There aren’t very many good Bluetooth mice on the market. One of my favorites is the Logitech V270. It is big enough to use but still small enough to be portable. It also sips on batteries and lasts for months on a pair of AA batteries. Unfortunately, it is absolutely useless for playing FPS games. It goes to sleep after a very short time period. It wakes up fast enough that you won’t notice it when you’re just clicking around on your desktop, but if you duck behind a corner to wait for an unsuspecting victim you will certainly notice the time it takes for the V270 to wake up…
Choosing a Mouse
There wasn’t a big selection of Bluetooth mice 3-4 years ago, and I don’t want to carry a dongle when my laptop already has Bluetooth. I ended up buying a used and discontinued Logitech MX900 on [eBay][15]. It is a fine mouse even if it is a little on the heavy side. Unfortunately it drains a pair of AA batteries in two or three days and lacks a power switch.
This wasn’t a big deal until I stopped using the laptop display and switched to a pair of external monitors. I used to just use the touchpad, now I have to use a mouse…
Why Do I Need the Dock?
The Bluetooth module in my current HP Pavillion dv8t laptop is rather underpowered. The signal is so bad that my mouse is very jittery when the laptop is it its hiding spot behind my desk (my old Dell Inspiron 6400 didn’t have this problem at all). The poor signal and the need for a battery charger were two good reasons to dig out the dock that came with the MX900.
I’m convinced that Logitech has absolutely no idea how to make a decent charging cradle. I was going through all sorts of contortions and dances trying to get the mouse to actually start charging when I placed (or slammed) the mouse into the cradle. I’m also lucky if it continues charging after I walk away. We have the same sort of problem with our older Logitech Harmony remote control; I might have to try this on him as well.
How Did I Fix It?
My fix was quick, easy, cheap, and quite ugly… I made two short cylinders out of aluminum foil that matched the diameter of the little charging contacts on the cradle. Then I just put them over the contacts and mashed them down in there. They may not look pretty, but they are small enough that they aren’t very noticeable. The mouse charges properly every single time I place it in the cradle now.
