Mouse Reviews

I chose this just because I wanted something cheap. I have heard bad things about some other brands overheating or having various problems, but I have been using this a few months and found no problems whatsoever.

It remains room temperature and has had no bandwidth or power problems for me. It appears to have a place to connect a power supply (not included), but that doesn't seem to be listed as a feature so I cannot guarantee it. It has two USB plugs so you can get the power from a second USB port if you need it. I have only needed one. My only complaint with the device is having that extra plug sitting around (attached to the cord), but of course that isn't a problem if you use it.

It's cheap and it works, so I recommend this item.

I am totally loving this little thing! Very slick design with those blue lights and the ability to put 4 different USB devices all into one super-mini hub. A must have for this price...

This is an excellent usb hub for the price. Very compact and very light. It doesn't take up too much space at all. Also, it's powered thru USB so you do not need to deal with an AC adaptor.

I have a couple of USB devices that are powered through the USB port as well and my concern was whether they would still be active through this hub. I plugged both into the hub and both were powered up!!

And the 4 ports light up with a nice blue led color that's looks really cool!! Targus should show this in their ads/marketing material because it definitely makes the hub look much cooler!

This is a great bargain and perfect for people that need a simple & compact USB hub for all their gadgets.

Definitely recommended!!

I chose this just because I wanted something cheap. I have heard bad things about some other brands overheating or having various problems, but I have been using this a few months and found no problems whatsoever.

It remains room temperature and has had no bandwidth or power problems for me. It appears to have a place to connect a power supply (not included), but that doesn't seem to be listed as a feature so I cannot guarantee it. It has two USB plugs so you can get the power from a second USB port if you need it. I have only needed one. My only complaint with the device is having that extra plug sitting around (attached to the cord), but of course that isn't a problem if you use it.

It's cheap and it works, so I recommend this item.

I am totally loving this little thing! Very slick design with those blue lights and the ability to put 4 different USB devices all into one super-mini hub. A must have for this price...

This is an excellent usb hub for the price. Very compact and very light. It doesn't take up too much space at all. Also, it's powered thru USB so you do not need to deal with an AC adaptor.

I have a couple of USB devices that are powered through the USB port as well and my concern was whether they would still be active through this hub. I plugged both into the hub and both were powered up!!

And the 4 ports light up with a nice blue led color that's looks really cool!! Targus should show this in their ads/marketing material because it definitely makes the hub look much cooler!

This is a great bargain and perfect for people that need a simple & compact USB hub for all their gadgets.

Definitely recommended!!

Both keyboard and mouse are good, however, I just got a second system to use with the computer in the room next door (the two systems are just separated by a thin wall) and the mice "jam" each other if used at the same time (move a mouse and both systems "freeze" on the screen, very annoying). I've followed the instructions on the logitech support site to reinstall the systems (take out batteries, press button on receiver for 15 secs., install one system, wait at least 20 mins., install the second system), but the problem doesn't go away. Contacted two service reps via e-mail over the past 10 days but they just re-sent the info that's available on the site. Very disappointing, I'm junking one system now.

Logitech makes great products and by in large, this one is no exception. Assuming you have the right placement of the transmitter to eliminate interference from your monitor etc... it is a fast and easy set up. The keyboard is light, but you have to hit the keys a bit harder than I would like and its noisy. The mouse works well, and both do have that "cordless" advantage.

I was unable to kick back and type. I kept getting inaccurate keystrokes that appeared to be hardware error, not the operator. As long as I kept the keyboard on my desk... all was well, but since I got it to be able to move away from the desk, I can't say I'm thrilled with what I would consider to be a fairly big chunk of change going to this item.

Best wishes to all those who want to give it a try, I'm going back to the plug in myself.

I just got my Cordless iTouch keyboard and mouse this morning and I set it up right away. At first glance, I knew that setup was going to be a piece of cake. And it was! I can't believe I didn't have any trouble at all. Before I bought the product, I was kind of skeptical and cautious because my current keyboard is a HP multimedia keyboard which also has some customizable buttons in it. I was afraid that the software might conflict with my old one. However, after I connected the cordless keyboard and mouse on my PS/2 port, there was no problem...it worked right away. Changing the software was no problem at all.

