Is there a better mouse than the Magic Mouse for use with a Mac PC?

[BentValve]

I am a Mac user and already have a Magic Mouse but I prefer the Microsoft Mobile Mouse 4000 that I use with my Windows laptop, mostly because you can use it on any surface.. the sofa, glass, it works of pretty much anything. And I see Amazon has a pretty highly rated mouse in their Gold Box DOTD today. 10/3. LINK
Anyhow, is there a better mouse than the Magic Mouse for use with a Mac PC?

thanks

 

[runawayprisoner]

I don't think there is anything quite like the Magic Mouse in terms of multitouch support on the market.

But if multitouch and Lion fast-desktop-switching isn't really a concern, then pretty much any mouse would be superior to it.

Or am I understanding your question right?

 

[JSt0rm]

I'm using the magic trackpad at work and am finally getting used to it. I still bounce back to my trackball sometimes but my thumb is feeling much better now. I was getting pain going up my arm from my thumb from pressing the mouse 1 button down all day long.

 

[mshan]

I really like the Logitech VX Nano with my iMac.

If that Amazon mouse is similar to my VX Nano (I bet it uses same mac software), then you can really configure for such things as tilting wheel left for back and button clicks for things like Dashboard and Expose.

 

[TheStu]

I really like the Logitech VX Nano with my iMac.

If that Amazon mouse is similar to my VX Nano (I bet it uses same mac software), then you can really configure for such things as tilting wheel left for back and button clicks for things like Dashboard and Expose.

It is basically the new VX Nano.

 

[xanis]

I really like the Logitech VX Nano with my iMac.

If that Amazon mouse is similar to my VX Nano (I bet it uses same mac software), then you can really configure for such things as tilting wheel left for back and button clicks for things like Dashboard and Expose.

+1 for the VX Nano. Been using it for ~5 years now.

 

[Ns1]

switched entirely to trackpad.

 

[BentValve]

switched entirely to trackpad.

I just worry I won't dig it, if I buy one I want to love it to death not just think its ok. I have been to Best Buy to play with one, its cool but I am not 100%. I wish I could borrow one but then again I wonder what Best Buy's policy is on these as far as buying and returning them goes? I might have to borrow one from Best Buy for a ~month.

 

[scootermaster]

+1 for the VX Nano. Been using it for ~5 years now.

BT?

 

[TheStu]

BT?

There are very few BT mice out there and this is not one of them. None of Logitech's flagship mice are to my knowledge.

 

[r0k]

I use the VX470 BT mouse. I like it a lot. I use it on my PC at work and on my Macbook at home. I have zero problems with it on my Mac but my PC at work keeps dropping the connection to the mouse for minutes at a time on a daily basis. That's a Win 7 problem not a Logitech problem. BTW, I never install Logitech software. I just use their mice.

 

[Ns1]

I just worry I won't dig it, if I buy one I want to love it to death not just think its ok. I have been to Best Buy to play with one, its cool but I am not 100%. I wish I could borrow one but then again I wonder what Best Buy's policy is on these as far as buying and returning them goes? I might have to borrow one from Best Buy for a ~month.

for a while I had both a mouse + trackpad but after a month I realized I was never using the mouse...

 

[BentValve]

So the Trackpad is pretty good or very good/addictive?

 

[runawayprisoner]

Trackpad is very good/addictive.

And even more so when you've learned that you can use it as a graphic tablet...

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Using a mouse for me is more about feel in the hand than anything else. I use a MS Natural mouse because I like that I can keep my hand more or less pronated, depending on how my wrist is feeling at the time. (I also constantly switch lefty/righty so that I don't overuse any one hand/wrist.... I always leave the mouse buttons configured in lefty though, so I click with the middle finger on my right hand and the pointer finger on my left hand). I have never used a Logitech mouse that felt good in my hand. I also cannot stand the feel of any Apple mouse. (Magic Mouse, Mighty Mouse, "puck" mouse, whatever) They are simply unergonomic IMO, despite the cool tech inside.

All that being said, I am in love with the trackpad on my MacBook and have just been too cheap to buy a Magic Trackpad for my Mac Pro (I would also have to buy a BlueTooth module for my MP, and they're not cheap -- although wow, they have gotten cheaper than the last time I looked -- kind of tempting now). I can easily imagine ditching the mouse for the Magic Trackpad.

 

[alfa147x]

(I would also have to buy a BlueTooth module for my MP, and they're not cheap -- although wow, they have gotten cheaper than the last time I looked -- kind of tempting now). I can easily imagine ditching the mouse for the Magic Trackpad.

