I've done it, I killed my Mighty Mouse, whereto now?

April 19, 2008 1:48 AM

It was a stormy night. The scroll wheel in my Mighty Mouse stuck, again. Cleaned it. Worked fine for 5 minutes. Stuck again. I snapped…

I pulled out the screwdriver and a few minutes later the scroll wheel was cleaned, but I did break part of the outer shell and the right click works less than before (about 80% of the time).

Now I'm in the shopping mood. I want a bluetooth mouse so that I don't waste my MacBook's USB ports (one for Time Machine only leaves one spare). The other thing is that I want to be able to use it with my iMac at work.

I've had a look through the other askMeFi posts about the Mighty Mouse and mice in general but they were outdated or not Mac-specific enough.

I was thinking of the Microsoft Bluetooth 5000, but I can't see any software listed for the bluetooth mice on their website. Also, I heard that it gets a bit uncomfortable if you're using for a while and don't have tiny hands (mine are neither huge nor tiny). I'm also worried about the scroll wheel on the mouse. I got used to the Mighty Mouse's “nipple” and I find the standard scroll on mice like the run of the mill USB Microsoft mice too stuck and slow.

The Logitech MX Revolution looks great, but all of the revolution mice require an USB port.

Ideally, I'd want a bluetooth mouse that I can use with my MacBook at home and on the go, and my iMac at work. I will take suggestions for two mice though (a bluetooth for MacBook and a USB/bluetooth for iMac).

So, what do you guys think?

posted by doctor.dan to computers & internet (22 answers total)

Will you hate me if I suggest another MiMo? That said, I just sent my to be repaired under warranty. But, despite the fact that it gets dirt easy, scroll stops working often, and you have to lift up your left finger to right click, it's...umm...I forget my point.

Perhaps a USB-hub might help; that way you could have your cake and eat it too?
posted by oxford blue at 2:18 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

i really didnt want to sacrifice USB ports either. But after getting fed up of the mighty mouse i bit the bullet and got a MX revolution.

I could not imagine going back to another mouse now I have all the buttons mapped and they are application specific. So if I am in safari the buttons all act differently to when im using illustrator. This has been fantastic and has sped up my workflow no end.

I achieve the per application mapping by using SteerMouse, definitely worth the price tag
posted by moochoo at 2:22 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

oxford, I wouldn't be getting a new mouse if the right-click of the mighty mouse didn't get worse after my cleaning attempt (curiosity killed the cat and my right click, I kept touching and prodding all the components after opening the mouse). It is also a little pricey (around AU$100, very pricey).

moochoo, how is the logitech software? Any problems with it installing APE? Also, is changing the scroll wheel operation annoying (having to turn the mouse over and all)?

I hadn't really thought about getting a new USB hub. The one I have now is really meant for a desk and that means I could not use it on the go (say, if I went to a conference, I wouldn't want to cart around another power pack and more cables). But the logitech hubs that are meant for laptops do look good.
posted by doctor.dan at 2:34 AM on April 19, 2008

Must have missed the SteerMouse part, sorry. Did you opt to not install the Logitech software then, moochoo?
posted by doctor.dan at 2:34 AM on April 19, 2008

The Logitech software is a hunk o' junk, and I wouldn't be installing it. I'm on my second Mighty Mouse too, after trying a Logitech mouse. I haven't found any that don't require a sender unit, which is a problem for me too.

This mighty mouse is also reaching the point where the upside-down-rub clean isn't helping it much, so I'm also in the market for something new. I wish they'd fix the damn thing, because apart from that it's pretty good.
posted by bonaldi at 4:36 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Other than the problems with the scrollball getting dirty, and the right click not always working, it is a damn good mouse.

I remember Apple filing for a patent for a mouse with a trackpad on it instead of a scroll wheel and got excited we'd see something new in the mouse department. Nothing yet, sigh.
posted by doctor.dan at 4:41 AM on April 19, 2008

Yeah, it seems long over due; I mean, aside from the cinema displays I can't recall an apple product that has suffered so long for want of an update/redesign. It seems strange to introduce new keyboards (although, the lack of the number pad on the wireless version is beyond a joke), and not new mice.
posted by oxford blue at 4:54 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Logitech software isn't great, but I've been using a Logitech V470 Cordless Bluetooth Mouse and I serious can't fault it in any way. Highly recommended.
posted by dantodd at 5:27 AM on April 19, 2008

That's odd.... checking just now at the apple web site, the Mighty Mouse is both Bluetooth AND has no tracking ball... it's an optical mouse. Am I missing something?
posted by FauxScot at 5:34 AM on April 19, 2008

FauxScot, the Might Mouse has a tiny little track ball embedded in the top that allows you to scroll up and down and left and right. It's actually quite nice... when it works. The trouble is that the ball gets dirty and eventually it just sort of stops working. There's no good way to clean it, that I know of, and you end up with... well, just a mouse. I'm on my second (third?) unit and apparently I'm not alone. I'd switch but the thing is just so darn nice to use when it works properly.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 6:07 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Get the Logitech and use USB Overdrive instead of the stock driver.
posted by doctor_negative at 7:06 AM on April 19, 2008

Logitech's V470 Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks uses bluetooth and is designed to be portable. I haven't used this, but I love my MX Laser and in general like Logitech products (though their software can be bloated at time, you often don't need it.)

