Wireless Mighty Mouse

On Aug 2, 2006, at 6:58 PM, Greg Hutchinson wrote:

> I'm shopping for a new mouse. Thanks to your cogent critique, it
> won't be the Might Mouse.

My thoughts are much more positive:

http://www.mcelhearn.com/article.php?story=20060802104110908


Kirk
             Author of: Take Control of Customizing Microsoft Office
                       http://www.mcelhearn.com/tcoo.html
                - - - - - -
              Read my blog: Kirkville -- http://www.mcelhearn.com
           Musings, Opinion and Miscellanea, on Macs, iPods and more

On Aug 2, 2006, at 6:58 PM, johnbaxterlistsmac.com wrote:

>> Another issue is the two side buttons are not easy to activate,
>> they are small and tucked under the sides and not easy to use.
>>
>
> They aren't two side buttons. When you squeeze them together (not
> all that hard) they do one thing.

You don't have to squeeze the two of them - pressing one activates
them. However, I still find them hard to press. Maybe there's
something wrong with mine?


Kirk
             Author of: Take Control of Customizing Microsoft Office
                       http://www.mcelhearn.com/tcoo.html
                - - - - - -
              Read my blog: Kirkville -- http://www.mcelhearn.com
           Musings, Opinion and Miscellanea, on Macs, iPods and more

On Aug 3, 2006, at 2:20 AM, Kirk McElhearn wrote:

> My thoughts are much more positive:
>
> http://www.mcelhearn.com/article.php?story=20060802104110908

Funny (and familiar!) to see you call the scroll nub a "nipple."
That's also what I call the center (navigation) nub on my Kodak
digital camera -- and am teased about that by my (grown-up)
children! ("Let's see -- what does Mom call this little joy-stick
thing? Oh yeah, a 'nipple'!" <snicker, snicker>)

Thanks for the comprehensive review.

Joan

--- begin forwarded text

From: Ian Eiloart

> Wireless Mighty Mouse Debuts** -- The cartoon Mighty Mouse
> may have had a tail, but Apple has taken the carving knife to
> their Mighty Mouse's tail, replacing its USB cable with wireless
> connectivity via Bluetooth 2.0. Physically, the wireless Mighty
> Mouse is essentially the same as its cabled predecessor

You seem to have missed the fact that it's a laser mouse. Moving from
optical to laser is as much a revelation as moving from a ball mouse to
optical. You can mouse on a wider range of surfaces, with more accuracy.

<http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/specs.html>
--
Ian Eiloart
IT Services, University of Sussex

--- end forwarded text



--
#3 in MDJ Power 25! .. http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08594
Also in MacTech 25! .. http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08603
New Take Control ebooks! ........... http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/
_____________________________________________________________________
Adam C. Engst: I publish TidBITS, write books, and make sure the
acetidbits.com right people know each other in the Mac industry.
Me: http://www.tidbits.com/adam/ TidBITS: http://www.tidbits.com/

On Aug 2, 2006, at 11:20 PM, Kirk McElhearn wrote:

>
> On Aug 2, 2006, at 6:58 PM, johnbaxterlistsmac.com wrote:
>
>>> Another issue is the two side buttons are not easy to activate,
>>> they are small and tucked under the sides and not easy to use.
>>>
>>
>> They aren't two side buttons. When you squeeze them together (not
>> all that hard) they do one thing.
>
> You don't have to squeeze the two of them - pressing one activates
> them. However, I still find them hard to press. Maybe there's
> something wrong with mine?


Sorry, you are indeed correct. Learn something new every day.

They are remarkably hard to press singly: squeezing the two is
easier (for me).

I had them turned off on my wired MM, until I tried assigning the
side buttons to Application Switcher on the wireless MM when it
arrived. That's handy, and I want the two MMs to be the same. (The
old machine which now has the wired MM has Bluetooth only via dongle,
which I really should unplug.)

On the other hand, I have the two side buttons on my old Microsoft
USB optical (exact designation not remembered) turned off because
they are entirely too easy (for me) to click accidentally. More
precisely, on newer machines, I haven't installed the Microsoft
software, so the buttons don't exist.

   --John

> On the other hand, I have the two side buttons on my old Microsoft
> USB optical (exact designation not remembered) turned off because
> they are entirely too easy (for me) to click accidentally.

That's ironic -- one of the first things I turned *off* on my Mighty
Mouse was those side buttons, because I kept activating them
unintentionally! I decided to try again with the wireless model,
though (with Application Switcher), and so far, so good. (I'm not
sure if the sensitivity has changed, or if I'm just more used to
using the Mighty Mouse.)

BRIAN

Back when the wireless Mighty Mouse emerged from Apple, concern was
raised about battery life.

As you may remember, I bought the critter quite soon after it was
available. As of this morning (2006-10-02), the battery level still
shows with all 5 green segments.

Those with really good memories will recall that my Bluetooth
keyboard's battery indication went to 2 orange segments about the
time of the MM purchase. The keyboard is still at two orange segments.

This machine is one of three I use in turn through the day. Mouse
movement is probably less than typical for 8+ hour days, as I am
often simply using one or more ssh windows connected to our servers.

Presented as just one data point among many. (OK, two: mouse and
keyboard.)

