netbook mouse etc.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jo-Anne
  • Start date Start date
J

Jo-Anne

I'm about to order a netbook with WinXP (as well as a case and a DVD
burner). I know I'm going to want at least a mouse (travel size) to go with
it. Can anyone recommend a particular mouse--or even a type of mouse? I
suspect they're all optical these days, but is wireless the way to go, or
are those on a retractable cord OK?

Is there anything else that would be good to have for travel with the
netbook?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne
 
Jo-Anne said:
I'm about to order a netbook with WinXP (as well as a case and a DVD
burner). I know I'm going to want at least a mouse (travel size) to
go with it. Can anyone recommend a particular mouse--or even a type
of mouse? I suspect they're all optical these days, but is wireless
the way to go, or are those on a retractable cord OK?

Is there anything else that would be good to have for travel with
the netbook?
Click to expand...

Netbook got Bluetooth?
Get a Bluetooth mouse.
 
Jo-Anne said:
I'm about to order a netbook with WinXP (as well as a case and a DVD
burner). I know I'm going to want at least a mouse (travel size) to go
with it. Can anyone recommend a particular mouse--or even a type of mouse?
I suspect they're all optical these days, but is wireless the way to go,
or are those on a retractable cord OK?

Is there anything else that would be good to have for travel with the
netbook?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne
Click to expand...
If the netbook has Bluetooth, take Shenan's suggestion and go with that.

If you don't have Bluetooth, I would go with one of the wireless mice. Pick
one with the small dongle so you don't have as much of a chance snagging it
on something and possibly damaging the netbook's USB port.
Mine is similar to this, but with the larger dongle, and I like it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104216
There are plenty of others; pick your price :-)

I would stay away from the retractable cord ones. I had one that lasted
three weeks, and the warranty replacement lasted about six weeks. I've had a
couple of gamepads with retractable cords, and they were less than stellar
also.

SC Tom
 
Jo-Anne said:
I'm about to order a netbook with WinXP (as well as a case and a DVD
burner). I know I'm going to want at least a mouse (travel size) to go with
it. Can anyone recommend a particular mouse--or even a type of mouse? I
suspect they're all optical these days, but is wireless the way to go, or
are those on a retractable cord OK?

Is there anything else that would be good to have for travel with the
netbook?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne
Click to expand...
Logitech makes a very nice wireless mouse for portables
 
Shenan Stanley said:
Netbook got Bluetooth?
Get a Bluetooth mouse.
Click to expand...
Thank you, Shenan! I guess the netbook does have Bluetooth (see description
below), but what is the advantage to a Bluetooth mouse? (I'm not sure I
really understand what Bluetooth is...).

The computer is described as follows: "features a 160 GB hard disk drive, 1
GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB), 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), Bluetooth
connectivity (version 2.1 + EDR), Fast Ethernet, and a Secure Digital memory
card slot."

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne
 
SC Tom said:
If the netbook has Bluetooth, take Shenan's suggestion and go with that.

If you don't have Bluetooth, I would go with one of the wireless mice.
Pick one with the small dongle so you don't have as much of a chance
snagging it on something and possibly damaging the netbook's USB port.
Mine is similar to this, but with the larger dongle, and I like it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104216
There are plenty of others; pick your price :-)

I would stay away from the retractable cord ones. I had one that lasted
three weeks, and the warranty replacement lasted about six weeks. I've had
a couple of gamepads with retractable cords, and they were less than
stellar also.

SC Tom
Click to expand...
Thank you, SC Tom! I've got lots to learn, I'm afraid. After your mention of
a dongle, I've been trying to figure out what exactly it is (most of what I
found with Google referred to a copy protection device). I gather it's
something that plugs into a USB port and enables you to use a cordless
mouse--right? And Bluetooth means you can use a mouse without a dongle? If
so, does that mean all wireless mice are cordless, but not all cordless mice
are wireless? And what is the advantage to a wireless mouse over just a
cordless one?

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne
 
Rick said:
Logitech makes a very nice wireless mouse for portables
Click to expand...

Thank you, Rick! I just asked others about whether there's a difference
between a wireless mouse and a cordless mouse. I guess I considered the two
terms interchangeable. Now I'm thinking that maybe you can't use a wireless
mouse unless you have Bluetooth. Is that correct?

