|
 |
| Setup,
Quality and Installation |
| Ummm...Plug
it in! |
|
Installation couldn't possibly be any easier, all you
have to do is plug it in. Have your Windows
CD handy though...you may need a few files from
it. On our Compaq Presario laptop running
Windows ME, the mouse was recognized and functioning
properly within seconds.
Initially,
because of it's small size, we thought the Super
Mini Optical Mouse may be a bit fragile, but we
were wrong. The shell of the mouse is made
of a tough Polycarbonate
material, instead of more common ABS plastic, and
the cord is reinforced with a Kevlar...you know
the same material used for bulletproof
vests! During testing we did drop the Super
Mini a few times (both intentionally and by
accident!) and it never skipped a beat or exhibited
any ill effects whatsoever. We don't have
any sophisticated methods of measuring the force
involved in our "drop tests", but we
will say that you shouldn't have to worry about
everyday wear and tear killing the Super Mini
prematurely. This is a portable device and
was designed to handle the risks involved...
|
| General
Performance |
| It's
a Matter of Personal Preference... |
|
The performance
of the Atek Super Mini Optical Mouse is tough to gauge
without some sort of benchmark. We can say
that because of it's optical tracking and higher
resolution than our built in touch-pad, there was
an appreciable difference. With the Super
Mini, precise mousing was finally a reality...even
while using the wrist wrest on the laptop as our mousing
surface.
This
is not an actual picture of our laptop (we stole
this shot from Atek's site), but it does show the
exact situation that we used our mouse in.
Even with the relatively small space provided by
the wrist wrest, the Super Mini functioned
perfectly.
Because
of it's small size, it does take a little time to
get used to the Super Mini.
As you
can see, you have to hold the mouse between your
thumb and middle finger, while using your index
finger to click. For me personally, this
position was not very uncomfortable at all and I
got used to the "feel" of the Super Mini
within minutes. Although the Super Mini isn't
very ergonomically designed, it was still felt
comfortable to use during prolonged
sessions.
Overall
we were impressed with the Atek Super Mini Optical
Mouse. The product was designed to be
compact, portable, durable, accurate and
compatible...Atek has delivered in all these
areas. The Super Mini improved the computing
experience on our laptop and we'll be using it
from this point forward. If you've ever
struggled with the touch-pad or "pencil
eraser" on your laptop you owe it to yourself
to give the Super Mini a try. With an MSRP
of $49 it is a bit pricey, but the frustration the
Super Mini eliminated make it worth every
penny. We give the Atek Super Mini Optical
Mouse a HotHardware Heat Meter rating of...
Speak
your mind quiet boy! Get in the H.H. Conference Room
already!
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