The mightiest mouse

I have an issue with mice. And no, not the wee scatty things which scurry below the floorboards, but, computer mice.

When I bought my iBook I also got myself an Apple Wireless Mouse. I thought, "that trackpad thing is going to be diabolical to use, I must get a mouse, and why not a wireless one seeing as I'm going portable." But using it is not much better than using the iBook's trackpad. I can't put my finger on what the problem is exactly, but it just doesn't feel right. It feels slow but not in terms of tracking speed. It feels a bit inaccurate. It just doesn't feel the same as a wired mouse.

These days I often find myself stealing my Dad's Logitech thing, especially when I'm in Photoshop or Dreamweaver and need fast, accurate, steady movements. But still, my dilemmas persist. I'm really not convinced by these optical sensors. It's maybe my own fault, after-all, I refuse to use a mouse mat of any description and find myself working either on my bed or at the kitchen table. On my bed both mice track my movement very well indeed, but on the kitchen table they can be erratic, the pointer randomly jumping around the screen at times.

But anyway, whether it's the latency of the bluetooth connection, the surfaces I place it on, or perhaps even the additional battery weight, one thing's for sure; this can't go on. I need a new mouse.

So what do I get? Apple's Mighty Mouse looks rather spiffing, and it fits with the iBook's image. Plus it gives me right-click functionality, a scroller, and squeezy buttons which I'll gladly link up to my gorgeous lover - Exposé. But, it leaves me tethered, and means I have to keep plugging/unplugging whenever I want to pack my iBook into my backpack.

What I'd really like to see is Apple come out with a wireless/wired hybrid. A mouse much like the Mighty Mouse but with a cable which can be disconnected at the mouse end, allowing bluetooth to come into play. While connected up, the mouse's battery charges via power from the USB port. Sounds like a good solution, and doable. So why haven't Apple done it yet?

Othwise I'm going to have to look at third party stuff... and I really don't want to have to go there.