Mouse Reviews

I still remember when I bought my first Palm III: it was a cool product, but the replacement of batteries made it a very annoying toy. I also find it very un-ecological. Fortunately, the Palm V eventually came out, with a rechargeable battery built in. That made the whole difference to me.

Any cordless device is bound to have this problem, since we haven't yet discovered how to transfer power through airwaves (wouldn't that be a great invention).

The Logitech Cordless Desktop MX for Bluetooth is a perfect example of the above. The mouse ahs a built-in battery that can be recharged in a station, just like a cordless phone. More unfortunately, the keyboard uses four AA batteries.

Any desk product that trades off batteries for a power cable is very questionable in my opinion. If it was hardly justifiable for a Palm, I just can't find a reason to do so for your desktop keyboard. The mouse, on the other hand, is an excellent item. I see that it can be bought without the keyboard--probably a smart trade-off.

The set itself is very beautiful and sturdy, and the installation on XP was extremely easy. I cannot wait to use Bluetooth with my Palm m515. Whether it will drain the battery in two hours is a question I would like to know the answer to.

I bought this set after a long search for a wireless set with a USB keyboard connector for my laptop (thanks to Toshiba for not putting one on my P10). When I opened the box and installed it on my laptop (prior to installing the drivers, which I had to download from Logitech's website) and no problems of detection (both on my Windows XP and Gentoo Linux systems). And everything worked like a dream after installing the software packages. If you take to time to play with the iTouch settings you can create a monster of the keyboard (attaching menus (instead of direct commands) to the hot keys, etc.)

I actually had no intentions of writing a review for this set, I didn't even buy it from Amazon but some of the reviews here gave such a bad impression that I had to. First the bluetooth hub works fine with non-Logitech devices, however if a bluetooth hub or similar device is installed prior to this set, the setup utility limits the hub to the keyboard+mouse set in order not to screw your existing Bluetooth configuration.

Someone made a point about the hotkey icons.
"Shopping Cart" for Shopping

How can you better describe shopping. The same goes for all the other hotkeys. I'm starting to doubt that you are talking about this particular product.

Also the keyboards battery consumption is quite economic, compared to my heavy usage (about 10-15 hours per day)

Why 4 stars? No users manual or software is included with the box. Downloading the software (around a total of 40 MB) can be frustrating for people using Dial-up.

I purchased this product due to its Bluetooth capabilities. While it takes a bit more setup than your standard keyboard and mouse, it works extremely well. The keyboard and mouse work very well and have a great feel. The keyboard is extremely comfortable. The mouse charger also acts as a Bluetooth hub, which I used to connect my Palm Pilot and hope to use with a Bluetooth enabled phone soon.

The software also provides a few nice extras, such as onscreen volume display. Cap Lock/Num Lock/Scroll Lock onscreen display.

It came down to this product or the Microsoft Bluetooth setup. I chose Logitech both because of my previous success with their products and because the keyboard is a standard layout. The Microsoft version moves the Insert/Delete// block of six keys into a two column formation and doubles the size of the delete key. As a programmer, this frustrated me to no end.

Overall I am very impressed and I am planning on purchasing a duplicate set for my home.

This keyboard is one of the best designed pieces of hardware I've ever seen. You can see the attention they gave to details, from the lock that becomes the pda support, to the rubber strips that won't let the keyboard and the pda slip. You'll never write as fast as in your desktop, but It's a nice package for the portability you get.

If the hardware is great, I can't say the same about the keyboard driver. If you are writing in a language with a lot of accented letters (portuguese, french, spanish...) the software makes it almost useless for any serious writing. It's so clumsy that to put a simple tilde (~) in a letter you have to push 4 keys at the same time! Great to slow you to death and to give you some RSI. Why you can't just press the accent, and then the letter (as you do in all international keyboards) is beyond my understanding. You'll be able to use it just for some notetaking without accents.

I've bought the wireless version because I have a Clié palmtop. Palm licenses this keyboard from Thinkoutside, the makers of the Stowaway keybards, and their site says that the wireless model is compatible with almost all palm models. Since I plan to go back to a palm sometime soon, I've bought this for compatibility. After reading the README file, everything worked fine. Unfortunately the price for the infrared connection is a more intensive use of the pda battery.

