A PC mouse is pretty important. Sure without it you could use your keyboard for basic functions, but the mouse is the lungs of the system. Without it, your PC just can’t function. And, as technology has evolved and improved, so have innovations with the Computer mouse. We take a look at the Air Mouse, Scan Mouse, Gaming Mouse, and your everyday Trackball Mouse.
Air Mouse
The Air Mouse is a basic term for a mini wireless QWERTY keyboard and trackpad that allows you to wirelessly operate your PC and smart multimedia devices. It is relatively new on the market and is great for operating your smart TV on another level. Most Air Mouse devices are operable within 10m of the device so they are great for music playing at family braais. One issue is that the trackpad is not as responsive as we would like it to be.
Product details / specifications
- 4GHz Wireless keyboard
- Air mouse with 45 QWERTY keys
- 24 Programmable IR Remote control keys
- Operating distance up to 10m
R769.00 from The Gadget Shop
Scan Mouse
The scan mouse is an innovative piece of technology. It uses your mouse to scan documents up to A3 size. It is a practical scanner and mouse in one. You can also instantly drag and drop scans into MS office applications for easy editing. Scans are instantly uploaded to the cloud so you never lose a document. We also dig that it is easily customisable with different colour skins and can even be branded with your company or school’s logo.
Product details / specifications
- Software included
- Customizable skins
- More than 130 supported languages
- 12-month warranty
R1 399 from Irislink.co.za
Gaming Mouse
There are a wide variety of gaming mice out there. However, if you are a gamer and want practicality we prefer the Razer DeathAdder Chroma Gaming Mouse. It’s great for gaming and works with Five independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons. This means you can use your mouse to change weapons, see maps or anything else at the click of one button. It is also ridiculously beautiful.
Product details / specifications
- Ergonomic right-handed design with textured rubber side grips
- 10,000dpi optical sensor
- Chroma lighting with 16.8 million customizable colour options
- Razer Synapse enabled
- Five independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons
- 1000Hz Ultrapolling
- On-the-fly sensitivity adjustment
- Always-on mode
- 300 inches per second/50g acceleration
- Gold-plated USB connector
- Seven-foot, lightweight, braided fibre cable
- Approximate size: 127mm/5” (Length) x 70mm/2.76” (Width) x 44mm/ 1.73” (Height)
- Approximate weight: 105g/0.23lbs
R1 416 from Takealot
Just your average Mouse
Wired or wireless? That is a question. From our personal experience, we have found that wireless is better for more flexibility, especially with the CloudGate Square. No wires are holding you back. The only place where we think that wired mice be important is in a place where theft may happen. We like the Logitech M280 Wireless Mouse. It’s one of the more affordable mice we have reviewed.
Product details / specifications
- 18-month battery life
- Smooth and precise tracking
- 1 AA battery (pre-installed)
- User documentation
- 2-year manufacturer’s guarantee and full product support
R349 from Takealot
Prices as of the 4th of March 2016
In summary, these mice all work great with a CloudGate Square. The Air Mouse is more convenient, but if you are using it for web browsing we find issues, on both a standard PC and the Square. The gaming mouse is great for making your mouse more functional, however, it turns out to be a really expensive PC mouse. The Scan mouse is a great innovation but can be glitchy due to it being relatively new technology. For general computing and functionality, we recommend a wireless mouse, it also works out to be a lot more affordable.