Vanguard wrote
wrote

I've never been fond of wireless keyboards and mice
because of the basic need to keep them powered.

Completely routine when they are properly designed.

Routine if properly designed. Still annoying to change the battery when
you really have better things to do. Even if it takes 10 seconds, it's
simply not an issue with a wired keyboard. And 10 seconds means
something in games.

Exactly why I quit using wireless mice (and keyboards). The keyboard
rarely moves anyway so what's the point of having it wireless?

Mine moves a lot because I dont use it on a desktop.

The only time wireless makes sense is if the system unit will be farther away
than the cord, but then wireless devices don't come with very long cords,
either.

Wrong again. The bluetooth devices can be used so far from
the system that you cant even read the monitor anymore.

I've yet to see one that notifies you BEFORE voltage gets too low to affect
behavior.

You need to get out more. The MX700 warns you so early that you
can continue to use it fine all day once it starts warning of a low battery.

And it charges fast enough so that even a coffee break is enough
to turn the led off, and it will fully charge over lunch too.

Remember when inside a game that you won't see a tray icon that may show you
voltage level of the batteries

That particular mouse he asked about has a 4
level battery level indicator on the mouse itself.

(and I've yet to see such a tray icon

Again, you need to get out more. The Logitechs have that.

which means you have to periodically go check using the Control Panel applet).

Not with that one he asked about. And its got a
4 level charge indicator on the mouse anyway.

Also, the polling rate for wireless mices is much slower.

Wrong again.

You might try to up the sampling rate and buffer size but that won't affect
the polling rate between the wireless mouse and the receiver.

Not a problem with a properly designed system.

I've tried 7 wireless mice from IBM, Microsoft, Logitech, and a couple of the
low-name brands and ALL were more jerky in gameplay than a wired mouse.

You clearly didnt try the MX700.

Some are much better than others but then most folks don't go
switching between them and wired mice often enough to see the small jerkiness
in movement that remains with wireless mice, or they play undemanding and slow
games.

You clearly havent tried a decent gaming wireless mouse.

Wireless mice never have the longevity claimed by the mouse manufacturer.

Mine hasnt failed and its been years now.

I found the Logitech are more responsive than IBM or Microsoft but that's
because the Logitech doesn't go to sleep as often

Doesnt go to sleep at all when its being used.

and it also wakes up faster, and I've found Logitech to be less jerky (but
still jerkier than wired but tolerable and probably not noticable by lots of
users).

It isnt jerky at all with the MX700.

And because they're less reliable than wired keyboards,

Pure drivel.

EVERYTHING wireless is vunelrable to inteferece and limits of range. Cell
phones are less reliable than land lines, cable is more reliable than rabbit
ears and sattellite. Reliability is sacrificed to portability. At a
pricehike.

That isn't the only problem.

It doesnt actually happen with a properly designed system.

Wireless mice are supposed to have a working range of up to 15 feet. True and
not true. Some won't work if the mouse if more than 3 feet away from the
receiver.

Anyone with a clue gets one with a much better
range than that if they need that. Bluetooth works
so far that you cant read the monitor anymore.

Be careful what you place between the receiver and mouse. Yes, RF mice don't
need line-of-sight but hiding the receiver on the other side of a metallic
system case or behind a monitor can result in poor reception.

Even you should be able to avoid that situation.

There is also the problem of one wireless mouse affecting another.

Not with a properly designed system.

Since working range if 15 feet, in a company setting with cublicles
and offices close together, one user will wonder why their mouse
cursor is moving without touching the mouse. It's interference from
another user. Hell, in one case at work, we found the culprit
conflicting mouse was up one floor and 50 feet over (so obviously the
working range happened to be pretty far). We managed to correct that
problem but you can't always find different channels on which to set
the wireless mice so they won't interfere, and most only give you 2
"channels". In a home environment

Which just happens to be the situation being discussed.

with just one computer, this interference isn't a problem (unless you're in an
apartment near the same wall where the next tenant also has their computer and
wireless mouse),

It has to be the same system too.

but then 2 channels is probably sufficient when to resync the devices to
eliminate the interference.