Basically to compare it with the palm portable keyboard which I had before, I'd rather have the universal PPK. The wireless keyboard:
-needs batteries to run
-deactivates the IR if you're idle for a certain amount of time so you'd have to go back to keyboard preferences to reactivate it. You can set the length of time before it turns the IR off (for "power users"), though, but I guess this option is given so that you can try to conserve batteries.
-IR connection affected but external factors like was said in other posts
-the way it folds up: won't that plastic thing that keeps it shut wear in time? PPK just clicks closed.
-the plastic material that the IR keyboard is made up of, including the IR wand: doesn't seem to be very durable. I had to look for a case for my unit to keep it protected.
-you need to press extra buttons just to type numbers & stuff

-I guess the advantage of it's being wireless is if you're having problems with your unit's hotsync port - but you can always have that repaired by palm (you need it to hotsync, too)

I suppose it depends on the needs of the user, but for me, I'd rather have the PPK. :)

Bought this last week. After loading the keyboard driver I was able to place my Palm T3 on the keyboard holder and begin typing.

I have used other keyboards for the Palm and by the time I got the PDA docked properly ont he connector I usually forgot what I was going to type...

This works exactly as designed. The only knock on it that I've read is that you must turn your T3 to left handed mode if you want to type in landscape format.

This is a very useful device.

Kensington makes outstanding trackballs. The large, heavy balls (actually pool balls) have a good feel and allow precise control. The ergonomic tilt is very comfortable, and the extra button and ring on the TurboRing are useful.

Unfortunately, the trackball requires periodic cleaning if it is to keep working. The ball rides on tiny ball bearings snapped into plastic seats. It's tricky to disassemble and reassemble - the label and some of the rubber feet must be peeled off. Then the bearings can pop out and they're a bear to find - don't do this on a rug! (Other Kensington trackballs use heavy duty ball bearing assemblies. But they too require occasional cleaning.)

Kensington's customer support has been absolutely outstanding. They completely stand behind their products, and take great care of their customers. I love their products and they work well. That's why I keep putting up with the cleaning.

This is my first day using this nifty device and I really like it so far. That means a lot from someone who used a regular mouse for the past 15 years and finally decided on a trackball after my wrist started to hurt several weeks ago.
The shape fits very nicley in my hand and I don't need a wrist support to have a comfortable feel (I absolutely had to use one with the mouse).
I don't agree with previous comments that it requires excessive force to use the ball or ring. My only dilemma is to decide which finger to use for the trackball and which one to use for the ring. I'm sure it will take some time getting used to it.

me gustaria saber si tienen en existencia los siguientes productos: Kensington "TurboRing Trackball (PC/USB Mac) " y tambien "Turboball USB Trackball " o en que tiempo los consiguen.
una persona esta en los angeles (area de san. Fernando) y le pedi que me lo compre le voy a hacer llegar el telefono de ustedes, gracias de antemano por su tiempo. si me pueden dar el telefono de una tienda que estae cerca de ahi se los agradeceria.

I have to say that this mouse is very well designed for laptop users. It was a great mouse, and, you can read the other reviews to find out how.

I bought this mouse when I bought my Toshiba Laptop for use in school. The mouse worked great:
*Instantly recognized when plugged in.
*Small size perfect for portable use.
*Etc Etc.

The problems started after about 8 months of constant use, being carried from class to class, being unplugged and plugged several times everyday. It worked great untill the cord got a short in it. The mouse started to stop working if you moved the cord close to the USB connector. I fixed this by cutting off about a foot of the cord and the USB connector, and connecting another one. This seemed to solve the problem, but now, after exactly a year of using the mouse, the laser light on it is turning on and off for no apparent reason, and I am afraid I am now shopping for a new mouse.

Therefore I conclude that while this mouse is great for laptops, in is not durabble enough to be called truelly portable. It cannot stand up to the use that a mobile laptop user would give it. However, I have to be fair and mention that the plug on my power supply eventually came off after being plugged and unplugged so often, so this mouse is not the only non-durable laptop item.

