All Mice/trackballs Feeds

Saitek Cyborg Mouse

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Creating a mouse that stands out from the crowd has got to be a nightmare, especially when lurking in that crowd are the smugly popular G9 from Logitech and Microsoft's latest Sidewinder.

You've got to have that look or gimmick that's going to set it apart. What does the Cyborg have? It's motorised. Oh yes, something we've all been waiting for, a motorised mouse. But how does that help your gaming experience? Well, come closer...

What sets Saitek's mouse apart?

The mouse's motorised feature makes the length adjustable from an extra 0 to 15 millimetres, which can be set using supplied software and makes a sound like a Terminator getting an erection. And as soon as you wonder why no one thought of it before, you realise there was no need for anyone to think of it before.

My normal mouse is of fine length, and unless you suffer from hands that continuously grow and shrink, this mouse's selling point is going to be lost on you.

Ignoring the silly motorised adjustments, it's not at all bad. It has seven buttons including a four-way hat on the side, adjustable dpi from 400 to 3,200, and a resistance adjuster for the wheel.

Perfect for gaming

The profile setting software is incredibly versatile once you get the hang of it - keys and macros can be attached to any of the buttons, and a simple click of a button changes the profile. You can save profiles for different games - I played Crysis one-handed, albeit with an RSI-inducing level of awkwardness.

If you're in to strategy games or MMORPGs that require more keys than a jailer, the Cyborg is perfect. Just ignore the size adjustment feature - it's completely redundant.

Genius Traveller 525

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First the good news; if you're one of them lefties then this is one of the few new mice you'll actually be able to use without any of that fascistic right-handed ergonomics.

Now the bad news, the Traveller 525 is a bit rubbish.

Difficult to master

We can see what Genius is trying to do, making a mouse modelled on the classic Mac Mighty Mouse, but the rocker switch mechanism on the Traveller 525 means that it can be a hit and miss affair trying to make sure you hit either the right or left buttons.

The 4D, optical scrolling function is a definite improvement over the Mighty Mouse's nubbin, but it can also be tricky getting it to actually work; I went through a couple of machines trying to get it to function as described before I finally found one that would play ball.

Cool but uncomfortable

It might look like a fairly stylish mouse, but it doesn't feel that comfortable in the hand, and lacks standard functions like forward and back buttons.

The extra task switch and search buttons might be handy for some productivity-heavy types, but despite the bargain price you'd be better off picking up a classic like the Intellimouse instead of this Mac-alike.

Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000

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The Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 doesn't seem to have the same feel of long-lived solidity as the old Intellimouse.

There's something a little too complex about the over-designed ergonomics that forces your hand into a rigid, RSI-inducing claw shape. And if you're a sinister lefty then you can definitely forget about this little rodent.

Over-designed mouse

Maybe I've been spoiled by the Sidewinder and G9 mice, but the lack of configurable sensitivity means that gaming isn't a pleasant experience and if your desktop's larger than 1024x768, even basic computing is a bit of a hassle.

The wireless capabilities though are fairly good, so if you can ignore the rubbish gaming performance, you've still got a general purpose media centre mouse.

Which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that Microsoft is still expecting you to hand over more than thirty Earth pounds for the privilege of owning a sub-par mouse.

Awkward to charge

It's also got a strange charging mechanism. The mains-powered charger means that you'll need to find another plug socket around your probably already over-subscribed mains. And really, who needs that?

Personally, the wirey-mess around my plug socket is frightening enough without adding more to it. Why the damn thing isn't USB-charged I don't know.

Macally Accuglide

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This slimline, wired mouse (powered via USB) takes up next to no space in a laptop bag and is particularly good for presentation work on the road.

Like all super-small mice, though, it's fiddly to use over a long period of time, so isn't the ideal solution for regular office work.

Works from the box

The mouse comes with three buttons - left, right and scroll-click. There's also the dragging ability of the scrollwheel. Everything works as it should.

There's no need to install a software driver; the Accuglide works right out of the box. You don't even have to restart your computer.

On the downside, there's nowhere to hide the wired USB cable. We just wound it around the mouse, which is clumsy - some kind of retractable setup would've been nice.

There are plenty of other tiny wired/wireless mice on the market, remember, so hunt around for one that suits. Kensington and Belkin do good ones, too.

Microsoft Sidewinder Mouse

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We were initially worried by the Sidewinder's angular stealth bomber aesthetic - after all, when was the last time you gripped something pointy and thought to yourself, 'Mmm, this is the very pinnacle, the apogee if you will, of comfort.'

Surprisingly comfy

When you actually wrap your mitt around Microsoft's new laser-powered gaming rodent, though, you discover that while the front end looks like it's been smashed off with a chisel, it's curvy in all the right places and caresses your palm-pit beautifully.

Granted, the Sidewinder is an expensive mouse, but your moolah gets you a collection of well thought-out features aimed squarely at the pro gaming fraternity, including three separate DPI buttons to ensure you're not toggling through options and looking at the LCD screen as you get hammered by rockets, plus a nifty rack of weights and replacement feet for further fine tuning.

Excellent hardware

Even the smart-looking accessories box is given extra heft, so it can be used as a cable weight to prevent you having to drag the whole wire around as you move.

