The computer mouse is a critical piece of equipment that almost everyone works with. Its a simple device used in your day to day work life but you will be surprised to know how important it is to have a comfortable mouse that works with you. A good comfortable mouse can help you prevent a lot of injuries and pain and significantly enhance the computer user-experience. Here are the things you’ll want to keep in mind while choosing a mouse.
The basic mouse has 3 buttons left click , right click and a scroll button.
Basic Mouse buttons
Size and Grip
Since you use the mouse for long working hours, the first and the most important factor is how comfortable it feels when you hold it. So size and grip are the are the two parameters. Size is again related to how you feel when you hold the mouse and varies person to person. However if you are a traveler then a mouse of a smaller size will matter.
Grip is the fall of your hand when you hold the mouse. To combat the injuries that are caused due to the repetitive motion of the wrist or fingers while using the mouse for longer duration, the grip of the mouse is of utmost importance these days. These specially designed mouse shape gives the wrist and the fingers more rest and puts less strain on the joints. The drawback of these mouse being price. There are basically three different types of grips: Palm Grip, Claw grip,Finger grip.
Palm Grip – The shape of this mouse is such that your palm rests on the mouse. It is one of the most comfortable grips as it follows the natural grip of the hand. This grip is most widely used and very much suited for all the normal functions. It is also the best grip if you are suffering from any wrist related injuries like carpal tunnel.
Mouse with Palm Grip
Claw Grip – In this grip, the palm rests on the mouse however the finger is clawed to get more control of the mouse and more precise clicks. This might strain your wrist though.
Mouse with Claw Grip
Finger grip – Opposite of palm grip, the fingers are used to control the mouse and the palm does not rest on the mouse. This is the most precise grip but most straining too. It also takes some amount of time to get used to this grip.
Connectivity options – Wired Vs Wireless
The standard mouse has a wire connected to it that you need to plug in to you PS/2 port or the USB post.
If your workplace is buried under a lot of wires and cables and you want to clean things up , then using a wireless mouse can be a good option. Since a wireless mouse does not have a cable, it does not come in the way of your desktop or tables. However a wireless mouse might have some speed issues. It can carry some lag so these are not recommended if you are thinking to use it for gaming purpose. If you have too many wireless devices, this mouse is likely to interfere with the other wireless devices. There are 2 types of wireless mouse Bluetooth and RF to choose from. The RF mouse refers to the mouse that uses radio frequency. A receiver needs to be plugged in USB port and then it can be paired with the mouse. A Bluetooth mouse does not require a receiver and is paired via Bluetooth. Both these mice provide connectivity between transmitter and receiver. The difference being the RF mouse needs a additional receiver whereas the Bluetooth mouse needs Bluetooth integrated in the computer.
While RF mouse has a greater range but can be disrupted by wall, Bluetooth mouse might have range issues but can transmit through the physical objects. The choice of which type of the mouse to be used can be personal and depending on basically the computer that is being used and the surroundings.
Gaming Mouse
Sensitivity
Sensitivity means how your mouse cursor responds to the).Sensitivity is most important to while using the mouse for Gaming purpose. Gaming mouse have high sensitivity. There are different types of gaming mouse available based on the button and DPI value that you can choose from.
Extra Buttons
There are mouse nowadays that come with some extra buttons. These extra buttons can be mapped or program to any of the functions like switching the desktop or copy/paste to make the task simpler. Some mouse have a extra sensitive scroll button. Even if there is no harm is getting a mouse with some extra buttons consider these only if you have a specific need or requirement.