I purchased this mouse because of its attractive price being it is optical. It was very easy to setup on my Windows 98 desktop, although I guess it is used for laptops. But at any rate, I loved the simplicity of this mouse.

The draw back was the wheel for me. When ever I would want to scroll down a page and it would run over a drop-down list, it would change the setting of the web page and take me places I didn't want. This happens EVEN if the selected option in the drop-down list is NOT HIGHLIGHTED. But if you switch its mode to Default, then the mouse only allows you to scroll 1 line per scroll unit! That is too slow for me! Even if you change the Scroll Speed, it doesn't work if you remain in Default. It is not a major problem, but an annoying one. Other than that, this mouse is small and durable, which I prefer. I would rate it a 3.5 if I could, but 3 would sound too low. So I rated it 4 stars, especially considering its sticker price.

This mouse is PERFECT for people like me who, with their laptops, are fine with the touchpad/eraser head for short periods of time, but like to unwind with a normal mouse for longer periods of time...Or if you flat out can't stand your touchpad/eraser head for any period of time.

The size of this mouse is excellent for mobility. It fits into very small spaces, i.e. into a compartment of your notebook carrying case. It's shortened cord (5-ft) is brilliantly employedto accommodate people using it with their laptops. It's never too short, or too long.

It's an optical mouse, so you can expect the same razor-sharp accuracy you would with any full-sized optical mice.

My notebook is running Windows XP, and interfaces flawlessly with the mouse. I just plugged it in and it worked! No set-up required. Such is not the case with older operating systems, but the mouse comes with an installation disk to guide you through it.

Within a month of getting this. It stopped working. After dealing with Tech Support, they sent me a second one. It also stopped working after about a month. I tried to convince the woman in India (Kensington customer service) to replace it with a less expensive, wired trackball that worked, and they refused.
It was nice while it worked, but but died far too quickly.

I have used almost every trackball produced. My favorite until buying the Kensington 64245 was Logitech's Marble Trackball, which I still use on a secondary computer.

Both of the above trackballs are the best without any close competition. Kensington 64245 wins over the Marble Trackball because it is wireless, which means the cord is not being pulled out or tied up with other wires.

Logitech has developed a wireless version of the Marble Trackball but elected to make it optical, which defeats the purpose of a trackball.

I use trackballs because I hold the mouse rather than move it around on a desk. Logitech's wireless version ties it to the desk because it is optical and doesn't reacte well, if at all, to finger touch.

I have one question about the Kensington Expert Mouse Pro. What is the difference between the 64245 and 64329 models?

Like many reviewers, I had tried many different mice and found a tendency to hand and finger fatigue with prolonged use, as well the nuisance of falling off the mousepad periodically.

After having a Kensington trackball for use at workstations in our hospital, I became gradually used to the feel of this trackball which initially was irritating regarding pointing accurately. Once having become used to it, I have found it just as fast and accurate as a mouse, and relatively effortless especially when using it for hours at a time. The stationary aspect is a welcome relief, and you develop the eye-finger coordination very quickly. The software is excellent and allows virtually any type of programming of all the buttons plus two additional "double button" selections(pressing two buttons at a time). While you can program a button to scroll or autoscroll, this is generally unnecessary since there is an additional scroll ring which can be programmed in either direction, at several rates. The unit is equally easily used right or left handed. Another plus for me is that I can place it directly on my Wacom tablet, while optical cordless mice I have found to suffer from interference, I presume RF, from the tablet, so that an intervening mouse pad is required. Not so for the Kensington trackball. I have found no conflict with the Wacom and Kensington drivers.

I initially experienced periodic spontaneous reversion of the button programming to default positions, but this bug seems to have been corrected with the latest iteration of the driver.

This trackball does eat batteries(2 C cells) which must be replaced about every month with standard usage. In talking with tech support, they say that it is because of the high resolution, and that it indeed does power down when not used, but I wonder if the batteries wouldn't last longer if there were an off switch, or that electronically it would switch to a real hibernate mode when not used for a programmable period of time. It's not a big deal, but plan to add about $25/year for operating costs!

