Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse

Apple has released a wireless version of their popular Mighty Mouse, the first Apple mouse in history to include a two-button design. A comfortable design, Bluetooth connectivity and nifty, touch sensitive buttons, the Wireless Mighty Mouse is only let down by poorly placed function buttons and a high price tag.

The Wireless Mighty Mouse uses Bluetooth technology to connect with your computer. Simple pair it with any Bluetooth-enabled Mac, install the included software and you are done. The Wireless Mighty Mouse operates with either one or two AA batteries, although you'll want to use two for longer battery life. It has a range of up to nine metres, so you can use it a fair way back from your computer.

It looks almost exactly like its predecessor, minus the cable of course. Beneath its surface are two touch sensitive pads that detect the user's clicks and distinguish between the left and right buttons. This technology has allowed Apple to keep the shape of their original mouse while at the same time adding some extra buttons and a long awaited scroll wheel.

We experienced absolutely no problems with the touch sensitivity, and the mouse does an excellent job of distinguishing between left and right mouse clicks. In addition to the regular mouse buttons, running along either side of the unit are two function buttons, but unfortunately they have not been placed in comfortable positions. Their position high up the device required hand repositioning to press them: a big inconvenience.

Using the supplied software, users can program each button to open certain functions within Mac OS X, including launching the Dashboard, showing all windows, revealing the desktop and switching applications. We found these options very convenient and not having to lift your hand off the mouse to open certain programs is an excellent attribute.

The scroll wheel from the original Mighty Mouse remains as well. Very small in size, the extremely responsive scroll wheel can be used both vertically and horizontally. It also acts as an extra button when clicked in and can be programmed from within the System Preferences menu of your Apple computer.

The Wireless Mighty Mouse, like the original model, is compatible with Windows XP but some functions available on Mac OS X do not work with the Windows platform. Overall, it's a great peripheral if you own a Mac but the price tag will scare off a lot of potential buyers.