usb receiver plugs are so small that you can leave them on the port when packing the machine, wireless is less fiddly than wired (it used to be more fiddly as you would lose the receiver in the depths of the case on a periodic basis).
Of course even there the features of the mouse are more important. I need my 5 buttons and I have this wireless mouse because it was the only mini mouse I found that had 5 buttons, not because it is wireless...

I just recently fell in the trap of wireless for a PC which had gotten moved to the living room as we might want to use it from a distance at times. So it has 2 sets, wired on the desk and a wireless keyboard and a wireless trackball in case we ever want to pick music or watch a DVD or something.

Already I am reminded as to why I fell out of love with the wireless stuff, as it seems to lose its connection when the computer goes asleep :S (strangely enough dont have that problem with the wireless mouse on the laptop, i wonder why)

So on average I will be a cable bore except when it really might make sense to not have a cable...
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 05, 2007, 08:37 AM: I can't believe how lucky I've been - two years of trouble-free wireless computing and I use crappy rechargeable batteries that last for at least 8 months on a charge. I've never had a connection problem and am thrilled by the longevity of the batteries. My wireless setup is a MS Standard Wireless Mouse and a Multimedia Keyboard v.1.1 that I got free with the purchase of MS Office 2003 Student and Teacher edition (I wound up springing for the academic version of Pro about two months later - had to have Access).
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Lashiec on November 05, 2007, 02:56 PM: There are some advanced wireless mouses out there. Like this Genius (http://www.geniusnet.com/geniusOnline/online.portal?_nfpb=true&productPortlet_actionOverride=%2Fportlets%2FproductArea%2Fcategory%2FqueryPro&_windowLabel=productPortlet&productPortletproductId=63879&_pageLabel=productPage&test=portlet-action) (longest URL ever) that lets you plug the USB cable to recharge the batteries, much like the iPod (Apple developed something really nice there).

I'm very happy with my Logitech LX7, and I would not give up on wireless not even for all money in the world :D. Of course, this one uses AA batteries, so I don't have mouser's problems :P
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Deozaan on November 05, 2007, 03:18 PM: There are some advanced wireless mouses out there. Like this Genius (http://www.geniusnet.com/geniusOnline/online.portal?_nfpb=true&productPortlet_actionOverride=%2Fportlets%2FproductArea%2Fcategory%2FqueryPro&_windowLabel=productPortlet&productPortletproductId=63879&_pageLabel=productPage&test=portlet-action) (longest URL ever) that lets you plug the USB cable to recharge the batteries, much like the iPod (Apple developed something really nice there).

I'm very happy with my Logitech LX7, and I would not give up on wireless not even for all money in the world :D. Of course, this one uses AA batteries, so I don't have mouser's problems :P
-Lashiec (November 05, 2007, 02:56 PM)

I like how they specify that the mouse is Vista capable... and who would want a mouse with a dern receiver?
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"That thar dern receiver dun lost mah connection!"

:P
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 05, 2007, 06:51 PM: ... and who would want a mouse with a dern receiver?

"That thar dern receiver dun lost mah connection!"

;D :-*
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Laughing Man on November 05, 2007, 09:11 PM: I bought a rechargeable Logitech Wireless MX1000 mouse a couple years ago. I've had problems with the mouse jumping around the screen or not responding to movement. Contacted tech support and they said it the receiver needs to be 1 foot away from electrical equipment. Excuse me? A mouse that needs to be away from electrical devices?

I've had the mouse die on my a few times while in use, but to be honest it hasn't happened in a while because I hardly use the thing. I much prefer my trackball as it requires less desktop space and doesn't hurt my wrist.

