I hate mice.
No, not the four-footed kind. Just computer mice.
Today the computer mouse is still your best way to command your PC-- if you are an office worker, gamer or journalist.
It's so important to the PC that it's a crime to call it a "peripheral." A mouse is all about access. Get the right computer mouse and you ride smoothly up the on-ramp and onto the digital highway.
Or you don't and you suffer.
I have suffered...
In my job as an editor, I am often at the keyboard more than 12 hours a day. And I have suffered through many a mouse.
Of course, first I suffered with trackpads. You can forget the trackpad that comes with the computer. None of them served me well--and I've made it a point to own all major brands of laptops so I've tried most trackpads (most of them come from the same small number of OEM suppliers.)
Forget trackpads.
We're talking about the mouse you must buy if you want to seriously use a laptop.
I have been known to buy a new mouse only to give it away the next day. While beautifully packaged, many are sold in out-of-touch retail blister. They look like the solution you want but you get it out of the blister and it's uncomfortable to feel.
So forget the dainty mice, the wobbly ones, the weak-in-the-knees ones. Forget the clunky ones, the chintzy ones, and especially any free promotional ones.
Get yourself an esports mouse.
I am now working with the Sandberg Xterminator Mouse. It's not the most expensive mouse I've owned, nor the cheapest. But the Sandberg Xterminator Mouse was designed for serious gamers--and to me, that's the type of prosumer commitment I was looking for.
It's connected to USB by wire--and I like that. (You would, too, if you had my wireless provider.)
Size. I like a handful of mouse, a mouse that partners with my grip. An equal. Not a delicate, small mouse that my hand overwhelms.
Not a clunky, over-sized Pet Rock that feels like a Sisyphian effort to scroll.
Shape and Texture: I can get a solid grasp and even a textured feeling along the sides. My thumb feels at home. And my fingers click resolutely on the smooth plastic--answered by a click of action, not that horrible click-clunk on some mice where it sounds like something made of plastic just broke.
You can talk about what ergonomics means all you want, especially if you are a manufacturer trying to define it. But as a user--we know exactly what ergonomics is only when it's in-hand. Like in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, you'll recognize quality only when you find it--even if you can't define it.
Performance. This model is sold by featuring its precision for gaming. The high resolution is up to 10000 DPI-- that's about 4x more precision than a standard precision mouse. And what's good for gamers is also good for me in my line of work.
Customization. It offers plenty of features including customization. You can set up to five profiles (very useful if you are a gamer--although I only need one "hard-working editor" profile).
You can alter your buttons via Key Setting. You can adjust mouse sensitivity, scrolling speed, double-click speed and virtualeven report rate.
Entering "Advanced" gives you a chance to change colors on the mouse (choice of 6) ...your LED can be steady, take a breath, blink with neon effect, or go steady with effect.
Me, I'm now going steady with this esports mouse. I may even like mice after all.
[Editor's Note: And that's why dealers should start emphasing eSports products. Because their products for digital gaming are usually even better for real life.)
