If you have a Mac with built - in Bluetooth and you ’ve question about choice to the Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse ( ) , you wo n’t detect it in the Mouse BT II . While this black eye has some salient feature , its $ 70 cost tag end make it less compelling . Unlike the Wireless Mighty Mouse , which romp precise laser positioning , the Mouse BT II is based on former optical technology . And thus , it should be less expensive .
With its half - pass unravel down the top and its 10 millimeter coil wheel , the Mouse BT II looks nearly identical to MacMice ’s Danger Mouse USB Laser Mouse , ( ) . On closer inspection , the batteries in the Mouse BT II make it about 40 percent threatening than the Danger Mouse . The third button in the whorl wheel is also somewhat easier to push than that of the Danger Mouse . Whereas the Mighty Mouse ’s roll wheel can move the pointer freely ( including horizontally and diagonally ) , the Mouse BT II ’s scroll wheel is a traditional wheel and it strike only vertically . But it is quiet and does not have any tactual scroll wheel feedback .
To set up the mouse , begin by plug the small USB charging cradle into an available USB port on your Mac . After loading the shiner with the two supplied AAA rechargeable NiMH ( Nickel alloy hydride ) batteries , set the black eye on the lodge cradle – the LED on the provenience will change from flash to hearty once charging is gross . Slide the power switch located on the bottom of the shiner to the On posture , press and hold the Connect button for 10 seconds , and then spread the Bluetooth Preference Pane and pair the equipment to your Mac . Although Wireless Bluetooth black eye are compatible with Macs upgraded with an extraneous USB Bluetooth adapter , they function comfortably with Macs that have built - in Bluetooth .
Where other vendors admit software for produce action at law and allot them to particular buttons ( Kensington ’s MouseWorks is one such utility , and the Wireless Mighty Mouse number one wood also provides a limited lot of controls ) , buyers of The Mouse BT II must expend a third - party utility ( such as Plentycom Systems ’ $ 20 SteerMouse ( ) if they want this capability .
Macworld’s buying advice
MacMice ’s Mouse BT II might be more interesting if it were less expensive than Apple ’s Wireless Mighty Mouse . While the Mouse BT II does admit a charge provenance , the shiner is based on Old technology , does not include bundled utilities , and lacks the 360 - level scroll steering wheel of the Wireless Mighty Mouse . While some features of the Wireless Mighty Mouse may not be to everyone ’s taste , on counterbalance , and for the same toll , the Wireless Mighty Mouse is a better alternative if you ’re looking for a wireless mouse to help clear your desktop of cable clutter .
[ Jeffy Milstead is a Macworld science laboratory alumnus and author live in San Francisco . ]
