IBM Optical Navigator - Navigating Itself to a Computer Near You
Written: Jul 03 '03 (Updated Jul 07 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: optical, scroll wheel, four buttons
Cons: need to update drivers if you have Windows XP, lasted only a year
The Bottom Line: This mouse has everything you need.
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| vadimio's Full Review: Ovation Optical Navigator Mouse 4 Btn (MPN-19K200... |
The mouse that I had been using for five years with my desktop began to malfunction recently. It was the plainest white mouse, but had done its job for five years. However, it began to glitch. When you double clicked, it pretended that you only clicked once. It no longer moved well. Therefore, I decided that it was finally time to purchase a new mouse.
I headed over to my local Staples store and gazed at a large selection of various mice. After a few minutes of comparing them, I settled and made a purchase. The mouse that I purchased was the IBM Optical Navigator Mouse. This trendy mouse set me back a cool $29.99.
The design of this mouse is very hip, and looks much better than the previous one that I owned. The primary color of this mouse is dark navy metallic blue, while the sides and the bottom are black. This mouse is for right-handed people, and it has a curve on the left side. The curve is very smooth and feels natural and perfect. My thumb fits that curve well and my hand felt much more comfortable than the experience that I had with my old mouse.
The Optical Navigator is very easy to set up, and you have two options. Originally, it is meant to be plugged into a USB port, but if you wish to plug it into your PS2 port, an adapter (a ‘head’ that you attack on top of the USB input) is included. At first, I plugged my mouse into the PS2 port, but then switched to USB. The mouse is supported by all operating systems other than Windows XP, but I updated the drivers easily and the mouse functions with my computer running Windows XP flawlessly.
The mouse also comes with a detailed instruction guide, which explains how to set up, use the mouse and explore all of the features. A CD-ROM with software is included, and this software is necessary to utilize all of the functions of the mouse.
The Optical Navigator has four buttons, which is twice as much as my old mouse. You have the standard left and right buttons used for clicking, known as the primary buttons. Another button, located on the left side of the mouse, is very useful. It is long and thin, and therefore it does not interfere with your thumb and I have never pressed it accidentally. This button is programmable, with a lot of options. I currently set it to launch the start menu.
The final button that is included the scroll wheel. This wheel is clickable, and if you click it, you will scroll down, left, up or right if you move your mouse in that direction, which is particularly useful while browsing the web or reading a long document. This button is extremely useful, and even though it was not part of my old mouse, I have been familiar with it for a long time. The scroll wheel also lights up whenever your computer is on, and the color is dark blue. This looks extremely cool, and is very attractive.
However, the main reason as to why I purchased this mouse was because it is optical. This was my first optical mouse, and it is definitely an improvement over my old mouse with the now primitive ball inside. The advantage of owning an optical mouse is that is you don’t have to clean it, it is far more precise, and since there is a red laser on the bottom, which sends and receives signals, it looks extremely nice.
Overall, I am very pleased with my new mouse. It is very attractive, functions well, and didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. The Optical Navigator is a great mouse, and if you are looking for a new mouse, I highly recommend the IBM Optical Navigator.
UPDATE
Unfortunately, this mouse lasted me only a bit over a year. While it lasted, it was a great mouse but unfortunately there was some glitch or internal problem with the mouse and I had to purchase a new one. Since a year for a mouse is not too long, I decided to add this update and change the rating from 5 to 4 stars.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 29.99
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vadimio
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