Kensington 72117 PocketMouse Pro Wireless Compact Travel USB Mouse (PC/Mac)

by Kensington

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00007IFKY
• Item model number: 72117
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 29, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Kensington 72117 PocketMouse Pro Wireless Compact Travel USB Mouse is the ultimate traveling mouse packed with the smartest features. Simply pull the receiver from its storage place inside the mouse, and plug it into a Mac or PC via an open USB port. It's the perfect solution for mobile professionals who are dissatisfied with the built-in input devices on their laptops and want a versatile mouse that travels light. The RF receiver for this mouse rotates to fit any port configuration, has a range of up to three feet, and automatically turns off the mouse when stored to extend battery life. The Kensington 72117 features a compact shape that is comfortable for both right- and left-handed use, and a stylish metallic-silver and translucent-black color combination that complements contemporary laptops. More convenient and comfortable than a touch-pad, the Kensington Pocket Mouse Pro has three mouse buttons and a scroll wheel that makes navigation easy. The speed and pinpoint accuracy of Kensington's DiamondEye optical technology allows it to respond to even your fastest movements with accurate tracking and precise guidance, and has the additional convenience of no required cleaning. The Kensington 72117 works right out of the box, with long-lasting reliability that is backed by a one-year manufacturer's warranty. This mouse requires a PC running Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP, or a Macintosh running Mac OS 10.1.5 or later, though it will still function as a one-button mouse with Mac 8 and 9.

Product Description

Kensington PocketMouse Pro Wireless: The perfect mouse for the road warrior! Compact enough to take with you, with a unique design that allows you to stow the USB receiver inside the mouse when you're on the move. No pieces to lose or misplace. Feature rich mouse has 3 buttons and a scroll wheel. Wireless RF connection works up to 3 feet from the computer, so it's great for presentations and meetings. Battery-saving technology helps to ensure your power is there when you need it. USB Receiver fits any port configuration. Some USB receivers are not flexible, and won't fit with other USB devices plugged in -- the PocketMouse Pro Wireless will. Users tell us the PocketMouse Pro Wireless packs up quickly and compactly, and they can take it anywhere. year warranty with free technical support. Requirements: PC-Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP with USB port. USB Macintosh® with OS 10.1.5 or later. USB Macintosh with OS 8 and 9 device will only function as a 1-button mouse Software: Not required for basic operation. Free download of Kensington MouseWorks available at www.kensington.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Wireless mouse for Travelers, March 7, 2003

By 

C. Russell (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kensington 72117 PocketMouse Pro Wireless Compact Travel USB Mouse (PC/Mac) (Personal Computers)

Kensington got this one right... I've owned several "travel" mice, both wired and wireless, but this one takes the cake. The first small travel mouse I bought was a wireless one from Targus. It had several problems, namely pitiful range, terrible battery life, and it was cumbersome.

1) The range issue was because the receiver was parallel to the table, and my USB port was on the opposite side of the computer from where I use my mouse. Kensington addressed this by making their receiver swivel 270 degrees to a vertical position.

2) The Targus had the mouse and receiver. This required me to keep up with both pieces. The Kensington mouse has a cool recess in the body of the mouse that holds the receiver when not in use. It also serves a very critical function described below next.

3) The battery life of the Targus was greatly reduced because it would NEVER TURN OFF. If the mouse did not detect motion in a few minutes, it would stand-by. There was no hardware on/off to conserve the battery. The problem is the mouse, when in my computer bag, would move around and the mouse would power up. This is a poor design. The Kensington mouse includes a switch that is automatically triggered when the receiver is stored in the body of the mouse. Very cool.

I also own the retractable cord Kinsington Mouse. This is a good mouse, but the retractor and the cord are very fragile and the scroll wheel is too jumpy. The wireless mouse eliminates the retractor and cable, and the scroll wheel is a much better design.

KUDOS TO KENSINGTON!!!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average wireless mouse, July 31, 2004

By 

Travel & Tech (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Kensington 72117 PocketMouse Pro Wireless Compact Travel USB Mouse (PC/Mac) (Personal Computers)

This is my second wireless mouse for use with my laptop on travel. The first was the Targus wireless mouse, which didn't work well and had a very rapid battery drain. Kensington makes good products overall, so I was optimistic about this one.

My first impression was that the mouse was quite large for a portable mouse. It fits well in the hand, but it is a little bulky for throwing into a laptop bag. One nice thing is that the wireless receiver has its own compartment for storage inside the mouse itself, which lessens the risk of losing it when traveling.

I agree with one of the previous reviews which stated that the mouse movement was a little faster than desirable. It makes it hard to make precise movements with this mouse, although the tracking itself is smooth. I haven't installed the driver software, since I've had problems with third party mouse drivers. Windows 2000 recognizes the mouse, so the driver software isn't necessary anyway.

Battery life seems to be fine so far. It runs on two AAA batteries, and it doesn't seem to drain quickly when not in use like the Targus mouse did. The battery cover needs a coin or key to get open, which is less convenient than those that can be opened with the fingers alone.

Overall the mouse works ok, but a few design decisions prevent me from rating it higher.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wireless magic, February 19, 2003

By 

Toby Cornish (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kensington 72117 PocketMouse Pro Wireless Compact Travel USB Mouse (PC/Mac) (Personal Computers)

(Technical note: I am using this on a subnotebook with WinXP Home; I installed no drivers and this mouse is happily co-existing with the built-in keyboard "nipple" and touch screen)

I am not a big fan of mice in general (I prefer trackballs; this is the first mouse I have purchased since 1992), but have really enjoyed my new pocketmouse pro wireless. It isn't the most compact mouse, but it doesn't waste much space -- the tiny receiver stows inside the mouse in the neatest compartment I've seen in a while. The range is great -- they claim 3 feet, but right now I can get > 8 feet away and still get reception. At that distance, I can't read the screen! Of course, YMMV as the batteries wane and if your desk, etc is made of metal. One caveat: I haven't managed to wear my batteries down yet; if rapid battery becomes a problem, I'll change this review. (Apparently this is a major problem with many wireless mice.)

This is my first optical mouse and I am impressed -- it works on the carpet, the arm of a chair, my pants, my shirt -- wherever! If you are a serious gamer, of course, be cautious, though as wireless mice may not live up to your 1337 gaming requirements.

Otherwise, this is yet another quality input device from Kensington.