Choosing and Buying Components - Mice (Page 16 of 22 ) Choosing a mouse is much like choosing a keyboard. Personal preference is by far the most important consideration. If possible, try a mouse before you buy it. Use the following guidelines when choosing a mouse: - Mice are available in various sizes and shapes, including small mice intended for children, note- book-size mice, the formerly standard “Dove bar” size, the mainstream ergonomic mouse, and some oversize mice that have many buttons and extra features. Most people find standard-size mice comfortable to use for short periods, but if for longer periods small differences in size and shape often make a big difference in comfort and usability. Although oversize mice provide attractive features and functions, people with small hands may find such mice too large to use comfortably. Pay particular attention to mouse shape if you are left-handed. Although Microsoft claims that their asymmetric ergonomic mice are equally usable by left- and right-handers, many lefties find them uncomfortable and resort to right-handed mousing. Other manufacturers, including Logitech, produce symmetric ergonomic mice.
Don’t assume that hand size and mouse size are necessarily related. For example, Barbara, who has small hands, prefers the Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer, which is an oversize mouse. She found that using a standard or small mouse for long periods caused her hand to hurt. Changing to a large mouse solved the problem.
- Get a wheel mouse. Although some applications do not support the wheel, those that do are the ones most people are likely to use a great deal—Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and so on. Using the wheel greatly improves mouse functionality by reducing the amount of mouse movement needed to navigate web pages and documents.
- Standard two-button mice (three, counting the wheel) suffice for most purposes. However, five-button mice are ideally suited to some applications, such as games and web browsing. For example, the two extra buttons can be mapped to the Back and Forward browser icons, eliminating a great deal of extraneous mouse movement.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Mice
Logitech and Microsoft both produce a wide range of excellent optical mice, in corded and cordless models. One of them is almost certainly right for you. Even their basic models are well built and reliable. The more expensive models have more features, are more precise, and are probably more durable. We used Microsoft optical mice almost exclusively for many years, and continue to recommend them. However, when we tested the superb Logitech MXseries optical mice, we found that we preferred their shape and feel. We now use Logitech optical mice on most of our primary systems. Avoid cheap, no-name mice. If someone tries to sell you a mechanical “ball” mouse, run.
- Mice have cords ranging in length from less than four feet to about nine feet. A short mouse cord may be too short to reach the system, particularly if it is on the floor. If you need a longer mouse cord, purchase a PS/2 keyboard extension cable, available in nearly any computer store.
- Consider buying a cordless mouse. The absence of a cord can make a surprising difference.
- Buy an optical mouse. Optical mice use a red LED light source and do not require any special mousing surface. Because they are sealed units, optical mice seldom need cleaning. Robert had to take his mechanical mice apart and clean them literally every few days, but his optical mice go for months without cleaning.
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