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne
 
Jo-Anne said:
Thank you, Shenan! I guess the netbook does have Bluetooth (see
description below), but what is the advantage to a Bluetooth mouse? (I'm
not sure I really understand what Bluetooth is...).

The computer is described as follows: "features a 160 GB hard disk drive,
1 GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB), 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g),
Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1 + EDR), Fast Ethernet, and a Secure
Digital memory card slot."

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne
Click to expand...

AFAIK there is no transciever needed for Bluetooth wireless, unlike other
wireless which use a USB transciever.
Personally, I prefer a wired USB mouse, saves money not spent on batteries.

--

Brian A. Sesko
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://members.shaw.ca/dts-l/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
 
Jo-Anne said:
I'm about to order a netbook with WinXP (as well as a case and a DVD
burner). I know I'm going to want at least a mouse (travel size) to
go with it. Can anyone recommend a particular mouse--or even a type
of mouse? I suspect they're all optical these days, but is wireless
the way to go, or are those on a retractable cord OK?

Is there anything else that would be good to have for travel with
the netbook?
Click to expand...

Shenan said:
Netbook got Bluetooth?
Get a Bluetooth mouse.
Click to expand...

Jo-Anne said:
Thank you, Shenan! I guess the netbook does have Bluetooth (see
description below), but what is the advantage to a Bluetooth mouse?
(I'm not sure I really understand what Bluetooth is...).

The computer is described as follows: "features a 160 GB hard disk
drive, 1 GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB), 54g Wi-Fi networking
(802.11b/g), Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1 + EDR), Fast
Ethernet, and a Secure Digital memory card slot."
Click to expand...
AFAIK there is no transciever needed for Bluetooth wireless,
unlike other wireless which use a USB transciever.
Personally, I prefer a wired USB mouse, saves money not spent on
batteries.
Click to expand...

Jo-Anne,

It's a wireless device that doesn't require you to use a USB port on your
netbook to utilize the device (as long as it has Bluetooth.) You likely
have limited ports anyway - why waste one on a mouse - corded or otherwise?

Brian A.,

I prefer my wireless bluetooth mice for laptops. I usually get about 8
months out of a pair of triple A sized batteries - and I use that laptop *a
lot* and leave the mouse on almost constantly on weekends. It's only off
during the transport of the laptop from one place to another or when it is
docked at the office... I actually use a different wireless mouse (Logitech
with charger stand) at the office when it is docked.

Saving the port for using other devices (without having to carry something
else around to expand the number of ports I have) is enough for me to spend
the less than $3 U.S every 8 months on batteries.
 
Jo-Anne said:
Thank you, SC Tom! I've got lots to learn, I'm afraid. After your mention
of a dongle, I've been trying to figure out what exactly it is (most of
what I found with Google referred to a copy protection device). I gather
it's something that plugs into a USB port and enables you to use a
cordless mouse--right? And Bluetooth means you can use a mouse without a
dongle? If so, does that mean all wireless mice are cordless, but not all
cordless mice are wireless? And what is the advantage to a wireless mouse
over just a cordless one?

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne
Click to expand...
Cordless is wireless. Both terms just mean that there is no physical
connection between the mouse and the PC.
USB wireless requires a transceiver (dongle) to be plugged into your USB
port, whereas Bluetooth doesn't; the transceiver is built into the netbook,
eliminating the need for any external plug-ins.
Wireless mice require batteries. My Logitech uses 1 AA, and my larger
Microsoft one takes 2 AA. Some use AAA batteries. Average life seems to be 6
to 12 months. Both of mine seem to last 6-7 months, but my daughter-in-law's
newer mouse gets about a year before replacing the batteries.
Since your netbook does have Bluetooth, I would go with a Bluetooth mouse.

SC Tom
 
Shenan Stanley said:
Jo-Anne,

It's a wireless device that doesn't require you to use a USB port on your
netbook to utilize the device (as long as it has Bluetooth.) You likely
have limited ports anyway - why waste one on a mouse - corded or
otherwise?

Brian A.,

I prefer my wireless bluetooth mice for laptops. I usually get about 8
months out of a pair of triple A sized batteries - and I use that laptop
*a lot* and leave the mouse on almost constantly on weekends. It's only
off during the transport of the laptop from one place to another or when
it is docked at the office... I actually use a different wireless mouse
(Logitech with charger stand) at the office when it is docked.

