In Search of the Perfect Laptop Mouse

I use my laptop so much that recently I began to notice that my right index fingertip was starting hurt from all the dragging around it was doing on the laptop touchpad. I can't very well quit working, but I can give up the touchpad, so I decided to investigate the latest laptop mice to see which might work best on the narrow strip of lap desk I had to work with. All the latest portable mice are wireless, but they include a wide range of features. Here are my top three picks along with what makes each one special:

Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 - This laser mouse is plenty portable, offers great responsiveness, and has some killer features. First, it's rechargeable, unlike the other mice I tested. You connect the mouse via a magnetic cord to the USB transceiver, which charges up the mouse. No replacement batteries needed. Second, the (large) transceiver includes 1GB of flash memory, so you can use it just like any thumb drive. 1GB isn't much, but it is handy in a pinch, if you use your mouse on multiple computers. It also works as a Bluetooth mouse, if you don't want to use a transceiver at all. My only complaint: Unlike most other portable mice, you can't store the (large) transceiver inside the mouse. Add the cable, and that's three pieces of equipment to keep track of. (It's also a bit more expensive than the other two mice.) Still, this was overall my favorite mouse by a slight margin.

Kensington SlimBlade Presenter Media Mouse - This was the most streamlined of the mice I tested, but it might be too streamlined. The ultra-flat design is uncomfortable to hold for long, and it isn't ergonomic at all. Still, it's a nice mouse, enhanced with some unique features: A built-in laser pointer is fun for presentations and cats. A scroll ball instead of a scroll wheel lets you scroll around big pages more easily, and media controls on the underside of the mouse let you control your MP3 player remotely or control presentations. Handy stuff, I just wish it worked better in the hand.

Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse - Nicely ergonomic, this mouse features one seriously killer feature: The USB transceiver is so small you can plug it into your PC and forget about it rather than having to stow it back inside the mouse when you put away your laptop or have it get broken when you forget. Seriously, it juts out maybe a quarter of an inch. It's quite a marvel. There's only one problem, and that's that the VX itself is really quite huge. It's not much smaller than my desktop mouse, and ultimately it was just too big to fit comfortably on my lap desk.