   --John

On Oct 3, 2006, at 2:49 PM, johnbaxterlistsmac.com wrote:

> Back when the wireless Mighty Mouse emerged from Apple, concern was
> raised about battery life.
>
> As you may remember, I bought the critter quite soon after it was
> available. As of this morning (2006-10-02), the battery level still
> shows with all 5 green segments.
>
> Those with really good memories will recall that my Bluetooth
> keyboard's battery indication went to 2 orange segments about the
> time of the MM purchase. The keyboard is still at two orange
> segments.
>
> This machine is one of three I use in turn through the day. Mouse
> movement is probably less than typical for 8+ hour days, as I am
> often simply using one or more ssh windows connected to our servers.

And my timing with the above was pretty good: the Bluetooth System
Preferences pane now shows 4 green segments, with the change having
come sometime in the past two or three days.

   --John

I've had a wireless mighty mouse about a month now and twice I've lost the
ability to use the scroll ball to scroll down. Scroll up works fine. No
amount of twiddling with preferences seems to help. Last time this
happened it magically fixed itself after a few days.

Anyone else seen this happen?

On Oct 10, 2006, at 10:07 AM, Kevin van Haaren wrote:

> I've had a wireless mighty mouse about a month now and twice I've
> lost the
> ability to use the scroll ball to scroll down. Scroll up works
> fine. No
> amount of twiddling with preferences seems to help. Last time this
> happened it magically fixed itself after a few days.
>
> Anyone else seen this happen?

Put some alcohol on a q-tip and rub the scroll nipple around for a
while. That cured it for me.


Kirk
            Author of: Take Control of Users & Accounts in Tiger
                       http://www.mcelhearn.com/tco.html
                - - - - - -
              Read my blog: Kirkville -- http://www.mcelhearn.com
           Musings, Opinion and Miscellanea, on Macs, iPods and more

I've had a wireless mighty mouse about a month now and twice I've lost the

ability to use the scroll ball to scroll down. Scroll up works fine.  No

amount of twiddling with preferences seems to help.  Last time this

happened it magically fixed itself after a  few days.

Anyone else seen this happen?

On Oct 10, 2006, at 4:07 AM, Kevin van Haaren wrote:

> I've had a wireless mighty mouse about a month now and twice I've
> lost the
> ability to use the scroll ball to scroll down. Scroll up works
> fine. No
> amount of twiddling with preferences seems to help. Last time this
> happened it magically fixed itself after a few days.
>
> Anyone else seen this happen?

This happens occasionally on my wired mighty mouse: its always due to
physical contamination for me (i.e. dirt). I turn it upside down and
roll the ball around vigorously. Usually clears it up.

Malcolm

On Oct 10, 2006, at 3:07 AM, Kevin van Haaren wrote:

> I've had a wireless mighty mouse about a month now and twice I've
> lost the
> ability to use the scroll ball to scroll down. Scroll up works
> fine. No
> amount of twiddling with preferences seems to help. Last time this
> happened it magically fixed itself after a few days.
>
> Anyone else seen this happen?

I don't have a wireless MM, but this has happened to two of the eight
wired MM we bought around August 1. I think it's definitely hardware,
not software. (On the first one, on my desk, scroll down started
slipping at first, then it died completely.) I called Apple about the
first one when it happened and they sent me a new mouse; haven't
called about the second one yet.

--
Chris Goedde

If your wireless Mighty Mouse loses it's ability to scroll up or down, clean it. Follow Apple's instructions by turning it upside down and exercising the scroll ball on a damp cloth to clean followed by a dry cloth. I've had similar "one-direction" problems which were easily fixed with a cleaning, even though it did not appear to be dirty.

I have had a wired mighty mouse for some time and only recently
updated to a wireless one, but have had the scroll problem on both
now. Apple do have a tech-note about the problem which usually fixes
the problem.

<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302417>

but this only works for a day or two before I have to do it again.
Looks like it is as important to clean the track ball as it is to
brush your teeth! Perhaps its time for some enterprising accessory
manufacture to come up with a toothbrush for the little rodent!

Francis Pressland

Same thing for me. About a month ago my wireless mighty mouse wouldn't scroll down. After a week it came back. Now it won't scroll up but down is fine. Seems odd if it's hardware that it won't move a little but is completely dead going up.

I had the same problem this week: Would not scroll down; went up jerkily.

Operating the button with an alcohol wiipe for a few seconds made it
operate better than it did when it was new.

You never know!

On Jan 9, 2007, at 8:12 PM, Mike Alan wrote:

> Same thing for me. About a month ago my wireless mighty mouse
> wouldn't scroll down. After a week it came back. Now it won't
> scroll up but down is fine. Seems odd if it's hardware that it
> won't move a little but is completely dead going up.

IF it's the same problem we had on the wired mighty mice, it can be
solved by cleaning the ball. I've used a clean damp paper towel with
a bit of hand soap, or a Q-tip and some 1% alchohol at various times.
Let it dry and it works again.

HTH


--
Erich W. Adickes
Assistant Director
Computing Information and Access Office
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, UIUC
eadickesuiuc.edu

The occasional problem I have run into with my wireless mighty mouse
is after using the little ball to scroll up&down and sideways a few
times, When I attempt to use the mouse to click on this on desktop -
the mouse runs all over the place. I can't control the arrow as it
jumps everytime I try to click on something.

Anybody else run into this?

Rick

I have had the same problem. Cleaning the dirt around the mouse ball
with my fingernail usually fixes the problem. These things seem to be
very vulnerable to dirt.

============================
Paul Chernoff
Director of Information Technology
Washingtonian Magazine