Posts Tagged travel mouse
Smartfish Mouse Pad Travel Pouch
Travel accessories can often be numerous and cumbersome especially as we balance multiple mobile devices, iPads, chargers, and their accoutrements. Smartfish has developed a simple way to keep some of your devices neatly bundled, at those for your laptop at least.
I recently tested our their Smartfish Whirl Mini Mouse, which I found to be lightweight and easy to use when on the road. But, if you don’t have a protective pocket in your laptop bag to keep the mouse in, it could easily get dirty or broken.
This convenient travel pouch zips open to create a mouse pad on which you can use the whirl mini mouse. Once you are finished, you simply zip up the mouse inside the pouch and shove it into your bag without worrying about any damage to it. It has enough space to store other small devices as well like a charger or mouse cord.
The pouch zips up into a semicircle shape and features a convenient handle that snaps open allowing you to hang it on the side of your briefcase or laptop bag if you like.
It comes in black or blue and weighs about two ounces adding little extra weight to your carryon bag. I am all for anything that keeps me better organized while protective my expensive electronic devices. But, the added benefit of this mouse is that it is ergonomically designed to ease stress on your wrists when using it.
The mouse pad features a padded neoprene surface that allows the mouse to glide easily. I find it especially helpful when I am using it on an airplane traytable that may be crooked or have a ridge or fold in the center. Some traytables have cut-outs for a beverage glass, but I can simply place this mouse pad on top of it to glide smoothly as I point and click.
It retails for a very affordable $14.95 and is available at www.GetSmartfish.com or at Amazon. This is one travel accessory that actually reduces the complexity of the chaos that is inside my briefcase!
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Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear on September 26th, 2011
Roadworthy Mouse: Kensington SlimBlade Wireless
The built-in pointing devices on laptops are handy for quick use. But when I’m setting up my “command post” in a hotel somewhere, I want a real mouse in my hand. And I want one that doesn’t take up a lot of room or weigh down the computer case.
Kensington has put everything I’m looking for into just the right package with the SlimBlade Mouse with Nano Receiver. One of the most unique features of this wireless laser mouse is the tiny size of the Nano receiver that plugs into to the USB port of the laptop. It’s tiny. So tiny that it can stay plugged in to the computer and not get in the way—or get lost.
The Kensington SlimBlade Mouse is also smaller and slimmer than the Targus wireless mouse I’ve been toting for the last couple of years. The receiver on the Targus mouse is larger—too large to leave it in the computer during transport. So after comparing the two side by side, I prefer the Kensington for my future travels.
Setting up the SlimBlade is a breeze. I just plugged the tiny receiver into my Windows 7 laptop (it’s also compatible with other PC operating systems and Macs), the drivers loaded automatically and the mouse was working. Painless.
The laser sensor on the mouse will work on just about any surface. And the mouse fits well in my hand. The four-way tilt and scroll wheel works great for surfing the Web. And the mouse includes the standard right and left buttons.
The only other control on the mouse is an on-off switch to conserve the batteries when it’s not being used.
The mouse runs on two AAA batteries and transmits on the 2.4 GHz band, the same frequency range used by some cordless phones.
A light on the top side of the mouse will also show an alert when the batteries are running low.
It would be difficult to suggest any improvements to this mouse. It’s simple, sets up easily and it just works.
The $39.99 retail price is reasonable and discounts can be found on Amazon. Kensington backs it with a two-year warranty.
I’m pretty picky about what goes in my standard carry-on bag that I’m schlepping on most trips. The Kensington SlimBlade Mouse with Nano Receiver earns a place there.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on July 19th, 2010
Targus Wireless Optical Mouse: Your Traveling Laptop/Netbook Really Needs This
This falls into the category of something you might not know you need—until you try it.
Sure, your laptop or netbook has some type of built-in pointing device—a small joystick in the middle of the keyboard or a touchpad below the keys. Some laptops offer a combination of both.
But when I need to do some serious work on the road, I pull out my Targus Wireless Optical Stow-N-Go Laptop Mouse.
You probably wouldn’t use this when you’re sitting in a crowded airport terminal. But I hook up this portable mouse when I set up my “command post” at the hotel to check e-mail and websites, do some writing on the word processor and use other programs. It’s become a travel essential.
This mouse is small and light enough to carry easily, but fits my hand well. The rodent has no tail. It works with a small wireless receiver that plugs into a USB port, so there are no wires to get in the way.
Since the mouse has an optical sensor, you can use it on just about any surface without a pad. It moves smoothly and has a scroll wheel for navigating through web pages.
There’s also an adapter that stores the receiver in the mouse so it doesn’t get lost. The mouse runs on batteries. Be sure and carry spares when you’re traveling or pack a recharger.
The only things I would like to see that it’s lacking are side buttons for going forward and backward.
I’ve used an earlier version of this mouse for several years and it’s been a reliable addition to my travel bag. All I’ve ever had to do is change the batteries. Targus claims a set of batteries will last up to six months, depending on usage. The list price for this pointing device is $31.99.
So you don’t have to give up your mouse when traveling. The Targus Wireless Optical Stow-N-Go Laptop Mouse can make your laptop or netbook a whole lot easier to use on the road.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on September 21st, 2009
