Good Mousekeeping©
By
Helen Gallagher
A mouse is a
mouse,
of course, of course, unless there’s a better one to be had.
Upgrade your mouse –
it’s easier than you think. Even if
you’ve upgraded your three year old computer, with more memory and a
bigger hard
drive, you might also enjoy an upgrade to the overlooked device you use
the
most – the mouse.
Upgrading
a computer
and not getting a new mouse is like spending thousands of dollars to
redesign a
kitchen, and still using your 12-year-old knives.
Mouse
technology has
gone from the simple rolling device with two buttons to all kinds of
track
devices. Here’s a look at a few new
ideas.
This
infrared,
wireless mouse from Microsoft is new on the market.
The IntelliEye mouse uses optical sensors instead of the rubber
ball. It eliminates the need for a
mousepad and cleaning. Prices are
steep at $55 to $75, but heck, the mouse has a tail light and it’s fun. The IntelliEye runs through a
USB or PS/2 port. While this
Microsoft model is new, we’ve seen infrared mouse
devices for about two years already.
Similar to a TV remote control, you just aim an infrared mouse
near the
screen, and it works on any surface, even your knee.
Emulating
the
efficient design seen on laptops, a touch pad, like the Alps GlidePoint
is a
stationary device, which does not need room to move or roll on your
desktop. You glide your hand along the
flat surface, which resembles an Etch-A-Sketch toy.
These pads are very efficient and cut down on stress to the hand
because of the light finger motion.
The
dual wheel scroll
mouse is my personal favorite – and I use about 400 mice a year (No,
I’m not a
cat – I just work at client offices and use lots of different
equipment). It comes from RadioShack
(Scroll Mouse dual
wheel (26-551). Retail is less than
$20. Users enjoy the dual scroll wheel
which lets you cruise up, down and sideways when browsing the web, or
working
in programs like Word and Excel. You
will save lots of eyestrain and time, too, by not having to aim for the
little
scroll arrows in the lower right corner of your program windows.
With
the new mouse
plugged into the port where your old mouse was, restart your computer. If Windows does not automatically find the
new device, go to Start / Settings / Control Panel, and click “Add New
Hardware.” Let it search for the device
or choose it from the list shown. Windows will find the appropriate
driver or
ask you to insert the disk or CD-ROM that came with the new mouse. That’s all there is to it.
How
do you know when
it’s time for a new mouse? (As
originally published in PCJournal.com)
Top ten
reasons to get a new
mouse
1.
You can't find it
2.
You bang it upside down
to get the ball to roll
3.
The ball is missing
4.
The mouse is so dirty you
think it may begin to crawl away
by itself
5.
Your cat won't play with
it
6.
You can't find the
windshield ice scraper
7.
It seems to have a mind
of its own
8.
You've sworn at it so
much your kids think its called a
dammit
9.
It just doesn't work
10. It's cheaper than a new computer.
© Helen Gallagher