Not only have I been wrong about wireless mice (and keyboards, I suppose)... not only have I refused to use them... but I have been steadfastly vocal about my preference for corded mice and keyboards. And not only that, but I have even kind of made fun of those people who used wireless mice and keyboards, particularly when they couldn't use their computer because their battery had died. It was my perfect moment to chime in and say "That never happens to me, because, you see, I use a cord!"
And it all just sounded so right. But I had recently -- and gradually and maybe even secretly -- started recognizing the value of portable mice that came with their own little USB receiver. The design of these things over the last few years has gotten really good.
Actually, let me backtrack for a minute, and get back to the point of this blog -- which is my switch from Mac to PC. I need to say, for the record, that I have not liked Apple mice for a long time. No, it has nothing to do with the one-button thing -- which, these days, is mostly a myth anyway. Apple mice have left click, right click, scroll will, side click, all sorts of stuff. But I have not liked the last several mice that Apple came out with.
On the other hand (no pun there... move along), what I have really liked was Apple's constantly-improving trackpad. I never got the standalone trackpad for desktop use, but whenever I used my MacBook Pro as a laptop, the trackpad was all I needed. And when I plugged in an used it as a desktop, I just used the Apple keyboard and a PC mouse. Yes, I've used PC mice for years. Because they've gotten really good, they're readily available, they're cheap, they feel right, etc.
So, that's the back story. Now back to today. I do not have the MacBook Pro. I now have a PC laptop -- actually two. The ThinkPad that I bought several weeks ago, and an HP laptop that I got last Friday for work -- and which I have probably not even mentioned on the blog. Shame on me for that. I need to do a dedicated post to announce the PC that I'm using as my primary.
So anyway, back before I started this job, but after I had turned in my Apple, I was using my ThinkPad quite a bit. And I despised both pointing devices. It has a touchpad and it also has that little red eraser-looking thing in the middle of the keyboard. They're both okay but neither is very impressive. And it makes one long for something that I never longed for with a MacBook: a mouse.
So one evening, I found myself at Walmart, buying some school supplies. And I ran across a reasonably-priced wireless mouse -- a Logitech. There was a slightly cheaper one that used two AAA batteries by a company that I have never heard of. But the Logitch only takes one AA, and it's a brand with which I am familiar, so I bought it.
From there, it's your typical plug-and-play story: Opened the package, plugged in the USB thing, turned on the mouse, and started using my computer like a human. Sigh of relief. I love this little mouse, I do.
It didn't take me long to realize how silly it would be if this mouse was wired. What have I been thinking? So anyway, I'm sorry. I was wrong. There's nothing stupid or silly about wireless mice. I was wrong. I have seen the light, and it's a little LED inside my wireless mouse that will change color to let me know when I need to change the battery, before it goes bad.
Sigh of relief.
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