Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer

Okay. Let me tell you a little bit about my computer setup at home.

I have two main computers that I use every day - the <b>pimpintosh</b> and <b>tier</b>. You all already know about them, and that's fine. You also know that both sit on the same desk and use the same mouse and keyboard through a KVM switch, though they have separate monitors.

Now, I do quite a bit of Quake3. I am a member of the White Squirrel Clan, and one of the senior members at that. I play Quake for, generally, a couple of hours every day. It's not an obsession so much as it is a hobby. It's something I enjoy, and because I have such great friends in WSC, I enjoy it even more. Plus, we're pretty good. Anyway, I need a good mouse for Quake.

I used to use a Razer Boomslang 2000, and it's great for a lot of things - sitting back and camping with the rail, mostly. I also happen to be very good at this, so it works well.

However, on most maps, you can't just sit back and camp. You have to get into the action and get your hands dirty. And I need a better mouse for this. Not necessarily a <b>better</b> mouse, but one that suits this function more appropriately. For this, I have installed a second mouse on <b>tier</b>. This was stupidly easy to do - plugged it in to the USB port, added a section to XF86Config-4, restarted X and voila! Done. That mouse is a Logitech Wingman Gaming Mouse. I can't link you to this because it's no longer in production, but if you Google it I bet you'll find something. Anyway, it is truly a comfortable gaming mouse, and it's great for just getting in there and killing. There's a problem, however. It doesn't have a scroll wheel.

I find a scroll wheel to be a <b>necessity</b> for modern-day computing. I scroll <b>everything</b>, and nearly every app in the entire Linux and MacOS X universe supports the scroll wheel.

Now, currently I have two mice plugged in - the Boomslang and the Wingman Gaming Mouse. I use the Boomslang on the Mac, plus whenever I'm camping (which is generally just on Q3CTF4 - Space). Because it's convenient, I've been using the Wingman Gaming Mouse on the Linux box - it's only plugged in to the Linux box, so I can only use it there.

Now, I have a <a href="http://www.digipulse.org/images/setup.jpg">big mouse pad</a>, but it hardly wants to have 2 mice on it, especially one of them being as big as the Boomslang. So, I've been thinking about getting a third mouse - a wireless one (finally, he gets to the point!). I'd simply set it off the mouse pad when a Quake game started, and this would be stupidly easy because it's wireless and, of course, optical - this way, no dust would get on the ball, and the wire wouldn't get messed up. Yes, I use cord clips to ensure that I don't hit tangles. However, they sort of limit my ability to stick the mouse on the other side of the desk.

So, I'm thinking about getting a Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer. I'm not real worried about battery life. What I am worried about is the refresh rate that is sent to the receiver from the mouse. I can't stand jerky mouse movement. It needs to be smooth. Silky smooth.

If I get this, I can put it on the KVM and let the Boomslang and Wingman Gaming Mouse reside solely on the Linux box. The Boomslang will sit out of the way most of the time, which will be convenient, because I won't need to be resituating it every time I'm done using the Macintosh (which is frequently). The Wingman, which is relatively small, will sit where it currently sits, and the wireless mouse will roam. Great setup.

My question to you is this: holding this mouse is like stroking velvet, but how does it perform? Is it jerky or smooth? Is it somewhere in the middle?

Any insight (or good reviews you've read - Google doesn't catch everything) would be awesome. Thanks.

[Undertoad]

I have only used Logitech stuff for the most part, but I found the Logitech wireless mouse with the ball had just about no latency at all. I switched to a Logitech optical wired version, which I prefer for regular mouse usage.

The only one to avoid, in the Logitech lines, is the Logitech wireless optical. I also have that one and the latency on it makes it unusable for games and *almost* unusable as an everyday mouse.

I also have the Logitech cordless desktop pro for an everyday keyboard, and it's served real well. It's only now starting to get a little "crunchy" and unresponsive, after a good 2.5 years of use. This is outstanding as all y'al know how much I use the keyboard. Obviously since this post is getting quite long and isn't really that much help.

As far as keyboards go, I'm a diehard fan of the Microsoft Natural Elite. It's got a long cord, it fits my hands well, and it is a <b>finely engineered product</b>. Microsoft may not always turn out the best-engineered software, but their input devices are exceptional. I have owned probably five of them, and none of them have ever worn out. When they get dirty, I clean them out. This is simple to do, as they are basically made to be taken apart. It's a dream keyboard. I love it.

With the Wireless Intellimouse Explorer going for around $40 on eBay brand new (and retailing at $75...), I think I may pick one up. If it sucks, I'll take it back to Wal Mart. Those guys will give you store credit for <b>anything</b>.

$41 + $5 shipping. $46 total. I'll let you guys know how it functions after I get it. Like I said, if it totally sucks... Hello Best Buy! Or I could just eBay it...

Well, I've been playing around with it for a little bit and so far I like it. I think it'll be good for home use, but of course, definitely not for gaming. It doesn't seem any choppier than my Intellimouse Explorer 3.0, so no complaints there. I have noticed that it takes a moment to recognize it's being moved after it turns itself off - this is to be expected, but undesireable nonetheless. Anyway, I'll write back in a few weeks about battery life, but so far I'm liking it.

P.S. - it's comfortable as hell.