Review: A le's wirele Mighty Mouse

A le finally i ed the Mighty Mouse's tail this week, introducing a battery powered version boasting bluetooth and a more accurate laser tracking system. I, like countle others, have been itching for a bluetooth Mighty Mousy since the day they a ounced the original version, so in the name of a TUAW review (ok, fine: and my gadget habit), I ran out and picked one up to see just how well this taille version of A le's one two-button mouse performs.

First up, a bit of a disclaimer and a list of the equipment I'm used to working with: my personal favorite mouse of all time is the *ga * Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (version 3.0A is the latest I own, if you're interested). I also own the wired Mighty Mouse, and it's the only other A le mouse I've used since the only Macs I've ever owned are portables. In terms of bluetooth mice however, I've used quite a few, including those from Microsoft, A le, Logitech and even Radtech. I typically pack the wired (now wirele ) Mighty Mouse for travel as it's nice and compact for on-the-go work, but I still prefer the Intellimouse, e ecially for any serious Photosho ing and Unreal fragging.

With that out of the way, let's get to the meat: the wirele Mighty Mouse. After playing with it for a couple days now, I can summarize my review if you're only here for the cliff notes: it's nice - for a bluetooth mouse. As I've mentioned, I've used quite a few bluetooth mice and, while this one is definitely more accurate, it i 't anything Earth-shattering. In my experience, all bluetooth mice suffer from reduced accuracy as (what I a ume is) a result of bluetooth itself being not quite as reliable as U for driving a mouse. Little things like clicking a tab's close button, or clicking the right icon in the dock can sometimes be a jittery proce . The mouse can also occasionally be just the slightest bit sluggish, but again in my experience with bluetooth mice, that is to be expected.

But don't think this new mouse i 't as mighty as A le claims. Fortunately, as the product site brags, desktop surfaces don't seem to affect this new laser tracking system, so the mouse in general is a bit more accurate on all kinds of table to , including those at Starbucks and my desk at home. If you're looking for a direct comparison, this might help: Even with the general bluetooth mouse gripes I mentioned earlier, this mouse definitely feels more accurate and re o ive than A le's previous bluetooth mice, and any other bluetooth mouse I've used. However, if you're hoping that the wirele Mighty Mouse is the mi ing link between U mouse accuracy and bluetooth portability, I hate to say: you'll have to continue on your quest.

For those looking for a good compromise between these two seemingly incompatible worlds though, this is definitely the most accurate bluetooth mouse I've used to date. The other bonuses also help sweeten the admittedly steep $70 price tag, such as that killer 360-degree scroll button, one-battery functionality, and A le even includes a pair of those new Energizer Lithium batteries - not the cheap generic one " ared no expe e", as they say. All things co idered, the wirele Mighty Mouse is a strong offering for those jo ing for a two-button bluetooth A le mouse.