I also tested the range of the product and it turned out to be pretty good. The receiver is currently surrounded by other electronics but it doesn't seem to cause it a lot of trouble.

Since I only got it this morning, I can't comment on the product's durability and/or dependability. But as far as I know, I recommend this product to anybody who likes to be free from cords.

I am a big fan of Rise of the Nations! I think it combines the best things of Civilization series and the Starcraft series... making me addicted to this darn game.
The expansion pack is great! It comes with great features that make the game more interesting:
1) More units, not puny ones, these new units really get the job done!
2) New civilizations... now you can represent even more countries. Even the Lakotas are there (who in the hell are the lakotas), never heard of them before in any other strategy game.
3) Additional campaings. Sometimes after playing a while, you get bored because you do the same campaings over and over again. With the new scenarios, be prepared to spend some time on the refreshed game.
4) Architecture perks, some new wonders of the world are added. There are only three of them.
By now, you might think that I am crazy for this expansion pack, I am. But I do also realize that there are setbacks. I think that for about 30 dollars, Microsoft could have done a better job. With the thousand programmers that Microsoft company has. Adding 20 units, 3 wonders, some new campaigns seems puny to me and the worst part is that it costs the same as the game itself (even when it involved less time and effort to make the expansion pack). So that is why I give this game a 4 star. Good, but not perfect. Maybe if the expansion pack costs $10 bucks, that would be perfect.

The hit of the first Rise of Nations was hard to overcome, but this expansion makes the game even better. The goverments that come into play just add to what type of nation you want to become: Military or Economic. But you will have to choose wiseley in order to win in harder modes of the game.

Overall: Brings new aspects to the game, but lack of choosing grows dull, you can only choose three. * * * * out of 5

The new nations brought into the game are the best features by far, unfournatley, only 6 are new:
Americans (very good, ability to entrench is excellent)
Iriquios (decent, just another nation)
Lakota (decent, just another nation)
Persians (very good, top 5 nations)
Indians (almost exactly like the Persians, very goood)
Dutch (unique units are somewhat inifective, decent)

Overall: Wish there were 1 or 2 more nations to have more playing time in future. * * * * out of five

The wonders are, again, seem to be to few: only 3 more, and at that one of them is just a city, and the other a huge castle. Of course they have huge benefits but I can think of a few "wonders" off the top of my head.

Overall: Highly dissapointed in the quantity of wonders: * * * out of five

The campaigns were defintely needed for this game, just because everything else seems limited (but good). The "New World" campaign is my favorite since you can be about 10 different nations, with different goals in mind. The Napolean and Alexander are roughly the same thing except of for different ages. The Cold War is my second favorite since you have to do many things in order to keep other countries conent with yours.

Overall: Adds to the gameplay but in Alexander and Naploean the senarios are repetitive in late game: * * * * out of five

Dont get me wrong, I love this game and recommend it for anyone, but just way a week or so for the price to go down.

Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots is a game you can't put away. It's a game that is addictive.

RISE OF NATIONS, named PC game of the Year is a game about building up your own civilization and conquering territory. THRONES & PATRIOTS EXPANSION PACK adds to that idea by adding new civilizations such as Lakona, Iriqouis, Americans, and Persians (my favorite). It also adds new governments such as Despotism, Monarchy, Capitalism, Socialism, Democracy, and a Republic. You can also build a Senate once you advance to the Classical Age.
Also, new challenging campaigns are included. That includes 'Alexander the Great', 'The Cold War', 'The New World', and 'Napoleon'.
All of these new features adds up to make this game the best conquering game I've ever seen. This is one that you can't let go.

About 6 years ago I was blessed with my first Kensington trackball, the TurboMouse, after reading rave reviews. I had never used such a perfect input device! When I got a new computer with USB, I couldn't use the TurboMouse so I tried several other Kensington products and also a Logitech trackball. All were very good but when I heard about the new Expert Mouse 7.0 (check out the Kensington website for a photo--it is gorgeous!), I was very excited. All I can say is that the experience is back! And it is better! Solid, responsive, precise and now with optical tracking and the ingenious scroll wheel, this is the finest input device ever made. Try it out and you will not be disappointed!

