Laptop and Travel Mice

Smaller, more compact laptop and travel mice

If you mainly use a laptop at home, you'll probably find a full-size mouse most comfortable. A full-size mouse is large enough that you can actually rest your hand on it. By contrast, a travel mouse or mini laptop mouse is smaller; many are so small that you can't actually cup your hand around the mouse body -- you sort of rest your fingers on top and click or scroll. Still, reviewers say some mini laptop mice are more comfortable to use than others.

The Microsoft Arc Mouse (*Est. $40), is cited several times as the best travel mouse. PCMag.com's Brian Neal says, "Overall, the Microsoft Arc Mouse is a high-quality, elegant and innovative product and it jumps to the head of the pack of travel mice."

The Arc Mouse actually straddles the line between a desktop mouse and a lighter, more portable notebook mouse, since it folds to 60 percent of its size for easy travel. It comes in two colors (black and red) and has 30 feet of wireless range. It also features a scroll wheel, a battery status indicator, four customizable buttons and a tiny USB transceiver that snaps into the bottom of the mouse.

Reviewers cite a few negatives. The Arc is only powered by two AA batteries; they last about six months, but critics would prefer a rechargeable option. One reviewer says the Arc Mouse also feels too light for gaming, although it's not a gaming mouse per se.

If you prefer a larger laptop mouse, a pair of nearly identical mice from Microsoft bears some consideration. Except for styling, the chief difference between the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 (*Est. $45) and the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 (*Est. $60) is that the latter is rechargeable and includes a charging base. However, most reviews say that if you don't mind the slightly higher weight of the 6000, and the slightly higher long-term cost for batteries, the 6000 is actually a better value.

These mice have a small USB dongle that snaps into a compartment underneath the mouse so it's harder to lose while traveling. Experts say that the Microsoft 6000 is comfortable to use. Its 1,000-dpi laser means you only need a few inches of spare space next to your notebook to use the mouse effectively. Reviewers, including ExtremeTech.com's Jeremy Atkinson, say that it performs as well as most of the best general-purpose mice when it comes to its desktop manners. HardwareCentral.com's Eric Grevstad says it shouldn't be that hard to find room in your briefcase for a mouse that's only two inches bigger than some notebook-specific alternatives. Grevstad praises its dual functionality: "As such, the 6000 is a first-class candidate to be your only mouse -- to use both when you're at your desk and when you're mobile."

Finally, the new multi-touch-enabled Apple Magic Mouse (*Est. $70) makes a great travel companion for Mac users, since it connects over Bluetooth only. That means you don't need a separate USB dongle like you do with the above mice; however, that also means your laptop needs a built-in Bluetooth radio (which nearly all Mac laptops have). In addition, the Magic Mouse does not have PC drivers at the time of this writing, so Windows users are out of luck for now. The Magic Mouse borrows its design from Apple's iPhone and iPod touch - it doesn't have any buttons and uses touch technology. The top of the mouse is essentially a trackpad that supports left and right clicks, scrolling up and down, and finger "swipes" for browsing photo albums and web pages.

CNET's Justin Yu recommends it as a "laptop companion" rather than a desktop mouse, and complains that it's rather narrow and that it's easy to accidentally click while scrolling. He prefers Logitech's MX 1100 (*Est. $70), which has better customization and is more comfortable. Macworld and Gizmodo editors are more enthusiastic calling it "a crowning achievement" and "undoubtedly the best mouse Apple's made in years." MacWorld's Roman Loyola does concede that it's not customizable enough, and both he and Gizmodo's Jason Chen agree that it's not terribly ergonomic. The one area where reviewers unamimously agree is that it is a vast improvement over the troubled Mighty Mouse (*Est. $50), which has great looks but poor usability.