Choose An Optical Mouse

Q. One of my colleagues—the kind of guy who buys all the latest electronic toys—told me I should junk my ordinary mouse and get a wireless optical one. I wisely listened to him when he advised me to go for Windows XP, but I get the feeling he’s pushing the wireless optical mouse because he likes the rosy glow it produces (on the underside of the mouse, that is).

A. In my view, he’s half-right. Wireless may be an option—I can take it or leave it—but the optical mouse is surely the only way to go, rosy glow or no rosy glow (see screenshot). First of all, since optical mice have no moving parts (except for the top wheel), there’s nothing to take apart and clean. As a result they track easier and they are more accurate than the conventional rolling ball mouse. As if that’s not enough, remember the time you tried to use a mouse on an airplane and there was not enough room to move it around? Well, an optical mouse can track effectively on an airline seat’s armrest.