Just the job if it works with your computer. (Dicota Speedy)

Member Name: zero

Product:	Dicota Speedy
Date:	25/08/01 (417 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small, light, nice to use

Disadvantages: Does not work with all computers

If you are interested in a mini mouse, you may have read my DooYoo opinion on the Targus mini-mouse; and if so, you might wonder why I have gone and bought another mini-mouse. Well, its simple: this one has a scroll wheel, the Targus didn’t, and I really wanted a mouse with a scroll wheel.. The other problem with the Targus is the lack of a bag or container for it. The Dicota does not come with a bag, but I have solved this deficiency – well, sortof – see below.

I have not heard of Dicota before. It is, judging by the scanty documentation, a German brand, marketing a range of low-cost PC accessories. It is available from Morgan Computers (who, as you may know, major in re-manufactured and otherwise cheap PC hardware).

The mouse is small, about the same size as the Targus, but a more comfortable fit in the palm – a nice size to travel with. I really wanted to buy a Mitsumi Freestyle mouse, but when I eventually found one it (a) did not have a scroll wheel (this despite the picture on the Mitsumi website), (b) is incredibly small (about half the size of the Dicota) and (c) about twice the price! Apart from the unpleasant white logo printed on its top, and the almost turquoise grey wheel, the Dicota mouse is a dark metallic silvery-grey colour, which will complement most small PCs. It matches my Sony Vaio PCG-C1 well for colour and size. The only other “design” feature are small ribs either side – you can kid your friends that these cover stereo speakers if you want (but they don’t).

There is a mouse ball, which can be removed for cleaning in the usual way. I wish the mouse was optical like the Mitsumi, but there you are… It comes with a USB lead over a metre long, which is more than you need for a notebook; the extra length may come in handy for a desktop unit. The cable is nicely soft and not springy at all, better than the Targus. The supplied instructions are so brief as
to be negligible. But the hefty, over-the-top packaging is a treat, if you like that sort of thing!

I have plugged the mouse into the USB port of several PCs now. It installs itself and works – but not on all the machines I tried. A Sony Vaio with Windows 98: absolutely fine. A Toshiba 4600 with Windows 2000: absolutely not fine – the mouse stops responding at frequent, random, intervals, and only wakes up again if I nudge the trackpoint stick. I have no idea whether the problem arises from Windows 2000 or Toshiba, but be warned.

Anyway, when it works, it works well. Entirely unremarkable – which is as it should be. You move the mouse to the left, the on-screen pointer moves to the left, that sort of thing. The Windows “Mouse” control panel works fine with it.

Finally, the mouse is supplied with a diskette of software. I have no idea what is on this diskette yet, it does not seem to be entirely necessary for the mouse to function.

Lastly about the lack of something to protect the mouse in transit. You may recall I am worried about the ball becoming clogged with crumbs, dust and whatever when it is in my briefcase. Well, here is a partial solution. Morgan also sells a nifty little modem cable which retracts into a plastic casing (£9.99), also branded Dicota. This is supplied with a totally unnecessary little bag. I have now gifted this bag to my mouse. It is just the right size for the mouse itself, though the cable does not fit. The bag’s Velcro fastening stops the mouse from falling out. An imperfect solution, but better than none.

Summary: