Travel mice: what to look for

While using the inbuilt laptop trackpad is fine for basic tasks, editing photos or any kind of lengthy use requires an external mouse to avoid both frustration and injury.

Of course it is also yet another piece of gear to carry, so follow our advice to make sure you end up with exactly what you need and nothing that you don’t.

Size

Obviously smaller is better – but only to a point.  Some of the travel mice out there are tiny to the point of being uncomfortable for most adults.  Depending on the size of your hands, look for something around 60-75% as large as a normal mouse.

Connectivity

There are basically three choices when it comes to travel mouse connectivity, each with their own pros and cons:

Traditional corded mouse

Wireless mouse with RF receiver

Wireless mouse with Bluetooth

Given the limited number of USB ports available on most smaller laptops and the likelihood of damage from a tangled cable or broken RF receiver, we recommend a Bluetooth travel mouse.

If your laptop does not have Bluetooth built in, choose a wireless mouse with a tiny RF receiver that can be stored inside the mouse when not in use.

Weight

The size of the mouse will obviously also affect the weight, but so too will the type – a wireless mouse will weigh more than an equivalent wired mouse.  This is due to both the extra electronics and especially the batteries, so try to find one that uses AAA batteries rather than AA if possible.

Features

There aren’t many bells and whistles that come with travel mice, but a few that are worth looking out for include:

• Programmable extra buttons (beyond the usual left, right and scroll options) to save time in your favourite applications
• An on/off switch on wireless mice to improve battery life
• If you prefer a corded mouse, choose one with a retractable cord to reduce tangles
• As mentioned above for mice with a RF receiver – smaller is better and/or with a storage compartment for it inside the mouse

Recommendations

So with all of that said, which mouse should you buy?

Obviously prices and features change regularly, but three examples we would recommend that fit many or all of the criteria above are:

Corded Belkin Mobile Retractable Mouse	Wireless (RF) Verbatim Wireless Mini Nano Travel Mouse	Wireless (Bluetooth) Logitech V470 Bluetooth Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks (White)

[Laptop with mouse image cc via Jamiesrabbits]

Dave Dean

One of the editors of Too Many Adapters, Dave has been a traveller for nearly 15 years and a geek for even longer.

When he is not playing with the latest tech toy or working out how to keep his phone charged for just a few more minutes, he can probably be found sitting in a broken down bus in some obscure corner of the planet.