Despite it being 2007, I’ve never owned a wireless mouse. I’ve always been skeptical of their response time (for twitch-speed gaming) and their weight (for my poor, ravaged wrists). My current mouse is dying, and so I’m considering getting a wireless mouse for the first time.
I have one additional consideration–I’m going to be using it with my Apple laptop on Malta. That’s probably moot, but I just mention it in case that modifies your responses.
Do you love or hate your wireless mouse?
On an unrelated note, few of the most ‘interesting’ results when you search for ‘mouse’ on Flickr actually feature mice. We can blame geeks and cat bloggers alike.
UPDATE: Thanks for all the responses. Usually when I ask you guys about something, especially something related to technology, there tends to be an obvious majority. That’s totally not the case here. I’m wiser, but am still not sure which way to go. I expect I’ll stick with the status quo for now.
I should have mentioned that I need to use my wireless mouse in the short term with my desktop Windows PC before shifting to my Apple laptop when working abroad. So, any Apple-only solutions won’t work for me.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
Go wireless. Response time has not been an issue at all for me. Weight is something that I’ve never considered… certainly if you can’t comfortably manage the weight of 2 AA batteries, then you may wish to reconsider.
I also suggest going optical if you have not already. It’s smoother, cleaner, and will likely help with the weight issue.
I just hate that the batteries run out. And the cords on regular mice don’t bother me very much. I don’t want to have to turn my mouse on and off or worry that it might be discharged. So I’ve never joined the wireless mouse (or keyboard) religion.
The wireless mighty mouse is excellent, but it does take some getting used to. The shape is odd (I find myself holding it differently to “normal” mouse), and the right-click takes a little while to get used to exactly where on the single-button-doo-hicky to press to get it to respond properly, and the scroll button/wheel is a little odd..
Battery life is excellent though, and it seems fast, synchs quickly and since it’s bluetooth no stupid usb-dongles are necessary.
That being said, I always keep a trusty logitech wired-mouse in my bag at all times in case batteries run out – of course this isn’t necessary since the laptop, um, HAS a mouse built-in 😉
I had a microsoft wireless mouse and it was complete crap. Completely unreliable, useless for delicate work, skipped all the time even with new batteries but ate batteries like you would not believe. Sometimes it would vanish altogether and require unplugging and plugging in again before it would come back After eating the fourth set of double-As in a month I threw it against the wall and replaced it with a $4 wired mouse which has been fine ever since.
OTOH I have had many fewer issues with the mouse that comes with my wacom tablet (which I use very on a mac), but it is not so much better for any use that I would switch to wireless all the time.
Go wireless, and optical. Apart from not having to have a space for the wires on your desk (or they push the mouse back when you let go), I like that when reading a document, your mouse hand isn’t tied to the desk, and you can scroll without it being on a surface. I often read with both arms hanging down, resting, with one holding the mouse for the scroll button.
There’s no security issue with wireless mice, like there is with a keyboard. As well, I’ve had no battery problem, and my mouse works on all of my desk (no distance issues from the receiver).
Make sure you get a proper size one. I’ve seen mice sized all the way down to unuseable. Some mice have a space to hold the USB receiver, which means there’s one fewer item in the laptop bag.
Forget mice. The future is all about the BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) See http://neural.cs.washington.edu/
I had one and hated it. It ate batteries. I’m glad it is gone. I use optical trackballs most of the time. They are always in the same spot when you reach for them.
I have one of the wireless Logitech mice that comes with a recharging dock. When I go home at night, I just pick up the mouse and stick it in the recharger. I never have to change batteries.
I hate wired mice.
We returned three Mighty Mouses because the right click wouldn’t work. It would work for a day, and then not at all. It was super frustrating. Sorry, but if it takes days to actually get it to work reliably then it’s not worth it. Piece o’ crap in my opinion.
We finally settled on a Logitech (Revolution??) because the USB receiver is tiny and the mouse doesn’t take batteries. You charge it in a dock. We both like it a lot, but Tyler actually had to stop using it at work because he was getting shooting pains up his arm (for days). I guess the minute muscle movements are much different than when using his old mouse, and caused him a lot of pain.
I like my trackball mouse, even though it’s not wireless. I don’t like moving a mouse, I like moving my fingers only. I have found it’s much easier on my wrist and arm.
I have microsoft wifi mice and I love em. They’re sensitive, and with great battery life. No interference.
+1 for the bluetooth mighty mouse – I bought 4 rechargeable batteries with it and rotate between sets of 2, but in a pinch it can run on one.
Uuuughhh…. I have one. I only used it for watching movies from my bed. Now I don’t have my computer and bed in the same room. (Might come in handy one day with a laptop though!) It’s noticeably heavier, which I guess you’d get used to. However… my mom uses exclusively a wireless mouse (Apple) and, at least until I moved out, the batteries died on her REGULARLY and she’d have to come borrow my regular (Apple) mouse. It was frustrating, to say the least. When it dies there’s nothing you can do except plug another one in, and getting it started up again with new batteries was also not so much fun. But that’s just our experience. I’d recommend having a back-up at the very least!
