Don't Fall Into the Wireless-Mouse Trap

By AARON CURTISS

May 24, 2001 12 AM PT

aaron.curtiss@latimes.com

In this untethered world of television remote controls, cellular telephones and personal digital assistants, the home PC remains a wired beast that anchors users to a desk with a tangle of cords and plugs that looks like a junior high school science project.

The promise, of course, is that PCs someday will be discreet little minions running all sorts of cool applications, leaving their users to wander freely around the house. The first step in that technical transformation is the wireless mouse--a nifty class of gadgets that claim to free computer users from the ergonomic straitjacket of their desk chairs and allow them to use the computer reclining like Nero in a chaise.

Oh, what promise. Oh, what a universal disappointment. The wireless mouse seems like a solution in search of a problem--and it’s a solution that can introduce all sorts of new problems to an unsophisticated user who mucks up a system with unnecessary installations.

Although all four devices we tried--Intel’s Wireless Mouse, Logitech’s Cordless Mouse and Cordless MouseMan Optical and Microsoft’s Cordless Mouse--enjoyed a high gee-whiz factor, none justified even the $40 price tag attached to the cheapest.

And the top-end model? Even though the $70 Logitech Cordless MouseMan Optical was our hands-down favorite, forget about it. Stick with the trusty mouse that came packed with your computer until device makers figure out a way to make wireless components cheaper and more reliable.

Never mind all the high-concept chatter about being freed from the desktop. A wireless mouse does not even live up to its most mundane promise of reducing the number of wires protruding from the PC. Before any wireless mouse can work, it has to have a radio receiver installed so it can transmit its directional signals back to the PC.

The receivers, which ranged in size from Logitech’s tiny black pie wedge to Intel’s massive blue-and-bone Hershey’s Kiss, plug into either a Universal Serial Bus or serial port or the standard PS2 mouse port and generally are easy to set up. But after removing the cord from the old mouse, users have to plug in a new cord for their wireless mouse’s receiver.

No net loss of cords.

Plus, all the wireless mice require batteries for power. The devices we tried came with the first set included, but needing batteries adds a layer of inconvenience for users accustomed to having peripherals draw power from their PC.

So, what a wireless mouse boils down to for most users is the ability to play solitaire from across the room. Or, for complete compulsives, it means cleaning the desk of that tiny tether linking mouse to PC. If either of those is worth $40 or more, here’s how the various devices stacked up.

Intel Wireless Mouse

The company that manufactures the chips powering the vast majority of computers in the world recently has branched out into products that aim to make the convoluted boxes easier to use. Along those lines, its series of wireless products intends to make computing fun with jazzy keyboards and mice that all function wirelessly.

Great idea. Except it just doesn’t work all that well.

The concept is that keyboard, mouse and game pad all can be controlled from a central base station that draws power from a wall socket and connects to the PC through a USB port. The base station by itself costs $30 and the mouse costs $40, but Intel sells them bundled for the discounted price of $70. Uh, right.

Once installed, the base station is supposed to make it as easy as clicking a button to add new devices.

It’s supposed to, but try as we might, we could not get the central base to recognize the mouse. The batteries were installed correctly. The base unit software said it was working fine. But when the base went searching for the mouse, its little yellow “connect” light just blinked forlornly for more than three minutes before giving up.

After an hour of trying to figure out the problem, we gave up too--frustrated by the so-called “help” menus that come with the software. The program’s control panel is dominated not by helpful suggestions but by images of other products in the wireless line boasting bright pink links with information on “how to buy.”

Really now, when computer users are pawing around in frustration trying to figure out why a new device doesn’t work as promised, the last thing they want to see is an ad for other things that probably won’t work as promised.

That said, the mouse itself seemed a comfortable little number with two buttons and a scrolling wheel. It fit nicely into meaty hands and was heavy enough that it felt like it wouldn’t blow off the desktop.

Pity we never got to see it in action.