If I were to get another wireless mouse in the future, I think I'd go for the rechargeable AA batteries option.
-Deozaan (November 04, 2007, 10:10 PM)

Yeah Logitech mouses are weird. I love my wireless mouse though..being able to use it on my bed in the dorm is nice (no problems charging it since I remember to put it back into its slot when I'm going out). Though I do prefer my laptop's battery operated Logitech VX Revolution. The battery life that thing gets is insane..
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Deozaan on November 05, 2007, 10:48 PM: Yeah Logitech mouses are weird. I love my wireless mouse though..being able to use it on my bed in the dorm is nice (no problems charging it since I remember to put it back into its slot when I'm going out). Though I do prefer my laptop's battery operated Logitech VX Revolution. The battery life that thing gets is insane..
-Laughing Man (November 05, 2007, 09:11 PM)

Maybe I should also mention that the battery life on my MX Laser 1000 is quite long -- when I'm not using it. It can hold still, powered on for many weeks! The big drain on the battery seems to be games or things that require holding down the buttons (as opposed to clicks now and then). Normal, non-game usage and the lith-ion battery lasts quite a while.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Ralf Maximus on November 06, 2007, 06:18 AM: I went back to a wired mouse, not because of battery troubles (I went the standard AA rechargable route) but because of RF interference. I blamed Intellipoint for a long time until I tried one of my old wired mouses and the problem went away.

So I went and got a nice Microsoft 6000 series laser mouse with a loooong tail and now things are fine.

Stupid radio.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: nontroppo on November 06, 2007, 03:27 PM: Not that this joint is much of a hotbed of Apple fanatics, but a stern warning to refuse at all costs (even if donated at no cost, or offered with further favors!) Apple's Mighty mouse (wired or unwired).

Good: 360deg scrollball
Bad: Everything else, but really everything else.

They've got some fancy touch sensitive doodad so even though it has no left/right buttons it senses which side you are clicking -- except when it doesn't which is about 40%of the time. The only way to get reliable clicking is to back your hand way off, so then the side buttons are completely out of reach. Not having seperate mouse buttons though breaks the greatest mouse innovation in years - rocker gestures. Click left+riht or right+left is a lightening way to do stuff. It works in Opera, Firefox, and my global gestures system XGestures (but not in strokeIT).
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Ralf Maximus on November 06, 2007, 06:46 PM: Yeah, but Mighty Mouse is such a cool name.

I want one and I don't even have a Mac.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: nontroppo on November 07, 2007, 04:24 AM: Well, it does come with a cape and externally worn underpants... 8)
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: wraith808 on November 08, 2007, 03:38 PM: You've been able to do that 'rocker' function for a while in firefox with an extension. I believe that there was also a mousing program which let you do the same thing, though its name escapes me currently.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Mark0 on November 08, 2007, 08:02 PM: They've got some fancy touch sensitive doodad so even though it has no left/right buttons it senses which side you are clicking -- except when it doesn't which is about 40%of the time.
-nontroppo (November 06, 2007, 03:27 PM)
So true!
I have mine put back in the box from... too much months! I always forget to try to put it on eBay! :)

Bye!
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Ralf Maximus on November 08, 2007, 08:30 PM: Via The RBLog (http://rblevin.blogspot.com/2007/10/amazing-new-mouse-design.html#links) comes news of the amazing trackball mouse from Kensington:
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It appears to replace the wheel with a 360-degree roller. Neat! Alas, it appears to be wireless only...

Has anyone had experience with Kensington products? Do they hold up?

http://us.kensington.com/html/13880.html
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: zridling on November 11, 2007, 08:36 PM: Oh man, I bought a Microsoft wireless mouse and keyboard about three years ago and quickly regretted it. I COULDN'T AFFORD TO KEEP THEM! I was replacing the batteries on both every 9-11 days. Ditched it for good ol' cable. I hated typing something and noticing that m w rds wer s ipping let ers.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Nighted on November 11, 2007, 09:54 PM: Ok, I checked my receipt....I bought my mouse on September 7th. When I got home I popped in the included batteries (Energizers). I've used it heavily each day since. Today, finally, the batteries had to be replaced.

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Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: iphigenie on November 12, 2007, 07:29 AM: I quite like my wireless mini mouse () and my wireless trackman. I bought neither because they were wireless, I bought them mostly because they were 5-button and had 2 buttons under the thumb (I depend on those buttons being there in WoW so any device without it is just doomed). It was almost a case of "in spite" of being wireless... Now i need to get my hands on some more rechargeable batteries just to be ready.

