TFA: "everyone has a Bluetooth-powered mouse for their laptops..."

Stopped reading right there.

The "dongle" is usually put on the computer and does not get removed as most people always use their mouse.

If the writer has a fetish about removing his dongles all the time, maybe he should learn to put them back in the mouse (as most mouse I know of with the tiny dongle have a built-in slot for it).

Or better yet, if the writer is that thick, maybe go with a corded mouse, or even better, restrain from using computers as they appear to complex for him.

WiFi mouse is useless in many circumstances and hits the borderline of stupidity. (extra power consumption for laptops, most desktop don't have WiFI built-in, etc.)

retrain = refrain

WorkingInParadise: TFA: "everyone has a Bluetooth-powered mouse for their laptops..."

Stopped reading right there.

and THIS too... with all my computers (a good 9 of them in my house), all with wireless mice, not one is bluetooth.

This author seems like he's from 2002. MOST computers have bluetooth built in these days and don't require a dongle... I'm really trying to see why this is news?

Also, his claim that desktop computers don't have wifi?

/I need to become a "tech" writer if this passes as a job.

Picture of the writer during composition of the article.

Fake.

Seriously, that article sucked ass.

Sorry, Fark ate it.

imfallen_angel: The "dongle" is usually put on the computer and does not get removed as most people always use their mouse.

This. Who the hell removes their dongle? Ever? Mine is about half the size of a postage stamp, including the part that sticks into the computer; what remains outside is so non-intrusive there's no reason to remove it. Ever.

The only 'downside' is the occupation of a USB port. But when you've 5 ports, who the fark cares?

On a desktop a dongle isn't an issue. In fact I would think wifi might be less common than a free USB port. Secondly you can get bluetooth mice that don't require a dongle at all and work via standard bluetooth integrated into a laptop (or desktop).

I just switched back to wired. Batteries, even integrated ones, are a pain in the ass.

Actually you probably don't need a WiFi card on your desktop, if the mouse connects as a network device as long as your computer and wifi are on the same network you should be fine.

//I wonder what happens when you setup multiple computers to listen to it.

Wonderful mobile site...

IrateShadow: I just switched back to wired. Batteries, even integrated ones, are a pain in the ass.

Early wireless devices lasted a few weeks. The newest ones are promising to last over 2 years on non a pair of non rechargeable AAs. For instance http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard/devices/5994 (I just bought one of these, been using it about a month, I'll let you know in 2 years :) )

Glad to see everyone agrees that the author is stupid and should feel bad about penning this shiat.

I'm still sticking with a wired mouse for my desktop, as I can't stand even the slight lag that comes with a wireless when I'm gaming. It's not that bad with a mouse, but very noticeable with a wireless keyboard. In any case, I don't mind the wire since the mouse never moves very from from it's spot, and not having to worry about batteries dying is a plus. Are that many people using wireless these days?

Fish in a Barrel: Glad to see everyone agrees that the author is stupid and should feel bad about penning this shiat.

I'm sure they are glad that HP will be putting food on the table. Gotta pay for a feature/advert like that.

TFA :My office has a graveyard of mice that have lost their dongles

umm, maybe i'm missing something... aren't generic bluetooth dongles priced at around $5, these days? Why go and buy a new $40 wireless mouse just for a new bluetooth dongle?

Author sounds rich/dumb.

/heh, dongle. :-D

i'm intrigued by the concept... i have a bluetooth mouse for my laptop but it's hard to find a good bluetooth mouse (with as many buttons as i'm used to). and i have a wireless mouse that has all the buttons i need, but it needs a dongle.

my only question would be how it works if you are in a non-internal IP address on the network. i currently live under the service of a public network so all of the "connect over wifi!" things stopped working. some i can manually set the IP address (but that's a pain cause it isn't static), and some (*cough* those written by apple) are entirely useless because they are supposed to "just work" and when they don't you "just can't do anything about it".

i really just need to find a better bluetooth mouse.

MindStalker: IrateShadow: I just switched back to wired. Batteries, even integrated ones, are a pain in the ass.

Early wireless devices lasted a few weeks. The newest ones are promising to last over 2 years on non a pair of non rechargeable AAs. For instance http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard/devices/5994 (I just bought one of these, been using it about a month, I'll let you know in 2 years :) )

Exactly. I can't remember the last time I had to charge batteries for my mouse (Logitech m510) and my keyboard is solar power (Logitech kt50) and they both use the same unified don't so I'm golden..

IrateShadow: I just switched back to wired. Batteries, even integrated ones, are a pain in the ass.


I'll never go back. I use all wireless mice, and batteries are really a non-issue.

My wireless mouse at work sits in a charging dock when I go home at night and my mouse at home recharges similarly. They charge while I'm not using them, and a charge lasts for days (they're both gaming mice) so I never have to worry about having any dead batteries. And before I had these two mice I used ones that used AA batteries and the batteries lasted for a looooong time. Like most of the year. Heck, back in the day I had an old Logitech ball mouse that would last about a year straight on one set of batteries. If I only need to change the batteries out once or twice a year then that isn't particularly inconveniencing.

Maybe I am a little slow but I have never connected a device to a computer using Wi-Fi.

Are you connecting through the wireless router like the other computers and devices on your network? Does that mean you have to change the configs when you go to another Wi-Fi hotspot? Does it support the various levels of wireless encryption out there (not even the HP product page addresses that)?

maliklockett: Maybe I am a little slow but I have never connected a device to a computer using Wi-Fi.

Are you connecting through the wireless router like the other computers and devices on your network? Does that mean you have to change the configs when you go to another Wi-Fi hotspot? Does it support the various levels of wireless encryption out there (not even the HP product page addresses that)?