Logitech Cordless Mouse

For computer users who disregard everything we’ve said about wireless mice and ache to break the bonds of the desktop, Logitech’s $40 Cordless Mouse is a solid choice with easy setup and reliable performance.

The black base station plugs into either a USB port or a PS2 mouse port. Software installation was a snap and the unit recognized the mouse within seconds. Adjusting the performance of the mouse with Logitech’s handy tools program also was relatively quick and easy.

Our only beef with the installation: It dropped a shortcut to the EBay auction site on our desktop. Not a big deal, but it made our paranoid minds wonder what else Logitech was doing to our hard drive or system files.

In humdrum desktop duties, the Logitech mouse worked just fine. There was no discernible lag between a flick of our wrist and the motion on-screen. To give it a real workout, though, we fired up “Serious Sam,” a first-person shooting game that relies heavily on the mouse.

Although there were no performance problems with the mouse, the game locked up twice after the Logitech software was installed. Some game developers swear wireless mice cause problems with high-end games because certain drivers are not compatible.

But after rebooting, the game performed fine with the Logitech mouse.

Ergonomically, the mouse includes two standard buttons, plus a scrolling wheel. It’s smaller than some of the other mice in this roundup and felt a little slight.

Logitech Cordless

MouseMan Optical

At $70, Logitech’s cordless optical mouse is about seven times the price of a standard wired mouse with the old reliable track ball inside. Of course, an optical mouse can be used on any surface with greater precision.

And this one worked superbly. Setup was a snap. In fact, we didn’t have to do anything except push a couple of buttons for the cordless receiver installed for the Logitech Cordless Mouse to recognize the MouseMan Optical.

As any member of the computer cognoscenti can attest, optical is the way of the future. It allows more precise movement and doesn’t get gummed up with cat hair or dust. Strange, then, that Logitech is the only company making a widely distributed optical mouse that’s also wireless.

In terms of pure performance, the MouseMan Optical trounced every other mouse in this test. It moved lickety-split across the screen without even a hint of lag. All this power is wasted on day-to-day computing, but on the “Serious Sam” test, the MouseMan optical made us want to ditch our old attached mouse.

Even in a fast-paced video game, MouseMan Optical came through like a champ.

Adding to its appeal, the MouseMan Optical is the chunkiest of the bunch, with a contoured shape for right-handed users. Although this leaves out our left-handed brothers and sisters, it sure makes things comfortable for the other 91% to 94% of the world.

If you like spending money on things you don’t really need--especially things that will make your tech-savvy friends ooh and aah--the Cordless MouseMan Optical is right for you.

Microsoft Cordless Mouse

Microsoft’s $45 Cordless Mouse promises “reliable cordless freedom.” Big words. And although all are technically correct, the Microsoft mouse was the least impressive of the bunch--at least of those that worked--because it drove like an American car with a squishy suspension and floppy steering.

Its sluggish response might be perfect for newbies dragging their pointer deliberately across the desktop. But for experienced Windows users comfortable with the mouse, it’s just slow enough to be absolutely maddening. It failed the “Serious Sam” test in a big way.

Funny, though, it was the easiest to set up. The receiver plugs into either a PS2 or serial port. You have to power down the computer before installing, but once the machine powers back up, Windows instantly recognizes the device.

Although chunky like the Cordless MouseMan Optical, the Microsoft Cordless Mouse is more accommodating of lefties. Like the others, it includes two buttons plus a scrolling wheel. If not for the molasses-like motion of the pointer, Microsoft’s mouse could have been in the top tier.

Instead, it drives like Grandma’s old Cadillac.

Aaron Curtiss is editor of Tech Times.

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The Skinny

Intel Wireless Mouse

Price: $70 for mouse and base station

System requirements: Available USB port on a PC running Windows 98 or Me

The good: An integrated wireless setup

The bad: It didn’t work

Bottom line: A great concept that’s too tough to implement

Logitech Cordless Mouse

Price: $40