The V470 even comes in that anemic hipster white that so many Mac people seem to like...
posted by wfrgms at 7:15 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

You could check out the Logitech V270 mouse as well. I've been using one for a couple of years and it's pretty solid on Macs. Logitech doesn't have it on their page any more but you might find it at a Staples or such. Staples in Canada is still listing it on their website.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 7:32 AM on April 19, 2008

The Mighty Mouse is perhaps one of the worst mice I've ever used. Uncomfortable, unreliable and expensive.

Microsoft make some rather excellent mice at reasonable prices. I've never used a Logitech mouse I actually liked, and their OS X drivers have a reputation for being evil. I have used both the Microsoft Bluetooth mouse and the newer Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and both were great. I much prefer the natural model though, unfortunately it's not Bluetooth. The natural has a notchless wheel with the side tiltyness which you might find more like the MiMo's scroll ball thing than the wheel on the Bluetooth mouse which I found a bit weird.
posted by public at 8:07 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

My easy Mighty Mouse Scrollwheel (ball?) solution:

1. Hold mouse like you would normally when scrolling
2. Invert mouse without changing the position of your hand on the mouse
3. Holding firmly to the mouse, press the living daylights out of the scrollwheel and scroll all over the place. (this is key)
4. Resume scrolling and surfing normally. Repeat previous step if necessary (usually isn't).

Always works like a charm for me.
posted by furtive at 9:20 AM on April 19, 2008

...err ^repeat steps 2 and 3 if necessary.
posted by furtive at 9:21 AM on April 19, 2008

Furtive's right; thats how you clean the scroll ball. You have to press down HARD on the ball; you can do it with your finger too, then scroll it all over the place. Gunk comes out.

I would point out that if you try to swap a bluetooth mouse between home and work, you will be constantly re-pairing the mouse, which is hugely, hideously annoying.

I would at least suggest looking at the Kensington Expert Mouse, which is a large trackball with 4 customizable buttons and a scroll ring. It is ergonomically excellent and comes in a bluetooth version.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:47 AM on April 19, 2008

I think mine got to a 'critical filth stage', where no amount of blowing or rubbing would coax the ball back into life. Luckily, it was under warranty, so the NextByte (can't wait for the real apple store to open!) guys sent away to the great Mighty Mouse in the sky to be caressed into life.
posted by oxford blue at 10:10 AM on April 19, 2008

I finally got so sick of messing with my Mighty Mouse that I broke down and bought the cheapest wireless mouse-and-keyboard I could find. It's made by (DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUNNNN) Microsoft. I keep the keyboard as a backup, and though I regret the loss of the USB port, the optical mouse works like a champ. Now it's kinda like the best of both worlds -- an Apple keyboard and a real two-button mouse that I could hammer nails with. I didn't have a problem getting the new mouse to sync.

I love my Mac, I love the Apple keyboard, I hate hate hate the Mighty Mouse.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:48 AM on April 19, 2008

Have you seen the Kensington Slimblade Trackball Mouse with Bluetooth? It looks very similar to the Mighty Mouse, except that it has a slightly larger trackball. This may be a good thing if the MiMo gungs up on you ... It is a little pricier than the MiMo, but has Mac and PC compatibility (for what it's worth).
posted by sgmax at 11:30 AM on April 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wow, furtive, that totally fixed my MiMo which hasn't scrolled up in months (for awhile it wasn't scrolling down, and then I knocked it around a little and it stopped scrolling up, which didn't seem as bad so I figured I could live with it). I guess I wasn't pressing hard enough before. Thanks!
posted by crinklebat at 12:24 PM on April 19, 2008

I will try to get my Mighty Mouse replaced, but it is very obvious that I attacked it with a screwdriver (and a stanley knife, scalpel, and my nails and teeth).

BitterOldPunk, I was set to buy a Microsoft mouse, but the USB one I have at the moment is horrible. Accuracy is close to nowhere, and the acceleration factor is too different. Laser should be better though.

sgmax, thanks for that one. Looks a bit flat…

furtive/ikkyu2/oxford blue, I always cleaned the mouse by turning it over and rubbing very hard on my jeans. If this didn't do anything I'd try a lightly moistened lint-free cloth, didn't really do much.
posted by doctor.dan at 3:15 AM on April 20, 2008