Not inexpensive, for sure, but, IMHO, well worth the investment in terms of ease of use and its features. For those who have not used a trackball, please be prepared to spend a little time getting used to its format, feeling clumsy a bit at first, and not rushing to judgment. Buying from a place with a 30 day exchange period would seem reasonable.

Ease of setup and the mouse performance gets a big nod of approval. The keyboard, however, is a different story. I bought the combo for two reasons: 1) I like the idea of the mouse being able to function "in air" vice being restricted to a flat surface, and 2) the keyboard was small, sexy, and very seductive. Turns out looks aren't everything. The keyboard is VERY compact and to that end, a great choice if you are short on desk space. However, I found myself missing a number pad--especially when using Quicken or calculator functions, and my typing errors were through the roof. The keyboard is on par with that of a laptop keyboard, which is ok if you are using a laptop, but when I am using a desktop, I want the convenience of a full-sized keyboard...and you probably will also.

I *love* the narrow laptop-layout keyboard: it's the only one I've seen yet that doesn't stick seven inches' worth of miscellaneous navigation and numpad keys between typing surface and mouse. It eliminates the wrist-and-shoulder strain of right hand jutting out toward mouse. My Kensington trackball can sit neatly close. It's the best ergonomic advance for my desktop experience since switching over to dvorak input.

The keyboard alone is worth the price; it was a real bonus to get this gyro-pointer (which used to cost much more!) for free. It takes some practice, but it's the best specialized tool for presentations.

Tip: attach velcro patches to crucial keys (return, delete, command) to help you use them confidently while touch-typing. It's especially helpful on this keyboard because there's one column of navigation keys to the right of return and delete.

Mac users: use DoubleCommand shareware to fix Windows' switched positions of the command and option keys.

The Gyration mouse is your average optical mice, but with one big difference: a gyroscope inside the mouse that let's you operate the mouse 'in the air' and without line of sight, up to 25ft. Personally, I prefer a normal desktop mouse when I have a desk, but in 'deskless' situations, such as surfing the net from your couch or in boardroom meetings, this is the definitive solution. There is a 2 hour learning curve with this mouse, but it becomes natural after a while.

A wireless, tiny keyboard also comes with this combo. The keyboard is *very* light and also has excellent range, although it is a little too small for comfort as it has the exact dimensions of a typical laptop keyboard. Great if you have very tiny hands and are used to a laptop , but I much prefer the big desktop keyboards, and my fingers are a little slimmer than the average male's.

Aesthetically, the keyboard/mouse combo also look very nice.

The Mouse
------------------
Pros:
- The gyroscope works extremely well when you don't have a desk or are in a deskless situation (ie. your couch)
- You can use it on a surface like a normal mouse in addition to 'in the air'
- 25ft of range is accurate (worked great for me at 20ft through walls)
- *the* boardroom/presentation mouse

Cons:
- Battery drains a little faster than conventional wireless mice, and will require a charge every two days
- you will have a hard time with games in 'gyroscope' mode, unless you're very accurate in making small movements with just your wrist
- Does not have the conventient 'back' and 'forward' buttons other mice have
- Mostly convenient when one needs to do tasks without a desk

The Keyboard
-----------------
Pros:
- *very* light
- good operating range
- small
- looks nice

Cons:

- no convenient keypad on keyboard (except if you use the awkward function key)
- because it's small, it may be uncomfortable for some with bigger fingers
- The media keys are not configurable, and there is no software/drivers for it

Overall, I'm very pleased with the mouse. I rarely use the keyboard, however, due it's small size that is less comfortable as a full sized keyboard. I would immediately recommended it if you're really need it for deskless situations, but otherwise if you work at your desk most of the time, a conventional wireless with more features is the way to go.

Hint: Double click the trigger button to go into 'triggerless' mode

The day after writing a review of my Microsoft Optical Intellimouse, against which I questioned if the Kensington Optical Pro would steal back my Kensington loyalty, I found the Kensington mouse locally at half-price. Because of the low price, I went ahead and bought it in spite of uncertainties regarding the Windows 2000 drivers.

