Hands-on Review: IOGear Germ Free Wireless Laser Mouse

Having just suffered through a week-long bout of pink eye, courtesy of my two wonderful yet hopelessly filthy children, I've taken a new interest in anything that can conceivably cut the number of germs loitering in my office.

IOGear's Germ Free Wireless Laser Mouse ($40) sounds like just the ticket, no? I gave the GFWLM a spin this week, and my hands have never felt healthier. There's nothing particularly crazy about the germ free-ness of the mouse, it's simply coated with a "nano-particle compound" of titanium dioxide and silver, which have long been known to prevent bacteria and virus growth. (Bathroom fixture manufacturers have been talking about using these same compounds in the construction of sinks and countertops, as well.) Considering those stories that emerge about once a month, warning us that our keyboards are filthier than our toilets, this seems like an appropriate use of the technology.

While I'm feeling awfully healthy, unfortunately the mouse itself doesn't stack up nearly as well against its germ-fighting powers. First off, it's a wireless mouse, and there's really no reason a small-size travel mouse like this should be wireless instead of wired. The USB transmitter adds bulk, you have to worry about batteries, and you can't use it on a plane. Accuracy is always an issue with wireless, too: It doesn't matter how accurate the laser in the mouse is if it occasionally drops the signal from the USB transmitter. (I'll also add the this particular transmitter is enormous—that's it on the right in the photo—and has an annoying, blinking red light on it. Unlike many new wireless mice, the transmitter does not stow away inside the mouse itself.) In a nutshell, for pint-sized mice, I always prefer wired over wireless.

A bigger complaint is the material used to make the plastic feet on the bottom of the mouse. Unlike most optical mice, the type of plastic on the bottom of the IOGear mouse is not conducive to smooth sliding. On the contrary: It tends to "grab" my wooden desk at random, emitting a loud squeak along the way. For a mouse to not exhibit smooth and quiet motion is just untenable.

Excellent concept, but it needs a rework. Note that the IOGear is not the only germ-fighting computer product out there. My editor Roger Hibbert uses a Fellowes keyboard with a similar type of protection. (Roger's the kind of guy who's deeply afraid of germs yet has no problem consuming a whole chicken at his desk.) Why can't everything be coated in titanium dioxide?