Computer Mouse Buying Guide
October 23, 2007
The Mouse is defined as, “a very small input device which is used to feed inputs in the form of datum or information’s or calculations to the computer system”.
The Mouse is a hand held pointing device which is useful to operate the functions of a computer with a greater speed. Normally a mouse is provided in addition to the computer system. However it is easy to buy a mouse separately if the need arises. It makes computer operations and PC gaming very easy and cheerful.
TYPES OF MOUSE
Douglas Engel Bert of the Stanford Research Institute invented the very first mouse in the year 1963. But later on the mouse underwent fast evolution.
The various tracking methods used in the mouse are as follows:
1. Ball Tracking Mouse
This ball tracking method has originated from the original track wheel mouse. It uses a ball and a set of rollers for the X and Y-axes for motion tracking. But now these kinds of mouse are not produced largely. This mouse is bulky and it provides average tracking performance.
2. Optical Tracking Mouse
These kinds of mouse are very popular now. It uses LED and a sensor to find the movement of the mouse and send the tracking information to the computer system. The performance of this mouse is better. They are very accurate in tracking performance for daily use. They have the capability to use most surfaces except transparent surfaces.
3. Laser Tracking Mouse
This is the latest type, and functions with the help of Laser. These kinds of mouse are popularly used in First Person Shooter (FPS) Games.
4. Red Ball Tracking Mouse
The Red Ball Tracking method uses a prominent red colour ball to reduce hand movement. It is designed in a way to save space and it requires only thumb and finger movement. These types of mouse are mostly used for drawing purposes as it has high efficiency and accuracy.
Apart from the tracking method, mouse can be classified on the basis of connectivity. They are:
(1) The Wired Mouse
Wired mouse utilize electric cables to connect to the computer. It uses the feature of PS/2 or USB interface. The optimum cable length of the mouse is about 6 feet. If used with a notebook the length may be about 2 to 3 feet.
(2) Wireless Mouse
For utilizing wireless technology, it is important to have a wireless receiver connected. There are lots of benefits by using the wireless mouse. It has no tangled wires. This wireless mouse works with a battery. But the life of the battery will be short.
(3) Bluetooth Wireless
The main advantage of Bluetooth technology is the capacity for long operation and high protection against interference. This wireless technology permits you to use the mouse in an operating range of up to 30 feet. But some of the exceptional models are able to provide an extended range of up to 60 feet.
(4) RF Wireless
RF (Radio Frequency) wireless technology provides an operating range of 15 feet. The recent development in RF wireless technology is 2.4 GHz RF standard, and it provides an extended range of up to 30 feet.
FEATURES TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A MOUSE
1. Interface
Most mouse now uses the USB and PS/2 Ports. But some older motherboards may have only PS/2port and no USB port. To use this connectivity the mouse has to be featured with a USB connector. Normally all notebook computers have at least one USB port. The main advantage of this USB port is hot swapping. Hot swapping is a process, which allows you to plug or unplug a mouse at any time while the system is functioning.
2. Buttons
Most mouse has at least two buttons and only one wheel for scrolling. More buttons in mouse can perform better. For example, the addition of back and forward buttons aid in the navigation of the web. There is software, which can be used to program the additional buttons that you want to have. It is easy to map more buttons to perform the copy and paste function.
3. Wheels
A wheel in a mouse can be used to scroll vertically in lot of applications like Mozilla Fire Fox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word. The recent advancement in the design of the wheel is a “Tilt Wheel”. This tilt technology allows you to tilt from side to side for horizontal scrolling. Some of the mouse has got two wheels. One wheel is used for scrolling vertically and other for scrolling horizontally.
4. Orientation
Hand Orientation is an important feature to be considered. The left-handers may pay attention to the hand orientation of the mouse. Mouse is usually designed for the right hand users. Generally symmetrically designed mouse are recommended for the left-hand users.
This was all about the different types or various forms of mouse available in the market, how they function along with the tracking technology and what features have to be considered while buying the device. Keep these points in mind when you plan to purchase a new mouse for your computer.
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