Evidently the famous Sidewinder team has thought long and hard about the difficult task of crowbarring professionals' beloved mice, whatever model, from their traditionally vice-like grip.

The software back end is reasonably standard button remapping stuff, though the ability to assign macros for tricky manoeuvres such as crouch slides or combinations of multiple MMO commands will please some of the lazier gamers.

It's the hardware itself that's the star, though, particularly when you find your sweet spot with the add-in weights and your preferred DPI settings (which can be preset in the driver) for different in-game contexts.

Mate that with sturdy build quality and easy to reach buttons and you have an impressive bit of gaming kit.

Trust Retractable Mini Mouse

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This small and compact optical mouse has a twist in its tail, as the USB lead is retractable and hides away in the base of the unit when not needed.

The quality isn't fantastic, as the plastic feels a bit cheap; but as the pink colour suggests, it's for children to use and it'll withstand less-than-careful hands.

Discreet and tidy

Simply plug it into your laptop and it will be identified. We found the sensor accurate enough for daily use, but it isn't ideal for anything too taxing, such as art packges or games.

The Trust isn't the most professional of mice, but the colour and price easily prove that.

However, for daily use it's more than competent and packs away to a small and light size.

Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000

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Back in 1963, Douglas Engelbart created the first mouse – and then not much happened for 44 years. But with the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000, Microsoft has finally got us excited at the idea of a new mouse.

It doesn’t look particularly exciting, although the rounded puck shape is surprisingly comfortable. It adopts the conventional two-button-plus-scroll wheel design, although there are an extra couple of configurable buttons on the shoulder that can be clicked with the thumb, and the scroll wheel can move horizontally as well as vertically.

Impressive connectivity

Where it gets interesting is with its wireless abilities. For one thing, it’s a dual-mode device; it can connect via Bluetooth or its own RF protocol. The latter obviously mandates the use of a dongle, and the one that comes with the 8000 looks like the standard pack-of-chewing-gum-sized affair. Ah, but while it may look like the standard USB receiver, it actually packs a gig of storage as well. 1GB isn’t much these days, but it’s big enough for presentations or as a handy sneakernet.

And there’s one last trick. The wireless mouse can also become a ‘wired’ mouse: a cable with magnetic grips at either end can tether the mouse to the Mac via the wireless receiver. It’s still operating as a wireless mouse, but the cable means that the Mac is now charging the single AAA cell in the mouse.

In use it’s agreeable, even if the acceleration algorithm occasionally seems a little erratic. The configuration panel is easy to use, and you can define per-application behaviour preferences. By default, one of the shoulder buttons is configured to activate OS X’s built-in screen zooming, a welcome feature.

This is really the perfect mouse for the road warrior. It works with Bluetooth and includes a gig of storage and an innovative charging lead. Thoroughly recommended.

Logitech G9 Laser Mouse

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Things have been difficult between laser gaming mice and myself. The relationship, while admittedly shaky from the beginning, has grown steadily worse after hours of repeated, simulated death. Now I'm generally not that hot at the ol' online shooter, but with the generally over-sensitive types that make up the laser mouse community I'm more hopeless than usual. I have however found that while the G9 doesn't actually make me a better gamer, it has at least removed the sensitivity blockage.

Not a nice price

It's a great mouse. It's comfortable, has interchangeable grips, removable weights, programmable profiles and macros and the fantastic free-wheel scroll wheel that lets you zip up and down web pages and through documents at will. But there's a certain reticence lurking behind my effusive praise and that revolves around the pricing. Like I said, it's a great mouse, but a £60 mouse?

For a pro-gamer, or someone equally obsessive about their online shooters, then the price may not be too high to have your favourite macros enabled in-game. To be perfectly honest though I'm happy enough with my ancient MS Optical Intellimouse and all the profiles and macros in the world couldn't persuade me to part with the required monies. I am going to miss that free-wheel though...

MoGo Mouse X54

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This latest design from MoGo can be hidden away in the 54mm ExpressCard slot of your machine. When connected, it can be charged by your laptop so is always ready for use. The light indicator on the side informs you when it's charged and when it's connected. Using Bluetooth you'll need to pair it with your laptop, which in practice we found easy to do.

The design is small and looks like an ExpressCard, but with two mouse buttons and even scroll functions. The mouse also doubles as a media remote control unit, as there are on/off and mute buttons for your media player. This all adds to the overall functionality of the gadget.

This is a neat and easy-to-use device that we found extremely useful. While it's not the cheapest mouse on the market, it's certainly one of the most novel.

Kworld Snap Music 715

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If you have old vinyl records you want to copy to your laptop or need to hook up a variety of audio peripherals, this handy box is just the thing. It has an audio chip inside and comes with stereo audio-in and audio-out ports, as well as a microphone and S/PDIF ports. A USB port that you connect to your laptop powers the device itself.

Kworld may provide the hardware, but the software to run the tools is handled by Roxio Easy Media Creator 9 LE, so if you haven't got any disc burning software installed on your laptop, this is a great suite to have.

Snap Music may have limited appeal, but if you need to capture audio on your laptop in higher quality than the integrated chip, this is a worthwhile investment.