Mac USB & FireWire

Adesso iMouse

Dan Knight - 1999.10.12

For most of us, the round mouse Apple ships with the iMac and Power Mac isn't what we want in a mouse. In fact, earlier this year I gave the original iMac mouse the Road Apple label.

Apple has improved the mouse by putting a dimple in the mouse button. It doesn't improve the shape and handling of the mouse, but you are more likely to know when you're holding it sideways.

Adesso's iMouse is designed as a plug-and-play replacement for the iMac mouse. The more conventional shape is a welcome improvement for those who don't care for Apple's round mouse.

Visually, the iMouse has a clear cover, a Bondi blue base, and a two-colored mouse ball - as with Apple's mouse, if you move your hand off the mouse, you can watch the ball rotate as you move the mouse. It serves no practical purpose, but it look's cool.

The iMouse is a two-button USB mouse, but it does not ship with drivers, so each button does exactly the same thing - click.

Overall, I'd have to rate the iMouse average. Nothing more; nothing less. The size and shape are adequate, but I'll admit to being spoiled by the Kensington Mouse (two-button ADB) at work and then even nicer Contour UniMouse (three-button USB with excellent drivers) at home.

If I had an iMac, I'd be more tempted to put the Apple mouse in a UniTrap for $15 than spend $30 on the iMouse. Mechanically, the iMac mouse is excellent - it's just the shape that bothers me and many other users.

If the iMouse shipped with drivers, it might be a good value at $25-30. But with USB OverDrive (shareware) drivers selling for $20, the better value is the $40-45 UniMouse, which includes a UniMouse specific version of USB OverDrive.

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