Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great concept for a mouse, just a few little flaws, July 15, 2007
Kensington has come up with a very interesting concept for this mouse. The thin and flat design makes this a mouse that is quite compact and portable, yet it is still pretty easy to grip and control. The packaging for the mouse is easy to open, not one of those hard plastic shells that could destroy your scissors. The mouse comes with 2 AAA batteries, the manual, and the mouse itself. There is no software; you just simply plug it in and go.
The mouse performs very well, but do note that the sensor is 1000 dpi...it takes a little getting used to. The mouse glides very nicely along a wooden surface. The buttons are quite firm and solid to click, not flimsy as some well-known competitors' mice. The scroll wheel is almost as flat with the rest of the body, certainly not elevated as other mice. There is no tilt-wheel; while it would be a nice addition, the flat design seems to prevent that possibility. The edge of the mouse is rubberized, creating a very comfortable grip.
The top half of the mouse easily detaches magnetically from the rest of the mouse body. Detaching the "lid" exposes the battery compartment and a little mini-USB wire. The mini-USB wire can be unwound and enables the mouse to be used as a wired mouse when it is not possible to use it wirelessly (such as when you run out of batteries or use it on an airplane). The wire plugs into the receiver, which itself plugs into your computer's USB port. There are a few flaws to the wire, however. The wire is quite short and there could be trouble reaching a USB port. For example, if you are a right-handed Macbook/Macbook Pro user, you may have trouble trying to use the mouse wired from the USB ports on the left-hand side of the computer. Another flaw is when winding the cord back, one must take care to make sure the cord does not overlap; otherwise, there will not be enough cord left for the plug to snugly fit back into its holder...and the "lid" will not fit back on. Finally, the wire is very flimsy and does not look like it will last too long. Use sparingly.
The receiver can be tucked into the bottom of the mouse when not in use. Doing so also protects the sensor and turns off the mouse. This seems to be the only way to turn off the mouse. There is no physical on/off switch. The manual states that the mouse will go into sleep mode after several minutes of inactivity. I tested this and found the mouse to go into sleep after about 6 minutes of inactivity; a bit too long, in my opinion.
Overall, this is definitely an excellent product for those who use their laptops away from their desks frequently. I would not recommend this mouse if you stay at your desk most of the time. I would try to avoid using the mouse in its wired mode as much as possible, but it is a nice peace of mind feature for those times when you run out of battery power. I've only used the mouse for a few days, so I cannot comment on the battery life.
Pros:
+Flat, comfortable design
+Battery indicator in scroll wheel
+Sturdy build quality
+Magnetic top "lid" to access battery compartment and mini-USB wire
+No additional software needed for either PC or Mac
+Compartment for receiver
+Wired mode for those times when wireless isn't possible
Cons:
-No tilt-wheel (but that's a personal preference)
-mini-USB wire seems flimsy
-Hard to wind the mini-USB wire so it fits snugly
-No on/off switch
-Sleep mode kicks in after 6 minutes of inactivity
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
spectacular mouse, save for a few drawbacks, August 27, 2007
One of the most important accessories for a notebook user is a wireless mouse, and the Kensington Ci75m is a great choice for almost any user. I have owned this mouse for two months now and have a pretty good idea of how it functions.
This thin mouse stealthily fits into a side pocket of a backpack or case. The shape is reminiscent of the Apple mice. I use the mouse about 4 or 5 days out of the week for 5+ hours each time. Battery life has yet to be an issue for me, though there is apparently a low battery indicator light that illuminates the scroll wheel.
The scroll wheel is only vertical. Fans of horizontal scrolling should look elsewhere. Personally, I hardly ever use horizontal scrolling, but I have found myself slightly disappointed after trying to push the scroll wheel sideways in excel. The wheel also feels slicker/slippier than most other mice I've used. This may be as a result of the smaller wheel to maintain the thin profile of the mouse. The wheel does feel more grippy in warmer/more humid conditions though. Only a minor pet peeve. The wheel is also a litter higher than in usual mice. Presumably, this is to prevent the wheel from sticking out of the top. It is initially awkward to hold the mouse that high, but I have gotten used to it.
The center click requires a little more pressure than usual, but is satisfying. It performs the normal center click on PC's. In the brief times I've used the mouse on macs, the center button displays all the windows (I think it's called expose?).
One of the biggest selling points of the mouse is its ability to be used as a wired mouse. Simply lift up the magnetically secured top from the bottom of the mouse, and a wound cord is revealed. The cord plugs into a mini-usb port in the receiver. The most frustrating part of the mouse is rewinding the cord. There cannot be any slack and the cord cannot overlap itself, otherwise the plug will not make it all the way back to its place under the top. I've found it helpful to use the thin part of the usb receiver to carefully tuck in the cord as I'm winding the cord back up.
I don't game using the mouse, so there is not a noticeable lag for me. Of course, gamers may expect a degree of latency from most wireless mice. The mouse operates at 27 Mhz frequency. This was a bit disappointing as many Microsoft and Logitech notebook mice are 2.4 Ghz. The range of this mouse is about 5 ft (vs. the ~30ft of 2.4 Ghz mice).
The mouse falls asleep after about 5 minutes of inactivity. To wake the mouse up, either click a button or scroll the wheel.
I recommend this to anyone wanting a slim, portable mouse with a wired option.
Pros:
-attractive glossy black finish
-very slim form factor
-magnetically closes
-2 AAA duracells included
-no software requird, plug and play
-wired mode for wireless restrictions or lack of batteries
-1000 dpi
-rubber sides
-usb receiver docks into and turns off mouse
-battery low indicator (but, I have yet to see it)
Cons:
-only 27 Mhz
-must wind cord tightly
-thin cord
-scroll wheel closer to front of mouse than usual
-slippery scroll wheel (subjective)
-no horizontal scroll
-rather large usb receiver (sticks out badly from a notebook)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Orange Stains After A Short Time..., August 8, 2008
I hadn't seen this mentioned in the other reviews, but I had a problem with the orange one getting dirty on the sides. I've used it less than 2 weeks and where you hold it on the sides has darkened enough to be unsightly. The orange I paid more for no longer looks spiffy, but worn, grungy and dirty. The orange material is rubbery and there seems to be no way to clean it off. I hate to see what it would look like with 6 months of use. The company was nice enough to send me a replacement black cover, but be aware if you prefer the orange, it might not look pretty for long.
I have to say I absolutely love this mouse otherwise though. Don't know what took me so long to go wireless, but it performs beautifully, and powers down when not in use to save the batteries and sensor. I'm using it on a desktop MAC G5.
Edited to add where my thumb rests on the side of the mouse the rubber is totally disintegrating. You can just rub it off in balls of rubber it became so soft there. There's a large indentation on that side. I can't be the only one, and I don't work with any chemicals that would do that. Kensington has great customer service and sent me a new black one, but please be aware this might happen!
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