My old Kensington Expert Mouse Pro 6.0 (wireless) felt great, and solved all the health problems that my old Logitech thumb-trackball caused me. But it was a real dog -- Kensington sent me a new unit twice, but each one was as bad or worse than the last -- huge power drains; jumpy cursor; constant cleaning required; etc.

BUT -- the new Kensington Expert Mouse 7.0 is a dream. Its ball is as smooth as silk and gives absolute total control over cursor movement, even in CAD and mapping applications. There is simply no comparison with the previous version. Maybe it's the optical pickup, or giving up on cordless, or maybe just better quality control at the studio and factory, but 7.0 is a trackball to get excited about!

Nobody makes a better trackball than Kensington -- absolutely no one! It took them a while to get on the optical bandwagon so I had to get by with Microsoft & Logitech products until the wired optical trackball came out. The wired version is perfect except that I keep running out of cord or I'm always tipping something over. The wireless model goes through batteries every couple of days and it's response time is slower and jerkier than the wired one. Hopefully, with time they'll make a wireless one that responds like a Microsoft or Logitech while keeping that sweet Kensington "feel". When that happens I'll be the first in line to purchase one

No foolin', this is one great mouse for the money. No more shaking to dislodge a stuck mouse ball. Quick accurate pointer movements and a comfortable hand feel, this mouse includes a useful scroll wheel too. At this price, nothing appears to come close. Oh, and don't forget the limited lifetime warranty. Not sure what the limitations are, but lifetime is a pretty long time. It's nice to know the company is confident in the product. I like mine so much, I bought another one for a friend.

This mouse is a good product and it saves you ... from purchasing the Microsoft Intellimouse. I had a small amount of trouble installing it on my 486, but I got it to work well after a while. It works fine on all of my other computers. The software also allows you to program the scroll wheel to perform a function upon clicking it. This mouse looks different than the advertisements show it. The mouse is white and the scroll wheel is blue. This is a PS2 mouse. If you have a computer department store at home, you could probably find this mouse .... This mouse works best on flat surfaces and senses even the slightest movement. Great Product! Highly recommended!

WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! THIS LITTLE MOUSE WORKS PERFECTLY=ALMOST A GIVE WAY PRICE=SO COMFORTABLE TO USE= NO MORE CLEANING CHORES=SMOOTH AS SILK=ON A ONE TO TEN RATING IT IS A TEN PLUS=THANK YOU "MICRO" FOR A SUPERB PRODUCT AT SUCH A LOW PRICE WITH A LIFETIME WARRANTY! BLESS YOU!!!

I bought this ...several months ago and find it to be a fine product for the money I spent. Apparently, the price is already down ...from that at the time this review was written! The Wacom Graphire2 has exactly half the sensitivity as Wacom's more expensive tablets -- 512 levels as opposed to 1,024 -- but I suppose you get what you pay for. I knew when I bought it that it'd be more than adequate for your average, everyday Photoshop tasks, so this was not a problem for me at all.

Though I love the idea of it, I find the pen to be a bit awkward to use as a mouse. It is possible that I might get used to it with more use, but since I already have a great optical mouse, I have no incentive to try to get used to the pen for now. The cordless mouse Wacom provides is decent too, but I find that it's just too slow for my tastes. It tends to make me feel as if I'm dragging across my screen, as I'm used to a much faster mousing style. Again, this may not be a problem for others... it may come down to what your personal preferences are. If Wacom included tools to tweak the movement of the cordless mouse, I'd use it a lot more often, I suspect. Oddly enough, I don't have the same problem with the pen. It seems much faster than the mouse and is more pleasurable to use in that respect. I'll also mention that I love using this pen with the airbrush tool in Photoshop. The knob on the side of the pen is rather fun and when I first got this tablet I thought it was very cool that I could use the top of the pen as an eraser automatically. All in all, I find I must take off one star for the apparent inability to tweak the mouse's speed, otherwise I would have given it five stars.