I’ve got this wireless notebook mouse and I love it. I’ve been using it for 18 months and I’m on my 3rd or 4th AA battery in that time. I use my computer way too much, so the battery life isn’t for lack of use.
It’s quite small, very comfortable, the usb piece snaps quickly/easily into the bottom of the mouse so you only have one thing to carry around rather than two. More importantly it works precisely on almost any surface.
The Microsoft wireless mouse and keyboard I use with my PowerBook work fine, but the design of the mouse is an annoyance. Despite it being optical, there is an open hole at the bottom of the mouse, apparently to “let the sensor light out”. What it actually does is “let the cat hair in”, whereupon the mouse starts to flake out until I unblock the opening. Stupid design. Could have been completely sealed and would have worked fine.
I’ve got a Bluetooth Mac mouse, not the Mighty Mouse, and I never use it. On my laptop I just use the track pad, and when I need something better I use a wired logitec. Really I just found screwing around with battery levels and connectivity on the Bluetooth keyboard / mouse to be more of a hassle than the wires were.
i hate extra wires on my desk, so a wireless mouse is a necessity. i’ve used one for at least four years. rechargable batteries are a must, but otherwise it has been great.
I use a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo on a single USB. Battery life is amazing, especially on the keyboard unit, and the range is pretty good too. And yes, rechargeable batteries are a must — I have a 30min quickcharger for all my stepdaughter’s toys anyway.
Oddly, the PS/2 mouse connection failed, but the USB worked fine. I called to Logitech tech support and made a complaint as I can’t dual-boot Windows and Linux with the keyboard in the USB and not in the regular port. (Grub won’t recognize it.) The nice gent there shipped me a new unit.
Best of all, the keyboard doubles as glorified remote when I watch video files or DVDs from the comfort of my easy chair.
Much thanks to Chris for the BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) link. I’ve often thought it should be possible to control a mouse (x and y axis controls) somehow through brainwaves. It would require operator training, but there’d be some revolutionary game such as Windows Solitaire to help us (games in the Windows 3.0 “OS” were originally justified as mouse training).
The idea seemed so simple I thought I could do it if I tinkered a bit. Obviously the scientist are nowhere near there, so what do I know. I’d gladly give the idea to anyone who can implement it and free us from the mouse (not to mention get us one step closer to Sci-Fi computers that actually understand humans, as in Asimov’s Robot series).
Darren,
I’ve have two wireless Apple mice (one mighty, one feeble), and both work well. I use rechargeable batteries, and always have spares (use the same AAs in my flash guns). The MacOS will warn you when the batteries are getting low, so a little bit of discipline will ensure minimal downtime. As you said you’re using it on your laptop, you’ll always have the trackpad.
One tip – turn off the option to have the wireless mouse wake the laptop from sleep. It seemed to help my battery life.
Cheers
Hugh
I’m equally skeptical about the capabilities of wireless mousing for gaming. I think the technology is there now, but it’s not bluetooth–most of the Logitech cordless mice have proprietary USB antennae. So there’s still some hassle with a cord, which could be cumbersome for a portable solution.
With everything else being equal, I’d recommend a laser (not optical) mouse. Laser > optical. But if you really do have some wrist pain or other carpal-tunnel stuff then go for an ergonomic mouse like the Perific (perific.com). It’s incredibly strange, but it works OK.
Logitech–the best mouse company, I think–has one cordless mouse for gaming. The rest of their gaming mice still have cords.
I had a battery leak and corrode the inside of the mouse. It was a tragedy.
The only thing I didn’t really care for was that it took up a USB port on my laptop. But so does the regular mouse.
Go with the tail. For me it was two pet peeves: batteries, and the cats who would bat the mouse to the floor. Sometimes the mouse would disappear at the most inopportune time!
Darren,
Whatever you decide to do, make sure that the mouse works for you BEFORE you head to Malta. I lived there last year while I did a Masters program at the University, and I can tell you that everything is much more difficult to do there. Supply is limited, shipping costs are high… and getting internet can be a nightmare if you live in the wrong place. So make everything as easy on yourself as possible before you go.
Why are you going there, anyways? If you need any information about the country, I’ll be happy to share.
had a logitec wireless trackball. thought i would have no wires on the desk. it came with a wireless receiver just as big as a mouse. batteries ran out like crazy. find battery (from tv remote). then you have to reinitalize it with a pen on the bottom. a big pain in the ass. ended up getting the same mouse again with a wire. would never do it again.
Has anyone had a problem with Microsoft Wireless Mouse, not accepting rechargeable Nickel Hydride batteries. Mouse works well but chews batteries (as noted). Curiously, batteries last >20 times longer in wireless Keyboard. Any clues?