Mac Daniel's Advice

Picking the Right Multibutton Mouse for Your Mac

Korin Hasegawa-John - 2003.05.01

Popularity: LEMLEMLEMLEMLEMLEM

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Q: I'm a recent Windows convert, and I miss the functionality of a two-button mouse. What two-button mice work with Macs and which do you recommend?

First of all, congratulations on switching! That being said, the lack of a two-button mouse is annoying for many people. Of course, the control-click combinations work just as well as two buttons, but they're certainly not as convenient.

The good news is that any two-button USB mouse will work without drivers in OS X, and most two-button USB mice will work in OS 9 with drivers.

The available mice on the market for Mac span a wide range - from the $20 USB Logitech two button mouse StudioMouse Prowith scroll wheel that is attached to the family iMac to the $89 wireless StudioMouse Pro from Kensington. For basic "I want a second button and a scroll wheel" desires, the cheapest optical 2-button mouse is probably the easiest and most cost-effective solution.

Generally speaking, most of the mice available today are optical, meaning that instead of using a ball and roller system to track movement they use a red LED and an optical sensor that tracks movement. Optical mice have several advantages, the primary one being that you never have to clean them. They also track more accurately and require less effort to move, since they're lighter.

A few mice I recommend:

For OS 9 use, I recommend Kensington's mice. Kensington's driver package, known as MouseWorks, is by far the superior driver system under OS 9, allowing you to customize what buttons do, change the tracking on a curve, and generally modify almost every aspect of the mouse's performance. MouseWorks is not quite as amazing under OS X, but it still does a very excellent job.

Favorite OS 9 mouse

Logitech MouseFor sheer cheapness, the Logitech standard two-button optical mouse with scroll wheel can't be beat. However, Logitech doesn't include Mac drivers in the box, so you have to download them. The driver is not nearly as refined as the MouseWorks software.

Slightly more expensive and capable is the $32 Kensington Optical Elite with four buttons and scroll wheel. This mouse is very good for gaming, with precise tracking and many buttons (I own the predecessor, the Kensington Optical Pro).

Logitech MX-700Favorite mouse for Gamers (X)

Gamers will enjoy a mouse such as Logitech's MX-700. The MX-700 is wireless, has dual optical sensors for even better tracking, and has more buttons than a normal human would ever need. It has rechargeable batteries and recharges in a special dock that doubles as a wireless receiver.

Favorite mobile mouse (X)

Kensington's PocketMouse series is designed for mobile users and has a smaller, easier-to-carry size than a normal mouse. The PocketMouse Pro has a retractable cord (very handy), PocketMouse Proand the PocketMouse Pro Wireless has a wireless reciever. However, the PocketMouse Wireless sometimes has tracking issues, especially when close to it's 3-foot range limit. The wireless model requires 2 AAA batteries, which last a couple months with normal use.

Hopefully, this handy guide to mousing with multiple buttons will help you decide which mouse is right for you. In this article, I have not cover a very wide range of mice by any means, so if you're in the market for a mouse, I recommend going down to a local computer store and trying some out. After all, the most important thing is how it feels in your hand.  LEM

Editor's note: Logitech and Kensington are two of the best brands of mice I've ever worked with. For those still using ADB Macs, the Kensington Mouse-In-A-Box (USB/ADB) merits consideration at $22.95; it's the only optical mouse I know of for ADB.

A third company that impresses me is Contour Design. Their original UniMouse was the best USB mouse I could find in the early days of USB on Macs, and it has since been supplanted by an optical version. I keep their MiniPro mouse in my TiBook's carrying case; it's a very nice compact two-button optical mouse that even comes with a case of its own to prevent the cable from getting tangled. dk

Korin Hasegawa-John is a student hailing from the netherworlds of Vermont. He has used Macs from the SE and Macintosh II to iMacs and DP G4s. He is most familiar with post-7.5 OS customization and setup, PowerBooks, and PCI PowerMacs. He currently owns a Mac II, a Power Mac 9600, and a PowerBook 2400. You can read more about his computing experience in Korin's Power Mac and PowerBook. He runs a Mac troubleshooting business on the side and plays in a band.

Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.

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