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How to Buy a Computer MouseThe computer mouse is a handheld input device that makes working with a computer a heck of a lot easier and playing games downright fun. The first mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart at the Stanford Research Institute in the early 1960s. Choosing a good computer mouse can make a world of difference in the way you interact with your computer. Using a good computer mouse can make interacting with your computer a lot more convenient and boost your efficiency. Dots per inch or DPI for short is a common term used to indicate the resolution capabilities of a mouse. The better the resolution or DPI the greater the mouse's accuracy and precision will be.
Types of Mice There are four different types of mice.
Ball The ball computer mouse was developed from the original track wheel mouse. This design uses a ball that moves a set of rollers for the x and Y axes for motion tracking. Ball mice are obsolete and have been replaced by the more efficient LED and laser optical mice.
Optical The optical computer mouse is a very popular and relatively cheap mouse. It combines an LED (light emitting diode) and a sensor to provide the XY tracking information sent to the computer. Optical mice provide good performance for most computer users and gamers. They also do not need much in the way of cleaning compared to the old ball mouse. Optical mice can be used on most surfaces (avoid transparent). Laser The laser mouse substitutes a laser for the LED to provide top-level tracking performance. The differences between the LED optical mouse and the laser optical mouse are significant. The laser mouse has close too twenty times the the tracking power of the LED mouse. This allows the laser mouse to track over previously untrackable surfaces such as highly polished or wood grain surfaces (with or without a pad). Excellent performance in games especially first person shooters. Trackball
Trackball mice are basically ball mice turned upside down. This saves space by reducing movement of the computer mouse since the design requires only the thumb and finger to manipulate the ball to move the cursor on screen. Mainly used in drawing applications because of their accuracy.
Interface As with the keyboard, the USB and PS/2 are the most common interface ports used with mice. Most computers provide both ports, but older desktops may only have the PS/2 port. You can buy an adapter to convert USB to PS/2 or vice versa. One of the important benefits of using a USB port is hot swapping. This is the ability to plug or unplug a mouse with the computer running. Something that is not possible with PS/2 ports. Buttons Most mice will have one or two buttons and a scroll wheel (except certain mice for MacIntosh computers). A mouse with more buttons will be more functional and can be customized by the user. Software that allows the programming of button functions is usually provided by the manufacturer. Wheels Wheels are pretty much standard on mice. A wheel can be used for vertical scrolling in a lot of applications and most popular internet browsers. Wireless Support As with the keyboard, mice can be either wired or wireless. The benefits are of course no wires to get tangled up and freedom of movement. On the downside, the battery has to be replaced on a ongoing basis. Wired Mice As mentioned previously wired mice use a cable to connect to the computer via the USB or PS/2 port. Cable length averages six feet with shorter(2-3 feet)cables used for notebooks. Wireless Mice Wireless mice don't need a cable, but the receiver does. It is connected to the computer the same way as the wired mouse. There are two major wireless technologies in use for wireless mice currently: Bluetooth Wireless Mice Benefits provided include long range usability and freedom from interference using a less congested radio frequency. Bluetooth range is 30-60 feet. RF Wireless Mice RF stands for radio frequency. RF wireless will typically provide 15 feet of operable range with the higher 2.4 GHZ band providing up to thirty feet of operating range.
Logitech G7 Laser Computer Mouse
The Logitech G7 laser mouse delivers a performance no optical mouse can match. Here are some of the features that make this the best computer mouse.
Find the best online deal for a computer mouse here.
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