Rodent Hunting
29 11 2008Hey my fellow lazy webbers! I am looking at getting a new mouse that is elegant, sleek, and super mobile. Right now there are 3 models that fit this category that I like pretty well:
What I like about these 3 is that they have the super small USB dongle that doesn’t stick out much from the side of my laptop, therefore allowing me to keep it plugged in at all times, even while transporting it. I know that with the VX Nano, the middle mouse button click doesn’t work like typical middle mouse buttons. Instead of doing what I am used to, it changes the type of scrolling action. Click it down and you have typical wheel scroll with the little clicking action. Click it down again and you have that super smooth non-clicking action scroll, which is by far my favorite and the reason I have been using Microsoft rodents for the past couple of years.
My question is do the V550 and V450 do the same with the middle mouse button for you owners out there? If you have any of these rodents, please tell me which one you have and if you like it or not. Right now I can pick up the V450 at the local Circuit City for $35 USD. $45 for the VX and I think around $50 for the V550 (maybe cheaper).
I have found a how-to page for the VX and getting all of the buttons to work, even in KDE. Do any of you use one these rodents in KDE/Kubuntu as well?
EDIT: I picked up the VX Nano and I am using it now. All I can simply state about this rodent is WOW!!! I paid $45 at Tiger Direct for it, definitely worth every penny I paid for it. Simply amazing. Thanks to everyone who left a comment pushing the VX Nano and the VX line. You all totally rock!
Using
Hi,
I use a Logitech V470 bluetooth mouse on my Ubuntu notebook for quite a while. It uses bluetooth for wireless connectivity to the notebook. It is great because I just bought a ultra-small bluetooth dongle to use it. The advantage is that I am also able to use the bluetooth dongle for A2DP music and connecting my bluetooth enabled phone.
I use a couple of rechargeable NiMH batteries with it that lasts for about 3 to 4 weeks on a single charge.
Setup in Ubuntu was a no-brainer. Just do a one time pairing.
Using
I have a VX Nano and I can’t evangelize it enough. Everything works under Linux 100% (with zero setup here), it’s smooth, it’s light and it Scrolls Like Butter ™. After using it for a week or two, you’re no longer accidentally pushing the scroll wheel down and just know that the middle button is right underneath. Not sure of the other two in the series, but I’ll probably stick to the Nano for as long as they make them.
Using
I also use the VX nano. both with my ubuntu laptop as here on my work. I actually have really large hands and this is the only small mouse that doesnt cause me RSI-like complaints.
There is a button beneath the scroll wheel that acts as a middle mouse button.
Using
Not sure if this works with the VX, but I modified the scrollwheel on my MX to auto-switch between modes based on how hard you spin it using revoco, thereby restoring the normal middle click behaviour.
Using
Heya nixternal! =:) Just wanted to chime in with pthimon…. I have friends who have the MX revolution which has the same click-to-change-scroll-options thing and there is software that runs in Linux that allows you to change that behavior so that you can make it behave like the normal middle-button-click. I would assume that this new mouse has the same change-ability, but you might want to double-check. I’ve been using the VX for the last 2 years and it is by far the best mouse I have ever used. =:)
Using
Hot damn, it looks like the VX Nano is the winner by far. I am still going to check out the other 2 for comfortability in my hand, but I think I will eventually end up with the VX Nano. I had it in my hand last night at Tiger Direct, but the lines were so long that I just put it back on the shelf.
Thanks a ton everyone, you totally rock!
@kihbord: Ya, I was looking at blue tooth mice as well, but the bluetooth stack broke bluetooth in KDE 4 for the time being. I have a bluetooth mouse at work that I have had nothing but problems with in Kubuntu and Ubuntu. It keeps disconneting itself therefore causing me to have to repair the mouse and the laptop.
Using
I have a VX revolution, a slightly larger version of the VX nano (big hands). All I can say is to get the VX. The scrollwheel is worth anything. best mice I have ever used.
Using
Just bought a VX Nano. Works like a charm. After spending so much time on my laptop, I press left and right to middle click, so the odd behavior of the scroll wheel isn’t a problem.
Using
I have a VX Nano, too, working under KDE4/Gentoo. Works perfectly, there is even a some code out there to get battery-status under linux – it works… maybe it will sometime integrated into powerdevil or battery applet
(but since the vx nano runs more than 3 months with the same battery… it’s “nearly” useless ^^)
Using
OK, I just bought the VX Nano, using it now and all I can say is WOW! This mouse rocks! Thanks everyone for your feedback, that was greatly appreciated.
Using
Nano V550 users and potentials – just be warned, you can not configue the scroll wheel click to middle mouse button on this mouse with the Setpoint software. This might or might not be important to you. For me it is essential because I do CAD and use the middle mouse button (click scroll wheel) constantly for my software that recognizes “middle mouse button”.