Customer Reviews

Targus AMW43US Wireless Mouse for Mac

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I really, REALLY wanted to love this mouse. I purchased it because my Bluetooth Mighty Mouse was having dirty ball issues. (That sounds bad, doesn't it.) Before I received the Targus, I read a blog post online that detailed how to disassemble and clean the scroll ball mechanism in the Mighty Mouse. I performed the procedure and all was well in scrolling up AND down land again.

When I received the Targus, I opened it up and plopped batteries in it quickly. It has a nice feature where the USB transmitter actually stows away inside the mouse.

The mouse immediately was recognized in OS X. My first impressions were that the tracking is way fast. I remedied this by adjusting the tracking speed all the way down using the Mouse preference pane in System Preferences.

Something, however, seemed off. I've been an Apple user for 3 years and have gotten used to how Apple mice track. They allow you to move the mouse slowly for super-precise mousing and then also allow you to quickly move the mouse to other areas of the screen. The problem with the Targus is that it lacks this same tracking acceleration curve. I found myself constantly overshooting where I wanted to place my cursor or mouse pointer. I tried a number of different software packages found online to attempt to remedy this and none of them worked.

I believe the key to fixing this issue is in Targus' hands. They need to write a mouse driver that allows either the default tracking (likely somethign Windows users would like) or tracking that mimics the Apple Mouse tracking as closely as possible.

If Targus can pull off Apple Mouse Tracking emulation, I would pull it back out of my storage drawer and put away my Bluetooth Mighty Mouse for good. Until then, I'll just keep disassembling my Mighty Mouse every month to clean the scroll ball rollers.

This is a great mouse. It works right out of the box with my intel iMac (OS X 10.4.11 Tiger).

The mouse has 5 functional buttons. (Left click, Right click, Middle click (to open dashboard), and a 4th and 5th button on the left side of the mouse.) Out of the box, buttons 4 and 5 activate Expose and auto scroll functionality in Firefox.

The 4th and 5th buttons are programable by downloading the software from the Targus website. With the software installed, the buttons can be used to open programs, run apple scripts, and perform keystrokes (i.e. Function Q to quit programs). Once the software is installed the buttons default functions change to Browse Forward and Backward in Safari.

The best thing about this mouse: NO SCROLL BALL. It uses optical tracking for 4-Way scrolling. The days of cleaning the old mighty mouse ore OVER!!! Be sure and plug the mini-USB transmitter into a USB 2.0 hub. Plugging into the keyboard's USB 1.0 port works, but the optical scrolling seems to be a bit more responsive when plugged into my 8 port D-Link USB 2.0 Hub.

The touch scroll is also a battery indicator. It will glow red for 8 seconds with 60 minutes of battery life left, and will blink continuously with 30 minutes of battery life left.

The cursor runs very fast out of the box. I adjusted the speed in System Preferences to something more manageable.

The only con I can think of right now are some slight ergonomic issues. It is taking some time to get used to the feel and size of the mouse. It is slightly larger than the mighty mouse, and not quite as rounded. The 4th and 5th buttons are spaced apart just enough so I have to move my hand and adjust the mouse depending on which button I want to use.

Overall this is an excellent mouse, and would definitely recommend it as opposed to buying another mighty mouse.

This mouse really had to grow on me.

The feel and comfort is much better than Mac's mighty mouse.
The wireless part works great with having the USB behind my computer.
The drag of the pointer is very quick and sensitive. Great for people with two screens. I tried fixing this in the mac preferences setting and it doesn't seem to work.

My only serious complaint about the mouse (but will not return this item) is the scrolling sensor on the top. It's slow. It's fine if you are scrolling web pages but when you jump intro programs where you scroll a lot in 360 like Final cut Pro, Livetype, Soundtrack, Logic; etc. If you have to scroll a lot then the Mighty Mouse is worth the price, but I can live with it since I only paid $31 for it.

I would recommend this mouse to anyone except if you are computer artist.

4.0 Stars

I applaud the effort made by Targus to create a product that follows Apple's design philosophy; this is one of the better looking third-party mouse available for Macs, although the official picture is deceiving in terms of the color of the mouse--it's actually more of a light gray compared to Apple Mighty Mouse's pure white.

