Netcom Laser Mouse

The NetCom Laser Mouse is a basic corded mouse that offers a convenient Microsoft Office Hot Key which is ideal for those who frequently use programs like Word and Excel.

Unfortunately the Laser Mouse won't win any points for its looks; finished in a boring and dull black and silver colour scheme, the mouse looks quite tacky and unlike many other offerings in this category, it's definitely not something you'd like to show off.

In saying this, the Laser Mouse does cup quite well in your hand and is comfortable to use, especially for extended periods. If we have one complaint it's the height; at its highest point, the Laser Mouse ensures your hand sits well above its normal position, which some people may not like.

There are a total of six buttons on the Laser Mouse - Left and right click buttons, a Scroll wheel, a Utility hot key and Forward and Back buttons. Most of these are fully customisable and the included software ensures this is a hassle-free process. Unfortunately, the scroll wheel only works horizontally and not vertically, but it is quite easy on your fingers. During testing, we had no issues with the Laser Mouse in terms of tracking ability or smoothness.

The best feature of the Laser Mouse is undoubtedly the Office hot key, which is located just below the scroll wheel. Why NetCom chose to position this button here is quite mystifying, as you have to lift your fingers off their normal resting position to press it. This key would have been better situated below the back and forward buttons.

Once you've installed the software, pressing the Office hot key on the Laser Mouse brings up a small circle shaped panel on the screen, which is divided into eight pieces - much like a pie graph. Each piece corresponds to a program or function; example, launching Microsoft Word requires you to click the top left piece, which is marked by the Word logo. Of course, these functions are all customisable and overall, this is a good feature that would be better served by a relocation of the hot key.