Trust makes quite a lot of very competitively priced light mice, almost all with 5 buttons so I own a big one (wired) and a little one (wireless). And I plan to buy one of the "fancy" (£12.99) gamer ones too.
One of the neat thing they do on almost every device is that next to the serial number they print the URL of the product support page. I find that really really neat in its simplicity. For example my mouse is http://www.trust.com/15315

As for the trackball they are very handy when you dont want to move your hand too much - either getting a bit of RSA (I used to have the "marble mouse" at work just for that) or because you're on a sofa or in a hotel room and theres just not much space. When I saw they had a 5 button trackball I could not resist.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: olamoree on November 20, 2007, 10:11 AM: I remember when the wireless keyboard wasn't booted until AFTER all opportunity to get into the BIOS (Del) and I kept having to plug in the PS/2 KB to get into the BIOS... so one day I just left it plugged in and its been plugged in ever since.

Then when the sharp pain started in on my right wrist (R handed) I immediately thought CTS and surgery, so I got a $4 tiny optical laptop PS/2 mouse and put it on the LEFT and quickly discovered that I didn't have to let go of the mouse to jot down a note, my right wrist was feeling a LOT better, nobody would sit down at MY computer because the mouse was on the left and it only took me a few days to permanently make the switch! That was 10 years ago and I still use wired everything except Bluetooth.

Recommendation for wireless wierdos... keep a WIRED mouse plugged in to the PS/2 if your wireless is USB and in a critical moment you will still have a mouse, altho corded... I have a wired trackball (can't find a L handed one) always plugged in on the right just in case...
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Lashiec on November 20, 2007, 02:31 PM: Yup, I have one handy if I'm the middle of something important, and the "current" goes off. Like, you know, playing games ;D
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: CleverCat on November 21, 2007, 12:50 AM: If you want the lightest battery free wireless mouse.......(Yes - no batteries)....

http://www.a4tech.com/en/product2.asp?CID=90&SCID=92&MNO=NB-30&ovmkt=23G00LDM1H7ECL769S263G78OO

:D
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Lapinbleu on November 21, 2007, 05:02 AM: Saw Renegade's Photo of his wires and thought it was of the back of my desk.

On-board boats the various instruments - speed, water temperature, wind direction... are connected by a single bus, which both powers them and permits the exchange of data.

Would it not be possible to have a single bus like this for computers? It might have to be a bit chunky, and with the AC well screened...

Then you'd have one wire going from the wall to the tower, and then a sort of ring main. To add a peripheral just break the ring, anywhere would do.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on November 21, 2007, 08:14 AM: If you want the lightest battery free wireless mouse.......(Yes - no batteries)....

http://www.a4tech.com/en/product2.asp?CID=90&SCID=92&MNO=NB-30&ovmkt=23G00LDM1H7ECL769S263G78OO

:D
-CleverCat (November 21, 2007, 12:50 AM)

Interesting, but if you're going to add another wire to your desktop, why not make it a USB wire and plug a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet into your computer? Then you get what has proven to be a very good and precise wireless and battery free mouse and as a bonus a Wacom pen for drawing as well :-*... Of course $29.99 vs. $99.99 might be an incentive to go the A4Tech route... As I've already got the Wacom I'll pass, but has anyone tried one of these things?
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: CleverCat on November 23, 2007, 06:24 AM: Alas, I can't hold a pen any more due to my advanced Rheumatoid Arthritis! :(

Used to be a good drawer - now I use Photoshop... :Thmbsup:
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: superboyac on December 17, 2008, 12:46 PM: Hmmm, you raise some good points. Here are my thoughts:

At home, I have a Microsoft wireless that uses regular AA batteries. But I put rechargeable ones in there and it's great. I always have 4-6 batteries charged up and available when ready. So this works wonderfully at home.

Now at work, I have a Logitech with a charging cradle. The batteries look like two AA batteries fused together. I don't know if you can replace them with regular AA batteries. Yes, I've had problems (very seldomly) with the charging contacts not touching properly and then running out of juice unexpectedly. But every night, I put the mouse on the cradle. I never forget, it's habit.