I got this mouse specifically for my new Mac Mini (March 2009) that has been set up as the media center for my living room, so I needed something wireless and with good a range. My other consideration was the Kensington Slimblade Media Mouse, but apparently you can only get it in dark burgundy, plus the shape does not compliment my Apple Wireless keyboard.

The tracking is fast with this mouse, even with the setting at the slowest point in System Preferences (using Mac OS X's default preference pane), it is still pretty fast, however, it is perfect for using it far away from the screen. One thing to note when configuring this mouse is that you can't configure the main buttons without Apple's Mighty Mouse, as the OS does not have a profile of this particular mouse. So when you open the preference pane with just the Targus Wirless mouse connected, it won't show you the options for configuring the buttons (it still knows it's a pointing device). So if you haven't set up your Mighty Mouse to have right-click function, the right button on the Targus Wireless mouse will be the same as the left button. Although you can download a separate driver for the mouse, it is only for configuring the side buttons. The side buttons are actually a rocker-style button, so there are actually two buttons, but because it's a rocker-style, you can't press both buttons at the same time. With the driver from Targus, you can program the side buttons to launch apps, execute key strokes, turn master or iTunes volumes up/down, etc. I set mine to zoom in and out via the Universal Access preference, that way I can zoom in momentarily to see exactly where the pointer is (I'll be sitting at 10 ft away from the TV most of the time).

During my test, I was able to maintain connection up to 30 ft away. That range may even be longer, but I would have to climb out my kitchen window to test it. The only caveat is that it has to be a direct line of sight from the mouse to the USB dongle, so if the dongle is hidden behind the computer, the distance is cut dramatically, to less than 8 ft. So if you want longer range than 8 ft, use a USB extension cable, or a USB hub, to bring the USB dongle out where there's no obstruction.

The most notable feature is the Touch Scroll. It's a great idea that doesn't work well. It has no tactile feed back, so the control isn't as precise as the Mighty Mouse's scroll ball. Also, it is only 4-way scroll (up, down, left, right), not a 360° scroll like the Mighty Mouse. This means you can't scroll diagonally with this mouse. Lastly, the buttons are way too easy to click; I have accidentally click the buttons a few time while moving the mouse or when turning it over to switch off the power.

At the end, I'm very pleased with this mouse for the purpose it serves, which is a remote control for my Mac Mini media center (with Elgato's EyeTV Hybrid), and also it is much easier to clean, but most of all, it's half the price of Apple's Wireless Mighty Mouse.

**Also see the image I uploaded**

I bought this because I need good horizontal scrolling since I work with audio so often. It works, and it works PRETTY good, but it certainly could be better. The scrolling is a little jumpy sometimes, and the side buttons aren't so easy to reach with small hands. In the end I ended up buying a Mighty Mouse and I'm sticking with that, but for gaming I'll use this.

this thing is just amazing. i myself do not own a mac. i am a pc ! though it still works great on pc. i love the scroll on this thing it is so cool. it is just really easy to scroll. it is convenient that the receiver is in the mouse and easy to stow without losing it. also that it has a on off switch too. it saves the battery. if anyone thinks just because something says for Mac ONLY. that does not mean anything . everything works with pc. also apple only works with apple stuff. i can not take any mouse and put it on a mac . though i can with a pc. so let me stop. overall this mouse is great . i definitely recommend this to anyone Mac or PC !

Needed to replace broken iMac mouse but had hard time justifying $30+ for an original one. This is actualy GREAT! Easy to install and works fine. I really like optical track ball.

$50 for an Apple mouse? (older track ball models)

Yeah right. I am surprised at the quality of this mouse for the price....simply put, it exceeded all my expectations! The optical sensor on top beats Apples track ball in absolutely every way.

I ordered a complete set (keyboard, monitor & hard drive)to get my office setup. Believe it or not, this came in the mail first. I received this item immediately. It's a plug & play & works very well. Occasionally there is a delay, but it does work well for the money. Definately a good purchase.

I do not understand the critical reviews. Yes, the mouse is a little squirrely, as are many optical mice. But for the price ($3.99 plus shipping!) who cares? And actually, it's fine. I've been using it for less than 10 minutes and I'm used to it by now. The USB receiver is miniscule - a great feature - barely the size of a tic-tac sticking out from the side of my Macbook Pro. It was super easy to set up. I took it out of the box, put the batteries in, popped the USB receiver in, and I was up and running immediately. The right mouse button is awesome. Love it!