In short, if you use Windows 2000, I do not recommend this mouse. Kensington is still developing their drivers and only have a beta release available for Win2K, identified as version 5.60b8 (as of 1/18/01). On my system I found the mouse might initially work just fine but would lose functionality of the keys after a short period of time. Although my system multi-boots between Win2K and Windows Millennium, I didn't try the mouse out under the latter, since Win2K is more frequently used.

So, for now I have relegated the mouse to use on my Windows NT4 PC at work, where it does perform just fine and with the full dynamic reprogramming of the mouse buttons as I switch between applications. I did have problems initially with scrolling in Internet Explorer 5.5 but that was resolved by selecting "Office 97 Style" scrolling in the MouseWorks control panel. Given that the mouse works properly with WinNT4, I'm pretty confident that it would work well also in Windows Millennium, since those drivers are likely quite similar to the Windows 9x drivers that, like WinNT4, have been around long enough to have matured. That is, Windows 2000 was quite a large change and thus I guess one could expect drivers for it to be more unique than those for the other operating systems. Regardless, it is quite annoying that Kensington doesn't have out fully working drivers for Windows 2000 as the O/S is now about 1 year old.

Ergonomically, my opinions are mixed in comparison to the Microsoft Optical Intellimouse. On both mice, I'd rather see the side buttons moved forward just a bit more, and that is more true of the Kensington mouse which requires more effort to depress the buttons. The top mouse buttons on both mice have a comfortable activation effort, but I'd give a nod to the Kensington as being closer to my personal preferences. And, as expected, I do much more prefer the tension on the wheel of the Kensington. This is more noticeable as I switch between the mice at home and at work. The MS mouse wheel can literally be spun with a flick of the finger while the Kensington cannot; I prefer the added feel of the latter. As for the mouse body, the Kensington loses out to the MS mouse in two aspects: A slicker surface finish that wouldn't be so bad if not also for the body tapering toward the bottom. With the slick finish, the result is the mouse requires a firmer grasps as you pull it back towards you. While the taper may fit the lower part of one's palm better, adding some outward contour to the mouse sides would've improved things. With exception of the Kensington Thinking Mouse which I really liked the comfort of, I've long thought Microsoft holds the reign on overall comfort in the shapes they use in their Intellimouse series. Of course, this is probably a very personal choice, where others may favor the very sculpted Logitech designs.

I'm giving this mouse 4 stars since I suspect a greater majority of PC users will be running Win9X/Me/NT4 systems than Windows 2000. Although there are some ergonomic shortcomings, the overall MouseWorks functionality remains a very strong selling point in my mind. For Windows 2000 users, I recommend the MS Optical Intellimouse until Kensington delivers fully working drivers; at that point, you'll have to let your own ergonomic preferences dictate the final choice.

It is not the most comfortable mouse I have ever used but the software that comes with it is very easy to use. I like being able to easily program the buttons. Also, the fact that dust and other stuff doesn't get inside the mouse causing the ball to go crazy is awesome.

This is the best computer peripheral I've ever purchased.

One day God decided to remind me that I'm a psychology student and not a computer programmer, which he accomplished by interrupting my successful web design career with debilitating carpal tunnel syndrome. So I went out looking for an optical mouse (and braces, and an ergo keyboard, and a better chair, and a big big bottle of ibuprofen). Thus I came upon the Kensington MIAB Optical Pro. Now look -- I can even waste keystrokes typing silly reviews on Amazon [.com]!

With four buttons plus a clickable scroll wheel, this mouse offers a great many opportunities to reduce wrist-flinging. It comes with customization software that allows you to define different click-equivalents for different programs. It's not perfect, but it's made my work much slicker and more pleasant.

The best part came when the mouse broke. The Kensington tech actually _listened_ to my report of the problem and the hardware-testing I'd done to diagnose it. He immediately shipped me a replacement, even before asking that I send back the damaged mouse. This kind of service is even more valuable to me than the product itself.

Good product and easy to install and use(for my XP). It is very functional and sensitive, even from 6 feet away.

But it is not optical mouse although having durable optical technology? Wheel is not very smooth comparing with my other three wired mouses. And unfortunately I can only use the grey color since other two are not compatible.

