Labtec Mini Wireless Optical Mouse

Labtec Mini Wireless Optical Mouse - Mouse - optical - 3 button(s) - wireless - USB

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
I'm one of those who always rolled his eyes at the idea of wireless mice, especially for laptops. The idea that someone would need a radio-controlled device to communicate with a computer that was two inches away seemed ridiculous. Well, it's not. If you hate trackpads (I do), and can't make yourself spend the $500 premium for a laptop with a pointing stick (I can't), you want a wireless mouse for your laptop. I learned this the hard way, by first buying a wired mini mouse for my new laptop. I soon learned that wireless mice aren't silly at all. That mouse cable which isn't much of a problem for a desktop becomes a huge hassle with a notebook, since it has to be unwound and rewound for every work session. Worse, each winding twists and kinks the cable more, and you eventually wind up with a rat's nest that's always in your way. So I knew I had to get another mouse, but wanted as few things to schlep as possible. Most wireless mice require that you add three things to your travel kit: the mouse, the transmitter, and a carrying bag. Not this one; since the usb transmitter stores inside the mouse itself, this mouse is it's OWN carrying case...that much less to worry about. It's so cleverly designed it makes me chuckle with admiration. It's just a case of getting everything right. _____ December 2004 update: Recently the mouse suddenly stopped working and I had thought it had failed, but buried deep in Labtec's website was the fix: If this mouse appears to have died, replacing the batteries may not be enough to reactivate it. You might require the following steps, in this order: 1) Remove & replace fresh batteries. 2) Depress the small reset button on the receiver 3) Depress the reset button on the underside of the mouse. This did the trick for me...simple enough, once you know about it.