A cute little mouse (Saitek Notebook Optical Mouse)

Member Name: GentleGenius

Product:	Saitek Notebook Optical Mouse
Date:	19/06/09 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, no special software needed, 2 year guarantee, colourful

Disadvantages: None so far

Recently, my computer system was upgraded, and whenever that is done, I like to make an assessment of the accessories I use, to see if anything can be improved upon, with the idea of making my whole internet experience easier and more enjoyable. On this particular occasion, I decided that it might not be a bad idea to buy a new mouse, and keep the one I'd been using for a couple of years as a spare, should any new one be unsatisfactory, or go wrong somewhere down the line.

I hate to use a roller-ball mouse, as I find them cumbersome and inefficient, and I thus always prefer to use an optical mouse. I'm not very keen on wireless "mice", as it's not often that I remember to buy batteries for their operation, so I like to go for the cabled optical variety.

Whilst browsing through my nearest shop that has a rather limited selection of computer accessories, I couldn't see a mouse which appealed to me in any way, so I asked the assistant if there were any for sale that weren't on display - he went to the storeroom at the back of the shop, and brought out a few more samples for me to look at.

After the mouse being corded and optical, the most important thing for me is what I call the grip factor. I do have rather large hands with very long fingers, yet despite that, I prefer a small mouse, and in the past have sometimes bought one designed for children. For some reason, when I use a larger or standard-sized mouse, I seem to grip it harder and it makes my hand ache.

Amongst the selection of "mice" I was shown, was the Saitek Notebook Optical Mouse, which was smaller than all the others. I wasn't able to properly try the mouse first, as it was wrapped inside a piece of card bearing an image of a multi-coloured flower, then tightly sealed inside stiff, clear plastic casing, welded together around the edges - but I was able to curl my hand around the shape of the mouse outside of the plastic packaging, and it felt just right.

There wasn't a lot of information on the outside of the packaging, so I had to rely on the advice of the sales assistant, as regards what type of fitting the mouse had, and I was pleased that it connected to the computer via a USB plug. I prefer a USB fitting, because of the way I have my computer bits and pieces set up - I don't use a desk, and being as my overall physical movement is limited, I have to arrange things so that I can reach them easily, and a USB mouse fitting is ideal for me. I just hoped that the sales assistant knew his stuff, and that once I got home, I didn't find that he'd mis-informed me about certain things.

The sales assistant showed me several colours I could choose for this mouse; yellow, blue, green, purple and pink. Other colours are available (such as grey, black, white and various different dark and light shades of those just mentioned), and I opted for the shocking pink colour.

Once home, I had a lot of problems trying to get the mouse out of the packaging which was sealed more securely than Fort Knox, and after much grappling with teeth, knives and scissors, I eventually managed to release the product without quite having to resort to using a chainsaw.

The cardboard housing for the mouse had a little box shape on the bottom, containing the printed instructions and guarantee, in several European and a couple of Asian languages. The lead, which is black and about 3ft long, has a USB connection at one end, and joins to the top of the mouse at the other end. Part of the surface of the mouse is clear, showing the inner workings, and once plugged into the USB port, a pale pink light comes on just underneath the scrolling roller. This little light actually looks quite nice and warming in a dark room.

No special software was needed to make the mouse operational, and I could use it straight away.

At first, I found the mouse a little tricky to operate, but I think this was because for some time, I'd been using a full-sized mouse (complete with aching hands), and it took me a couple of hours to accustom myself towards reverting back to a small mouse, but once I learned to move it around with my fingers rather than cupping my hand around it (which is what I do with a small mouse, and prefer it that way), I was happily whizzing around the screen, clicking on this, that and the other. The overall movement of the mouse is fast, and very smooth, with no lag or jamming up.

This mouse is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, XP64, Vista and Mac OSX running systems (I personally use ordinary XP). It claims to be designed for notebook usage, but I am unable to test this as firstly I don't do notebook myself, and I have no idea what it is anyway. The product is also designed for both left and right handed users, but despite the instructions being clear (even if the print is rather small), I can't find anything which explains whether this dual handed function is automatic, or whether you have to tweak something on the mouse or on the computer setup to alter the left or right handed orientation.

I am right-handed, and so far have found that only a tiny movement of my index finger is needed to click on anything, and the scroll button is very easy to roll, using my middle finger.

I do have a laptop which I keep for emergencies, just in case my main computer malfunctions, and the mouse worked perfectly with that, as well as my computer proper.

The product, which is made in China, is guaranteed for two years, and there is a note on the packaging to state that only the cardboard casing is recyclable - plus, Saitek's web address is printed on the side.

This is an ideal little mouse for me, which aside from the first couple of hours when I was re-accustoming myself to its smaller size after having used a larger one, has so far worked perfectly. The size of the mouse would be ideal for children to operate, and adults with smaller hands or who just prefer not to use a mouse which is so large, that it needs to be gripped in the palm of the hand, rather than lightly manipulated using the fingers.

As described above, there are plenty of fun colours available, but if you prefer a more sober appearance to your computer accessories, you can opt for grey, black or white.

I paid £17.99 for this mouse, and I would think this is full price, as the shop where I bought it from is a privately run outlet in a tiny town that is only one step up from being a village. Chances are great that it could be bought at other computer accessory outlets, on or offline, for a significantly lower price. The reason why I didn't shop around to try and buy it cheaper elsewhere, is simply due to limited time, limited transport facilities and living out in the sticks, making it more difficult for me to travel to a large town where there most likely would be larger computer supplies outlets, such as PC World or Staples.

This is a lovely, dinky sized, fun little mouse that I'm sure would please adults and children alike, and comes highly recommended by me. If you consider buying one though, do shop around on or offline, to see if you can get it cheaper than the price I paid.

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Dinky, colourful, fully functional, and fun

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