In the meantime, take this product for what it is... a nice lower-end product for those who can't afford to shell out up to four times as much for the better, larger Wacom tablets. It's great for the tinkering I do in Photoshop and even if you don't have Photoshop, Wacom provides Adobe Photoshop LE and Corel Painter Classic for use with the tablet. Painter allows you to experiment with various mediums such as oil paint, charcoal, pastels, crayon, watercolor and much more.

For the non-professional artist who is considering using the computer as a graphics tool but doesn't have the cash to pony up to get the serious model, this would be a good starting point. However, if you make your living creating graphics on the computer, I'd suggest buying the 9x12 Intuos2 or an equivalent model.

The Wacom brand was the first one to come to mind when thinking about a graphics tablet - which I initially thought would be for graphics alone, but which has reached the stage after just two months of use has almost replaced my mouse.

Based on the tablet wizard, my ideal tablet would have been the Intuos2 for twice the price and twice the pressure levels. But I studied the Graphire2 very carefully, and opted for that instead, being half the price. It features a customizable pen with 512 levels of pressure (which is enough for most people), with an eraser, programmable duo-switch and very accurate pointer. At first it might feel strange using the pen to hover over the active area to move it around, but then it becomes natural. When you hit with the pen, the tablet it acts as a mouse click, and when you move along the tablet it acts as a click and drag. You can program every button on both pen and mouse for every application that you use, for a really custom fit. I can position the pointer in Word, and just flip the pen over and erase text, or I can be painting in Photoshop, and just flip the pen over and start erasing any mistakes without changing tools in the toolbar.

The tablet using absolute positioning, and each point in the active area (4x5 inches), corresponds to a position on your screen. I read previous reviews that considered 4x5 too small, but I looked at my mouse swing, and I rarely made long movements with my mouse, and this active area is quite sufficient for me. In some programs you can re-map this active area to a portion of the screen. The mouse is also absolute, and only works on the active area of the tablet. There is an overlay on the tablet for tracing, which could be quite useful, but I rather scan images and trace them on the screen - however, for people without a scanner, it can be sufficient.

The 4x5 tablet fits well on my desk taking up as much room as my mouse pad. I suffer from RSI, but this ergonomic pen creates no strain on my wrist though it took a little getting used to - luckily there is a tutorial and exercises to teach you, and you'd be up and running with the tablet in no time. The pen feels natural, as we're used to holding pens more than using a clunky mouse, which we had to learn a long time ago anyway. I tried using the tablet on every computer I could after that, so I won't have to use a mouse again - it works on Windows 2000 laptops, which make presentations really nice, as you can make annotations and drawings during a Powerpoint presentation, and you can even hold the tablet like a notepad, so you don't have to bend over to use the "mouse" again if you're standing. Since it is a USB tablet, it doesn't need any extra power source, which is a plus for me, as every other peripheral I have has taken up all six sockets in my power strip. The tablet doesn't work under Windows NT 4.0, as a warning to business users who still have that running at work.

The included software alone is well worth over $100USD. Think about buying Adobe PhotoShop 5.0LE and Corel Painter Classic and you'd have already spent over $100USD. I've heard problems with other USB tablets, but never with the Wacom tablets, they're even endorsing Opensource development of their drivers to get the tablet working under Linux (which it does now). The tablet comes included with a battery-less, cordless, scroll mouse that works on the tablet as well. I've so far used my tablet/pen/mouse for everything from surfing the web, helping me edit programs that I write, manipulating images and drawing some personal masterpieces, in less time than I took before. Wacom's website features a tip archive, a list of all the software that has hidden features for a stylus, and even special offers for discounts on products for Graphire2 owners.

There is no question that this tablet lives up to its brand name.

I got this about 6 months ago and I've never stopped using it. The mouse is 'ball-less', so no more cleaning. But the pen/stylus is a great replacement for the mouse. It fits into your hand more naturally than a mouse. Once you get used to it, you will hardly use the mouse again.
The 4"x5" tablet area might 'sound' small but if you think about it, you hardly ever move your mouse beyond 5" in one stroke.
I use this with linux. It took some research to get it installed. Now I use it all the time with gimp, photopaint and I just love it. The 4x5 grid can be mapped for either absolute positioning or relative positioning.
You will not regret buying this product. It is worth every $$ spent.

