Wireless mouse on glass table?
October 27, 2007 8:14 PM   Subscribe

What's the best (or any!?) wireless mouse (either RF or Bluetooth) that will work and track well on a glass tabletop?
posted by VeniceGlass to Computers & Internet (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Optical mice (wired or wireless) don't work well on transparent surfaces because they have nothing to "read." You should really plan on using some kind of mousepad.
posted by adamrice at 8:24 PM on October 27, 2007


I use an Apple Bluetooth mouse from the couch with my Mac Mini-based home theater. It tracks okay on my glass coffee table, but I never use it this way - I just mouse around on a couch cushion and it tracks well enough for me. Even works fine off of a pant leg if you're standing up.
posted by porn in the woods at 8:29 PM on October 27, 2007


The best one in this case is a trackball because, as adamrice points out, optical mice don't do well on glass. But I've not seen a wireless trackball.
posted by fenriq at 8:58 PM on October 27, 2007


Same manufacturers claim that their laser mice (rather than just plain "optical") work on glass, but reviews have been mixed. Some other manufacturers warn you not to use laser mice on glass or reflective surfaces though -- mouser beware?
posted by misterbrandt at 9:01 PM on October 27, 2007


Best answer: Most any ball type mouse will work fine on glass. Also Logitech makes cordless trackballs.
posted by Mitheral at 9:26 PM on October 27, 2007


I'm pretty sure that every model of optical mouse will be a little different. Even plain white melamine causes some optical mice trouble. On the other hand, there will be little scratches on your glass surface that are, in theory, enough to measure motion against.

Or, what misterbrandt said.
posted by Chuckles at 11:40 PM on October 27, 2007


use a mouse pad or a cushion, otherwise it will just cause frustration
posted by edtut at 12:33 AM on October 28, 2007


I've gone through 8 different wireless "optical" mice from 6 different manufacturers (Bluetooth, RF) - none of them would track effectively on glass. So, rubbery "gell" mousepad fixes things effectively. I usually get one with a built-in wrist-rest anyways.
posted by jkaczor at 11:13 AM on October 28, 2007


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