A4Tech Wireless Battery-Free Mouse

Specs:
Manufacturers: A4Tech
Model Number: NB - 30
Release date: September 2004
Price: Not available
Type: Wireless / Battery free optical mouse
Official Website: www.a4tech.com

Minimum Specs:
1 free USB port
Windows®Me/2000/XP/2003

Tested on:
Compaq Presario 5WV297
Athlon 1Ghz
512mb pc133 Memory
TNT Riva II M64
Soundmax Integrated Digital Audio
DVD Drive (32x speed)
Wireless internet connection
Windows ME (fully patched)

I must admit to being a bit baffled by the idea of a wireless, battery free mouse, and I was unsure that it would work. I've already got a battery hungry mp3 player and digital camera, so I decided to give this product a go.

The kit comprises of a mat that plugs into a spare USB port and the mouse itself. First impressions count, and I must say that I was impressed by the weight of the product. Both mat and mouse are lightweight.

I decided to download the latest drivers to go with this mouse so that I could give it a fair trial. The install went quite smoothly and after rebooting I plugged the mat into my spare USB port. Once my PC recognised the mat and installed the drivers for that, I had to place the mouse on the mat and press a small button on the mat, which tuned the mouse to the correct current. Apparently metal desks and monitors can interfere with the mat, which is something I was concerned over, as my desk has a fair bit of metal holding it together. This wasn't a problem for me, but you can overcome it by putting a book underneath the mat and moving it away from the monitor.

The mouse is responsive and easy to use. The surface of the mouse mat is perfect, although I feel it's a little too narrow, so I ended up turning it on it's side and using the scroll wheel to move up and down.

One thing I was keen to do was test the range of the mouse away from the mat. I could lift it up around 6 inches away from the mat before it stopped working. I even moved the mat directly underneath my desk, and it still worked. If I could fix the mat to the underside of my desk I would still be able to use the mouse directly on the desk, although it wouldn't be as responsive, plus I prefer the surface of the mouse mat to the desk.

The drivers for the mouse are good. A small mouse icon sits in the system tray for easy access. The model I tried has 3 buttons, but there are models with 5 buttons, which are easy to reprogram through the drivers, launching the applications that you use most via a single click. Something I did really like was the ability to press the ctrl button and have a little flashing circle around your mouse cursor for a few seconds in case you lose it. This is a Windows feature, but it's nice to have access to it within easy access via the system tray.

Overall, this product is an excellent take on the humble mouse, and it's good for the environment too - bonus! My only problem with it really is that the mat is a little small, but it is ideal for laptop users, not taking up much more room than a standard mouse and mouse mat.

Total Score: 9 / 10