I do digital image editing as a hobby, and I wanted to find an accurate input device to handle fine line editing. I tried two different Kensington trackballs, but both had problems whenever I used slow, flowing movements. Even with clean rollers, the ball would never roll smoothly enough for minute editing. Logitech's use of optical tracking make the motion nearly flawless, almost no straying, even with a pixel-wide brush. I agree that the setup of the ball and buttons requires a bit getting used to, but the new hand position is more comfortable once you adapt to it. Others who are complaining about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are probably trying to force their hand position to match the usual angle they've used with other trackballs. You need to look at the instructions to see how to rest the arm and wrist properly for this item. I only dropped a star off the rating because it's too dang expensive! It's worth it, but I wish they would give us a break.

Once upon a time I got sick of the gunk build up on all the mice and trackballs I had used, it got to the point where they would bump and jump on the mouse pads. I was intrigued when I saw the technology used in the Trackman line, detecting position using the tiny dots on the ball. Now having used the FX Trackman at home and at work for over 3 years, I find that it is the still the best input device of its kind, including the new MSFT optical mice. Once one gets used to the button placement and develops the dexterity to utilise the trackball, constantly smooth and consistent movement will reward them. With no moving parts for the tracking assembly the user only rarely [once a year?] has to pop the ball out and clean the sensors. This trackball does very well in digital art work with Photoshop and is especially excellent when used to play classic trackball arcade games through Mame32 emulation, Missile Command, Tempest, Centipede, Arkanoid, etc. The tertiary buttons are recognized and used as scroll wheel counterparts in Win2k; it's a nice fluff feature. My only wish would be that Logitech eventually upgrade them to use USB so I can plug them into my MSFT keyboards. Otherwise, highly recommended.

I wish Logitech would produce a USB version of this trackball. This trackball is the best pointing device I've ever found. I have to clean it maybe once a year and it only takes about ten seconds. It is extremely ergonomic. The ball moves very smoothly with your index and pointing finger. I prefer a less-sensitive motion so the ability to use two fingers vice one thumb allows for fast controlled movement when desired. You don't have to "climb" the case to get at the ball and you don't have to break your wrist angle either.
After seeing the new trackballs out there I wonder if the new trackball designers have ever used one.

I bought this little mouse to keep in my laptop bag. I figured it would be nicer than using the touchpad when staying in hotels. Not only that, but it is a Microsoft mouse, so that means quality.....

Well, it is a good quality mouse, but there are a few minuses for me.
1. I am not a small guy, over 6-4....this thing is too small in my hand. Yes, I am a big guy, so I should have thought of it, but still, it is REALLY small.
2. It cannot use the Intellimouse software that MS uses with all its other mice. That means I cannot reprogram the middle button as a Back button to ease web browsing.
3. The cord is very short to allow for more compact storage. Well, my laptop has the USB port on the rear, left side of the laptop...and I am right handed. It barely makes it around my Dell Inspiron 8100.

Overall, just not a good purchase for me....my advice would be to try it out in the store before you buy...

Ron

This is a great little mouse and contrary to what Microsoft says on its website, it is possible to program the buttons using their Intellimouse software. There is no option for Notebook Mouse but you can just choose Wheel Mouse Optical instead and it works perfectly. The only problem is that the scroll button on mine is quite sticky so that when you program that button to do other things, it's easy to click it by accident when you just want to scroll. In the end, I didn't find being able to program the buttons that handy (since there are only 3 in total) but it was nice to be able to use the other programable functions. About the size, I am a small woman so I bought it because it's the perfect size for my hands! But I do have very small hands. I use it as my desktop mouse with a USB extension cable I bought separately. It is quick and accurate and very light.

I love it. Never a moment of trouble. I have big hands, but it's still comfortable.

Initial impressions were quite impressive - extra programmable buttons, ergonomic design, etc. However, build quality is a little low for a $50 mouse. It is too light and the center of gravity too high, so I tend to rock it around when moving the mouse. Also the buttons have a cheap clicky feel to it compared to other mice and there is the annoying "boing" sound sometimes when I release the button at a certain angle. Ergonomic-wise I find it more taxing to use have my hand in the hand-shake position (perhaps I am too used to the old flat design?) and while initially it was usable, I found a lot of stress is my wrist after long usage. Place your palm flat on a table, and imitate clicking with your index finger. Now, do the same in a hand-shake position, which feels more comfortable? For me I had to exert a larger force and move a larger distance for the hand-shake position to activate the click, so it generated more pain for me after some use.