I am about to hack a Macbook pro's in to my hackintosh. Total cost should be arounr $10 - $15

 

[r0k]

I'm still quite happy with my VX470, but I think I'll try to find the time to dig my Magic Mouse out of it's spot in the bottom of a drawer and give it a try on my Macbook now that I'm running Lion. On my early 2008 Macbook, I never had multitouch so I don't know what I might be missing. The last time I gave the Magic Mouse a try was probably on Snow Leopard or maybe even Leopard. I seem to remember that some of the gestures worked, but only in Safari which I hardly used. At the time I almost exclusively used Firefox. Firefox is now banished from my Mac in favor of Chrome and Safari so I should at least take another look.

BTW, /bin/bash and alpha147x have you considered one of those "nano" usb bluetooth dongles? I don't know how well they are supported by OS X but they are pretty inexpensive.

 

[Ns1]

So the Trackpad is pretty good or very good/addictive?

yep, esp. if your criteria is "use anywhere"

multitouch gestures ftw

 

[scootermaster]

There are very few BT mice out there and this is not one of them. None of Logitech's flagship mice are to my knowledge.

Yeah, I don't understand why not? A lot (most?) MBP/A owners are the sort of anal-retentive people that wouldn't want a dongle -- no matter how small -- sticking out of their laptops. That sort of attention to detail and esthetics may have dictated why they bought a MBx in the first place.

And, as a different way of saying the same thing: There's a reason Apple's products themselves are BT.

Sigh.

I guess I'm sticking with my trusty MX Laser.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

BTW, /bin/bash and alpha147x have you considered one of those "nano" usb bluetooth dongles? I don't know how well they are supported by OS X but they are pretty inexpensive.

I have considered it, but not looked into it much (i.e., gone to the effort to find one that was Mac compatible). I was happy enough with the MS mouse (which used a somewhat large USB dongle, but at least it was shared with the MS Ergo keyboard -- I won't use a non-ergo keyboard). Although for the past 6 months or so I've been away from home, using my MB and just ordered a new quad-core MBP which actually beats my first-gen MP in most respects. So maybe I'll be ditching the MP soon anyway (depends on what I can find for storage expansion on the MBP).

It is definitely frustrating the number of non-BT mice and keyboards out there. I am surprised that MS, Logitech et al. don't just switch over to it entirely and save money from then on (they could sell the Bluetooth dongle separately and still charge the same amount for the keyboard/mouse). Proprietary wireless dongles are just silly in this day and age.

 

[alfa147x]

BTW, /bin/bash and alpha147x have you considered one of those "nano" usb bluetooth dongles? I don't know how well they are supported by OS X but they are pretty inexpensive.

I have been having recurring problems with mine. I rather just go the Apple route then buy another bluetooth dongle Dlink DBT-120

 

[BentValve]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I guess I just wish Apple would make a few different bluetooth mice. I have been using a Magic Mouse for over a year now and it does the job just fine however it is a bit small for my big hands and the laser or whatever you call it does not work on my glass desk and I do not use the multi-touch at all. I am still not convinced that a Trackpad will be useful enough for me. As I said above, one thing I don't like about the Magic Mouse is that the laser don't work on my glass desk and I am constantly going off my ~1 foot square mousepad, yes its a big mousepad and yet I still go off it all the time. It would be nice if I could set up the Trackpad so that ~1" of movement on the pad could move my mouse pointer clear across my 24" iMac's screen......anyone? thanks guys

 

[BentValve]

If I get a yes to that last question^^ I am buying a Trackpad asap! I probably should look for a Trackpad thread and ask that question there.

 

[Emulex]

magic trackpad

 

[alfa147x]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I guess I just wish Apple would make a few different bluetooth mice. I have been using a Magic Mouse for over a year now and it does the job just fine however it is a bit small for my big hands and the laser or whatever you call it does not work on my glass desk and I do not use the multi-touch at all. I am still not convinced that a Trackpad will be useful enough for me. As I said above, one thing I don't like about the Magic Mouse is that the laser don't work on my glass desk and I am constantly going off my ~1 foot square mousepad, yes its a big mousepad and yet I still go off it all the time. It would be nice if I could set up the Trackpad so that ~1" of movement on the pad could move my mouse pointer clear across my 24" iMac's screen......anyone? thanks guys

With trackspeed turned all of the way up it takes me about 3 inches to get from one edge of my 24 inch dell screen to the other side. It takes almost the entire trackpad to go from one side of 24 inch monitor 1 to the other side of my 2nd 24 inch monitor.

1920 x 1200

So I would say turned all of they way up the trackpad is good for about 4000 pixels wide.

I wonder if BetterTouchTool would make it more sensitive. Nope.