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Top Mice Compared
Johnny writes "Unfortunately mice are one of the most overlooked computer peripherals, while in reality should be one of the first places where your hard earned cash should be invested in. TechSpot has posted a round-up of some of the best mice currently available in the market: Logitech's MX1000 and MX518, Razer's Viper and Diamondback, and from Microsoft, the Wireless Intellimouse Explorer and the Optical Mouse by S+ARCK."
Mice, Keyboards, and Monitors.
Sure, you can deal with your computer being a little slow, but skimp on the above and you can wreck your wrests, posture, and eyes.
I've been using a trackball for a couple years now. I enjoy it much more than a regular mouse. Its not only perfect when desk space is at a premium, but also in reducing RSI. When your are can remain in one position, its less likely that it will get into an uncomfortable/unnatural position which could cause injury. I also find it more accurate than a mouse, or at least as accurate. I find that they don't need to be cleaned as often, because they aren't rolling around on a dirty surface. Unless you don't wash your hands. Also, it's nice to be able to click without having to worry about moving the pointer.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Your sig makes a lot of sense in this argument. I never really did understand why mice won out over trackballs. Trackballs are highly superior in just about every way. I've been using mine for about 2 years. Since my hand is always in one place, it's more likely that it's in the right place. Also, I like the fact that you don't have to worry about how it acts on different surfaces, or on desks with very little surface area.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Anybody else notice that the reviewer never tested ANY of the mice with a left-handed user?
All those "its ergonomic" Pro points would have been reversed, and suddenly the 2 Razers and the Starck thing would be the more ergonomic mice.
E.g., if you read the very first page of the review, about the MX1000: "As with optical mice, if you don?t make use of it for several seconds, the battery indicator turns off and the mouse goes into power saving mode."
Now I am a hardcore twitch-gamer, and let me tell you that those power saving delays are what gets you killed in multi-player. You end up doing weird stuff like slightly waving the scope around when you wait for a target as a sniper, because otherwise you have that brief wake-up delay when you do need the mouse.
I had an MX500 and went and bought an MX300 with a cord instead.
Basically my take is that it's a mouse that isn't really good for either. For twitch gaming I _really_ want a corded one, for someone who just browses the web, as you've said, a $6 mouse works just as well. So who are the target demographic that absolutely needed it?
The SFV (Stupid Fashion Victims). The people who buy for the buzzwords and the hype. OOOH, IT'S LASER!
As someone who actually spent a lot of time studying physics, lemme tell you what you probably already knew or suspected: there is nothing magical about laser light in a mouse.
Yes, you can use the coherent light wonderfully for other purposes. But an optical mouse works more or less like a camera: it compares consecutive snapshots and determines the movement from the difference. Increasing the resolution or the number of snapshots per second, yeah, that'll make it a better mouse. Putting a laser diode instead of a regular LED in it, however, won't do jack.
Logitech's problem is: the keyboards and mice business isn't a great place to be in. You won't make a big fortune by selling el-cheapo $6 mice. So they just need some buzzword to allow them to sell a $50 one instead. That's all.
And if you put up enough hype, there'll be enough SFVs that believe it. And enough sites who aren't even as much review sites, but prom queens: they just print whatever is currently popular and brings page views. They catter to stroking the ego of those who already knew which buzzword they really want to buy. If enough SFVs fall for a buzzword, those sites will dutifully print an article telling them how good it really is, and how pleased they can be with that purchase.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.