The difference between work and home is the habit, though. At work, it's easy to just put the mouse in the cradle as part of the routine. At home, I'm using the computer at all hours of the day and night, so there's no consistent time to put the mouse in the cradle. I can see that becoming a problem.

But what's the solution? I really want that MX mouse! I don't want a mouse that's not as good just because of the charging situation. What's a good mouse that doesn't use a cradle?
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: mouser on December 17, 2008, 01:09 PM: At home, I'm using the computer at all hours of the day and night, so there's no consistent time to put the mouse in the cradle. I can see that becoming a problem.

bingo.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on December 17, 2008, 01:28 PM: At home, I'm using the computer at all hours of the day and night, so there's no consistent time to put the mouse in the cradle. I can see that becoming a problem.

bingo.
-mouser (December 17, 2008, 01:09 PM)

Well... I think what I'd wind up doing is getting into the habit of putting the mouse in the charger whenever I got up to leave my desk. Just add it to the routine that includes, in my case, pushing the keyboard drawer in and turning off the light :Thmbsup:
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: superboyac on December 17, 2008, 01:57 PM: Yeah, I'd probably do that also, Darwin. I'm with mouser as far as the cradles go, but unless there's a better mouse than the MX, I need to get that!
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Darwin on December 17, 2008, 02:03 PM: ...unless there's a better mouse than the MX, I need to get that!
-superboyac (December 17, 2008, 01:57 PM)

Don't get me started (I'll be off - in a blizzard - to buy one given the slightest provocation. Bad for my finances and my marriage :o ;D)!
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Shook on December 17, 2008, 03:18 PM: Personally, i go for the wired mice, but when sitting in the class, it's not quite as practical, and the wireless mouse i have is much easier to carry around and manage... Though, a week or two ago or something, when i was about to ~~fire up a nice round of Alien Shooter: Vengeance~~ do some veeeeeeeeeery important schoolwork, the mouse just didn't do anything. To my horror, it had ran out of power, and i had no batteries within a one mile radius. So i had to resort to... *Gasp* ... Touchpad. And ~~less mouse-intensive games~~ fewer cursor movements on the programs. And frankly, that sucked. There is also this little problem with the mouse having a sub-par signal strength, so if it's too far away from the USB thingy (which i conveniently place on the opposite side of my mousing hand, placing a laptop in between) or if anything blocks the signal, it can get all screwy. That's probably just this mouse though, but still, having to switch batteries from time to time bugs me... Especially when i forget to bring new batteries. I have to admit that not having a wire attached is a lot easier to manage in class though. As if people tripping over my power cord wasn't enough...

P.S. But really, i only game in the breaks. Also, forgive me if I'm out of context, didn't read page 2.
Title: Re: Pet Peeve: I will never buy a rechargeable mouse again for as long as i live
Post by: Ordstrin on January 17, 2009, 07:16 AM: Wired or Wireless? Personally I don't mind Wireless, but I'd never have both keyboard and mouse/trackball wireless. If both fail at the same time.. can have some problems.
I can't stand mice either where I get a choice, Trackballs all the way.

..I have a wired trackball (can't find a L handed one) always plugged in on the right just in case...
-olamoree (November 20, 2007, 10:11 AM)

Left handed? Logitech has some wired Trackballs that have the ball in the middle (Trackman Marble (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/trackballs/devices/4786&cl=au,en)).

For right handers; If you can find one, grab a Logitech Cordless TrackMan Optical (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/trackballs/devices/189&cl=us,en) trackball. I've had one since I got my computer in 2003, never once failed me. New it had a range of about 5 meters (tried it at school). It's now about 5 and a half years old and still has a decent range. Rare battery changes (less than every 2 months).
left/right buttons, forward/back buttons, horizontal scroll button, scroll up/down buttons, and if you install the Logitech MouseWare software that comes with it (although I wouldn't recommend it nowadays) you even get a Click Lock button.