Anyway, it is a good pruduct for this price.

The unit works fine. However i've would have preferred the optical version of it. Secondly the base unit(receiver)is a bit bulky (it's like a corded-mouse in itself). The receiver should have been smaller and like the one that directly sits in the usb slot. Performance wise its flawless.

Great product for the price. Easy to install and use. Very functional and sensitive. I have a small desk with limited space, and way too many cords already, and the mouse cord was always getting caught on the corner of the keyboard drawer. No problem now. I like it immensely. Great value with the current rebate.

I am a big FPS (First person shooter) gammer and I love the idea of the button on the side, its feel is nice and the dual scroll feature is great when doing research online.

The cons are that they are prone to fail, CONSTANTLY and good luck gettting them to work right after a month. I still can't get mine to stop jerking after the [...] drivers taht I got when I installed it the last time.

My opinion, learn to use the keyboard.

The mouse is very smooth, and I love the speed. I use it for work and do some art and publishing. I turn the wheels to scroll up/down left/right and it zooms in and out instead. Checked the install software for the zoom feature and it's supposed to be on the third button. As a previous owner stated, the third button is a little hard to reach and the options for the button are not as many as with other mice. The smoothness of the wheels are a little hard to get used to too.

I've never had a scrolling mouse before and it helps with internet use as well as game play. The scrolling is smooth and even has a button for larger scrolls. The mouse itself it exceptionally smooth in it's movement. I would recommend this mouse to anyone who's looking for even just a normal mouse. It is one of the cheapest mice that I've ever seen and it has two scrolls. This is a great product.

I Really, REALLY wanted to love this mouse. I think Apple's USB optical pro mouse is perhaps the most perfect mouse I've ever used (including multi-button and scroll-wheel mice). I always thought that the only thing that would make it better was to make it wireless. So when Apple announced this bluetooth mouse I quickly purchased it.

Having owned it for about a month now, I can tell you flat out that I don't like it. It seems bigger than the optical mouse (I think this is because the pro mouse has a coating a clear plastic, because they look the same size next to each other, but it still "feels" bigger in my hand), heavier, and less responsive (Sometimes it doesn't move at an even speed with the hand - it kind of jerks).

In addition, it can take upwards of five seconds to de detected by the computer, and sometimes has an annoying habit of beining completely unresponsive after I wake up the computer from putting it to sleep. The only solution I've found is to turn off the mouse until it disconnects, and then turning it back on.

All in all I think I wasted my money on this mouse. I've been using it since I purchased it, but as of now it is going into the extra computer stuff drawer. I love Apple dearly, but this mouse isn't for me. Too bad, because I still haven't found anything useful for my bluetooth module. Perhaps I also wasted my money on the BT module as well?

This is my third attempt at a portable mouse for my PB. First was the Targus USB wireless minimouse which was tiny and worked great, but had no off switch (had to remove batts). Second came the full-sized Kensington USB wireless which had a neat compartment for the USB receiver and could be turned off, but wouldn't track on many surfaces and whose construction was very cheap (resulting in a very short lifespan). I had held off on this mouse for a while due to the price. I finally took the plunge a month ago and have no regrets! BT mouse is great! Extremely easy setup. My PB detects it usually in 2-3 seconds. It also tracks (nearly) as well as the Targus minimouse (which could handle ANY surface). Only a few hiccups on the shiny formica at B&N. The off switch is cleverly placed and protects the optics while loose in my laptop bag. Design is clean, classic Apple. One of my favorite things about this mouse is the fact that you can check on battery levels from System Preferences on your powerbook!!! The only negs I can think of are that I do miss right clicks and the wheel somewhat. Not nearly enough to go back to the others though... Strongly recommend!

I plugged in the bluetooth adapter. I put the batteries in the mouse and turned it on. Then I used it to click on things.

I'm not sure what it's like for Jaguar, but that was the installation process in its entirety under Panther. This mouse really is an incredible product, and beautifully designed. It is a bit heavy, but that's to be expected with a wireless mouse.

Although Apple recommends you turn the mouse off when it's not in use, I've found it's not worth the effort. The supplied two AA batteries lasted a full month!