Microsoft OPTICAL MOUSE BY STARCK MAC/WIN ( BI2-00011 )

Rating:
Summary: inexpensive and neat
Review: I got this mouse for $6.13 and all you have to do is plug it into one of the usb ports and thats it. The scroll wheel, left and right buttons work perfect. If you get this optical mouse for $6 you should go for it.

Rating:
Summary: Better-looking but same old junk inside
Review: I'm using this on a G4 iMac. There is no driver included, none needed. Mac OS X and Windows computers recognize the right button and middle button/scroll wheel natively. That means that it doesn't have any whiz-bang special features like other more expensive third-part mice have, but it's a lot less fuss for the user too. Just plug it in and off you go.

I like the form of this mouse, not just the simple but elegant move of lighting up the center color strip and scroll wheel, but also the large clickable area on either side. The mouse still has "grabby" areas on either side of these buttons on either side of the mouse where you can hold it when you pick it up and relocate it without clicking the buttons. If you've used an Apple Pro mouse, it's a lot like that in terms of its clicking area, just with 3 buttons (including scroll wheel) instead of one button.

The Apple mouse is made from better, more durable and heavier materials though. It feels much more substantial in your hand than this mouse too. This mouse feels like any other cheap mouse you usually get with your computer in terms of its weight and materials. More importantly, the innards, aside from using a laser instead of a ball, are just as cheap. The buttons tend to stick when you try clicking. That can lead to a lot of frustration when using it. I often either end up highlighting text, popping up a menu or accidentally double-clicking when I try to get the buttons unstuck. Also, the springs tend to squeak now and then which doesn't interfere with functionality, but is annoying. Louder machines will probably hide this fault though. There's no ability to alter the clicking resistance. That is, the buttons are rather loose and click very easily under my hand. Finally, the laser is slow to recognize when you've pulled off a surface, which means that you'll sometimes throw the cursor across the screen when you're trying to lift the mouse up and placing it down again.

All in all, I wish the design of this thing extended into what's under the chassis. It's a surface job, which I suppose I should have expected for $30, but you can get a far better experience using a $40 mouse, even if it's ugly. Kensington in particular comes to mind, and their stuff, while more conventional, is often fairly nice to look at too.