My Evoluent has tremendously speeded up my computer use, from being very accurate to having customizable buttons. Although, what I like most is probably the comfort and the button configuration.

From the on-line photographs I didn't see much comfort for the Evoluent, but the comfort is there and is quite an amazing setup for a mouse. I also did not have the opportunity to first try out the Evoluent mouse so I was a little skeptical buying on-line. I didn't think the on-line photos were very convincing, but the reviews were most convincing.

With my old intellimouse I would often have wrist pains and I believe this wrist pain was mostly from my wrist lying flat, as well as tension from clicking and moving. I would feel it that's for sure and it got quite annoying. The Evoluent mouse has dramatically changed that. It's the position. When I hold the Evoluent mouse, my arm and hand are in such a comfortable natural gripping position it is unbelievably comfortable. It's like you are shaking someone's hand, or reaching for a small cup with your fingers. Such a great position. And it eases my finger clicking tension as well. I find now that I can click a lot more without any tension as compared with my Intellimouse. With my Intellimouse my fingers would strain and ache after hours of clicking, not any more.

I also have played a number of computer games and found the Evoluent great with computer games, even first-person shooters and adventure games. No problem here at all, actually I now prefer it better to any other mouse I have owned. With how your hand is positioned I find that I can get very accurate control dexterity as well as pinpoint accuracy. I can click for hours with no pain in my wrist or fingers and my palm does not hurt at all from lying flat.

I found that a good mouse pad was extremely helpful with the Evoluent mouse. With my Evoluent I use a mouse pad with a nice wrist cushion. I find it supports my wrist and the mouse puts my arm in a relaxed and very comfortable position. I also use a keyboard wrist support as well. I found wrist supports invaluable now with all of my computers.

I also learned from several ergonomic websites that a smaller keyboard may also be helpful ergonomically. I found out if you have a smaller keyboard you can easily move your arm to your mouse with much less distance to cover as compared to a large standard keyboard. This would help from overextending your arm at times. I use a Happy Hacking keyboard which is quite small in size and has a custom key layout which makes it much better for hitting certain keys (ctrl, Backspace, Esc) And I can also reach my mouse with the littlest arm movement that is possible with my setup. It really does speed up my writing, editing, and program use and I don't overextend my arm. Very comfortable even for long use.

The buttons & button configuration is outstanding and very customizable, another major plus. There are basically 5 buttons on this mouse

Top Button, Middle Button, Bottom Button, Wheel Button, & Thumb Button.

The Top Button (index finger) cannot be changed. But all the other buttons can be changed. On my mouse I have the Middle Button (middle finger) set up as the classic "right click." The Bottom Button (ring finger) I have setup for "show/hide desktop". And the Thumb Button I have set up as "Backspace." And of course, the Wheel Button for "Auto-Panning"

What a time saver! Getting to my desktop is a breeze and my backspace is easily accessible for fast webpage backup. Of course, the pointer speed and the double click speed can also be adjusted. The wheel button speed can also be adjusted to one/or many lines at a time, or even 1 page at a time. There is also a "button find" customization and a "Loop" customization. "Click Lock" is another where you can enable the mouse to single click and drag a picture or file and then single click again to release it. That's about it for the major software tweaks. There is also a new driver update for Evoluent; this can be found on their website. The driver located on my installation CD was an older version. I had no problem at all with set-up and installation. Also, to get the full capabilities for customization you have to use it as a USB mouse instead of a PS/2 mouse.

Using my mouse almost daily it is definitely worth it weight in clicking gold. I'm extremely happy and don't usually write technology reviews but this little gadget is an exception. If my mouse eventually wears out there is no doubt I will buy another one to replace it. Highly recommended.

I love this mouse! It feels great, and I love the back button, which takes you to the last page you visited. I hope I never have to give it up!