For wireless mice, and because they don't last that long, now they're making
cradles to keep the batteries recharged (to hide the poor longevity).

Nope, because thats more convenient than farting around changing batterys.

You've likely noticed cordless phones use the same system.

Some, like IBM and Microsoft, make the mouse go to sleep sooner and wake up
slower (than Logitech) in an attempt to increase
battery life. When you game a lot, the batteries deplete much faster
because there are no low-power use times (notice the LED will flicker
between high and low power modes if you have a wireless mouse with
translucent sides). Also, if you use a dark mouse pad or surface then
the batteries deplete faster, and most mouse pads are dark and so are
most desktop surfaces. If you use your mouse for word processing for
6 hours per day at work the batteries will last a lot longer than if
you play games for those same 6 hours.

The Logitechs all last more than a day even when the batterys
have aged considerably so that is completely academic.

Also remember that wireless mice weigh more than wired mice.

I dont care. Its weight is fine anyway.

Why? Because of the weight of the batteries. If you choose to use a mouse
(instead of a trackball), you will invariably end up having to lift
the mouse over and over to reposition it on the mouse pad or desktop.

Even a weakling like you should be able to manage that fine.

Yeah, you could up the acceleration and speed but then you loose granularity
and control. So how do you pick up the mouse for all that repositioning? By
squeezing it between your fingers (thumb and pinky usually).

Wrong again.

Your pinky can get tired after hours and hours of mouse use, especially with a
heavier mouse that has to house batteries.

Just another of your pathetic little drug crazed fantasys.

If you can arrange that the cord is unfettered so it doesn't snag and also
doesn't hit anything (to eliminate torqueing on the mouse from restricted cord
movement), a wired mouse is much less effort to move over extended periods of
use.

Just another of your pathetic little drug crazed fantasys.

My fingers got sore from prolonged use of a wireless mouse because of the
extra weight.

Not everyone is a puny as you.

I also don't go deliberately looking for keyboards that have the hardest keys
to press, either.

Not everyone is a puny as you.

Wireless mice are pricier. Break a wired one and its replacement is cheap.
Break or lose a wireless mouse and you'll waste time hunting around for a
better price or rethinking your original choice.

So dont break it, stupid.

Also consider the expense of batteries.

No thanks, I had enough of a clue to get one with a charging cradle.

Unless you get one with a cradle, you will need to buy lots of alkaline
batteries

Only fools are actually that stupid.

or you will need to get the rechargeable batteries (that don't last a long per
charge as the single-use of non-rechargeables) along with a charger.

Anyone with a clue buys one with a charging cradle.

If you get one with a recharging cradle, you'll get ****ed off everytime you
leave the computer to come back to find that you forgot to cradle your
wireless mouse when you left, and now your mouse is still dead while you wait
for it to charge.

You've clearly never used one. A properly designed one will
go for days between charges, will give enough of a warning
about low battery that you can still use it all day and put it on
the charger when you stop using it that night, and will recharge
fully during the lunch break etc anyway.

And getting a wireless mouse does NOT reduce the number of cords, anyway.

It does where the cords matter, at the keyboard and mouse.

You're still stuck with the corded receiver.

Since you never move that around, thats irrelevant.

Most users get wireless mice because it's a fad, cool, more technology, or
newer, not because they need wireless.

You can make the same stupid claim about the PC too.

Wired keyboards just work. Wireless ones have to be babysat.

Likewise when battery level goes low, you'll start to hear users in
the cubicles start swearing and banging harder on the keys until you wander
over to have a check and then replace the batteries.

Not everyone has to deal with cretins in cubicles.

There are good reasons of when or why to get wireless devices.
However, few of them come into play for users that choose them.

Just another of your pathetic little drug crazed fantasys.