Without the specs in from of me I can't say with 100% certainty, but it's more likely to configure your machine for an ad-hoc network between it and the device. So, you wouldn't connect to your router, and probably wouldn't use any encryption. I do kind of wonder how pairing would work, though.

Teenwolf: I'm still sticking with a wired mouse for my desktop, as I can't stand even the slight lag that comes with a wireless when I'm gaming. It's not that bad with a mouse, but very noticeable with a wireless keyboard. In any case, I don't mind the wire since the mouse never moves very from from it's spot, and not having to worry about batteries dying is a plus. Are that many people using wireless these days?


It used to be difficult to find wireless mice with no lag. For many years I stuck to an old Logitech wireless mouse with a ball because optical mice were still relatively new, and the optical systems would go into a low power state automatically on the wireless ones so they could conserve battery. That switching into and out of a low power state was what used to cause massive lag, and was a deal-breaker for me.

Now? Not hard at all. I suggest sticking with Logitech or Microsoft - some major brand. The Logitech MX1000 I'm using right now at work has absolutely no lag, and my Microsoft Sidewinder at home is excellent and totally lag-free as well - plus has adjustable sensitivity on the mouse itself. For you, best of all, the Sidewinder charges through the mouse cable which attaches magnetically.... and while it's attached it works as a wired mouse.

The response times on wireless mice are now generally up to the point (as long as you're not buying some totally cheap POS, of course) that they are 100% indistinguishable from a wired mouse by any of us squishy meat creatures.

mongbiohazard: Teenwolf: I'm still sticking with a wired mouse for my desktop, as I can't stand even the slight lag that comes with a wireless when I'm gaming. It's not that bad with a mouse, but very noticeable with a wireless keyboard. In any case, I don't mind the wire since the mouse never moves very from from it's spot, and not having to worry about batteries dying is a plus. Are that many people using wireless these days?


It used to be difficult to find wireless mice with no lag. For many years I stuck to an old Logitech wireless mouse with a ball because optical mice were still relatively new, and the optical systems would go into a low power state automatically on the wireless ones so they could conserve battery. That switching into and out of a low power state was what used to cause massive lag, and was a deal-breaker for me.

Now? Not hard at all. I suggest sticking with Logitech or Microsoft - some major brand. The Logitech MX1000 I'm using right now at work has absolutely no lag, and my Microsoft Sidewinder at home is excellent and totally lag-free as well - plus has adjustable sensitivity on the mouse itself. For you, best of all, the Sidewinder charges through the mouse cable which attaches magnetically.... and while it's attached it works as a wired mouse.

The response times on wireless mice are now generally up to the point (as long as you're not buying some totally cheap POS, of course) that they are 100% indistinguishable from a wired mouse by any of us squishy meat creatures.

I loooooove my Logitech MX Revolution. The clutched wheel is addictive. After trying it, half the office switched.

Came to ask, "do people really remove the dongle?" Clearly this has been answered.

Logitech has had dongles that will connect with all their wireless keyboards and mince for over 3 years now. 1 dongle can handle any and every device in the product line, and you get 1 dongle with each device. The receivers are about the size of your thumbnail and are mostly USB plug (no ugly dongle sticking out of your laptop). They all fit into slots inside their respective devices for transportation.

HP be doing what its best at. Copying.

Why are manufacturers still making wireless input devices with anything else than bluetooth.

Wired Peripherals = USB
Wired Network = Ethernet
Wireless Peripherals = Bluetooth
Wireless Network = WiFi

Teenwolf: I'm still sticking with a wired mouse for my desktop, as I can't stand even the slight lag that comes with a wireless when I'm gaming. It's not that bad with a mouse, but very noticeable with a wireless keyboard. In any case, I don't mind the wire since the mouse never moves very from from it's spot, and not having to worry about batteries dying is a plus. Are that many people using wireless these days?

I picked up a Logitech G700 gaming mouse last year and it is the best mouse I have ever owned. The best part about it is that it is a wireless mouse with a port for a usb recharging cord that also lets it go wired. I mainly use it wired but occasionally go wireless with it if I am doing laptop gaming. It has a bunch of programmable buttons, on the fly DPS settings, a mouse clutch button by the wheel, and 3 hardware profiles that let you switch from gaming to productivity settings with a touch of a button. It's also a larger, chunky mouse that fits my hand like a glove. I am tempted to get another just in case this one ever dies, but after a year of heavy gaming use it is still doing great.

Anyone remember the Xircom RealPort PCMCIA card? It took up both slots but had both ethernet and modem jacks and no cable (dongle). Xircom's marketing pitch was the end of the dongle.
We were at Comdex in 1998 and there were advertisements on a bunch of taxicabs showing the Statue of David with his bits missing. "Donglectomy" they called it.

For years, my desk was littered with wireless keyboards that had tons of extra buttons you needed to install extra software to use. The delay between my mouse waking up and the computer waking up became insufferable. One day I just tossed them both and got simple, no frills wired versions.

I'm a happier man. Also gaming.

My laptop, however, is another story. I HATE HATE HATE track pads, so I got a wireless mouse. The dongle is so tiny I barely know it's there. I can't imagine why anyone would remove it at all.

CBS has a huge problem on their hands, yet no one seems to be talking about this most obvious thing.

FTA: "My office has a graveyard of mice that have lost their dongles.

It's not that he is a complete idiot but rather that the whole office is a bunch of morons. Morons that advertise the fact on CBS's own site that NONE of them can be trusted to look after something as simple as a dongle. Something so small that it takes an act of God to remove the damn thing once its put in. And every moron in that office has somehow managed to lose theirs at least once.