Saving the port for using other devices (without having to carry something
else around to expand the number of ports I have) is enough for me to
spend the less than $3 U.S every 8 months on batteries.
Click to expand...
Thank you, Shenan!

Jo-Anne
 
SC Tom said:
Cordless is wireless. Both terms just mean that there is no physical
connection between the mouse and the PC.
USB wireless requires a transceiver (dongle) to be plugged into your USB
port, whereas Bluetooth doesn't; the transceiver is built into the
netbook, eliminating the need for any external plug-ins.
Wireless mice require batteries. My Logitech uses 1 AA, and my larger
Microsoft one takes 2 AA. Some use AAA batteries. Average life seems to be
6 to 12 months. Both of mine seem to last 6-7 months, but my
daughter-in-law's newer mouse gets about a year before replacing the
batteries.
Since your netbook does have Bluetooth, I would go with a Bluetooth mouse.

SC Tom
Click to expand...
Thank you, SC Tom! This helps me figure out what to do. So I don't need a
dongle. I can use either a wired mouse plugged into the USB port or a
wireless mouse with batteries. One more question: How would I install a
Bluetooth mouse, since there's no direct connection?

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne
 
Jo-Anne said:
Thank you, Rick! I just asked others about whether there's a difference
between a wireless mouse and a cordless mouse. I guess I considered the two
terms interchangeable. Now I'm thinking that maybe you can't use a wireless
mouse unless you have Bluetooth. Is that correct?

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne
Click to expand...

With respect to mice, wireless = cordless, but these two terms are not
quite synonymous with Bluetooth.

Instead of a wire connecting the mouse to the computer, communication
between the mouse and the computer is by radio, which means that there
must be a receiver and a transmitter in *both* the mouse and the computer.

"Bluetooth" is a proprietary name for a low-power, short-range, radio
technology. http://www.bluetooth.com/Bluetooth/Technology/
Laptops and netbooks may come with a Bluetooth receiver/transmitter
built-in to the computer. In this case, all you need is a Bluetooth
mouse, which has its own receiver/transmitter.

A cordless or wireless mouse uses a different kind of radio technology.
Because this is different than the radio technology used in Bluetooth or
in "wireless network (wifi)" systems (which might also be built-in to
your computer), if you have this type of mouse, you must connect the
correct receiver/transmitter to the computer using a USB port. For
desktop work, this might also incorporate a cradle in which the mouse
can recharge. For laptops, the receiver/transmitter looks like a USB
flash memory stick, about 1 to 3 inches long. More recently, the devices
have been greatly shortened so they only stick out about 1/3 inch after
they are plugged into the USB port. These are frequently called "nano"
mouses or nano transceivers.
 
Lem said:
With respect to mice, wireless = cordless, but these two terms are not
quite synonymous with Bluetooth.

Instead of a wire connecting the mouse to the computer, communication
between the mouse and the computer is by radio, which means that there
must be a receiver and a transmitter in *both* the mouse and the computer.

"Bluetooth" is a proprietary name for a low-power, short-range, radio
technology. http://www.bluetooth.com/Bluetooth/Technology/
Laptops and netbooks may come with a Bluetooth receiver/transmitter
built-in to the computer. In this case, all you need is a Bluetooth mouse,
which has its own receiver/transmitter.

A cordless or wireless mouse uses a different kind of radio technology.
Because this is different than the radio technology used in Bluetooth or
in "wireless network (wifi)" systems (which might also be built-in to your
computer), if you have this type of mouse, you must connect the correct
receiver/transmitter to the computer using a USB port. For desktop work,
this might also incorporate a cradle in which the mouse can recharge. For
laptops, the receiver/transmitter looks like a USB flash memory stick,
about 1 to 3 inches long. More recently, the devices have been greatly
shortened so they only stick out about 1/3 inch after they are plugged
into the USB port. These are frequently called "nano" mouses or nano
transceivers.

--
Lem

Apollo 11 - 40 years ago:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/40th/index.html
Click to expand...

Thank you, Lem! This is the clearest explanation of Bluetooth and wireless
connections that I've read. It's a tremendous help.

Jo-Anne
 
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