Macally

SRP / SP:	$49 / $42
Requirements:	MacOS 8.6 or later; Any desktop or notebook computer with an available USB port
What’s Hot:	Small and functional design; multi-colored “jackets”
What’s Not:	Software not included in box; Somewhat expensive

Following on the heels of the mini-mouse product trend from Apple,
Targus, and other companies, uber-input device specialist Macally has
released the iOptiJr, and optical mini-mouse ideally suited for
children or mobile computing. It’s a little pricey for such a tiny
device, but has virtually cornered the market for small, optical mice.

Mini-mice are generally about 33% smaller than their full-sized
counterparts. Apple’s now-infamous (and thankfully discontinued)
hockey puck mouse could technically be classified a mini-mouse, which
was half the problem with it. Mini-mice are fine for kids or adults
with small hands, but usually result in hand-cramps when used
repeatedly by those with full-sized hands.

The key here is the phrase “used repeatedly”. Mini-mice
are ideally suited for infrequent and/or specialized use. For mobile
professionals, the small form factor of mini-mice makes them ideal:
they pack away well, don’t take-up much countertop or “podiumtop”
space, and the newer, optical ones don’t even need a mousepad.

The iOptiJr sports three buttons, one on either side and a clickable
scroll wheel button, three snap-on color “jackets” (green, blue, and
gray), and a three foot cord. The mouse itself has a fairly solid
feel to it, and both the button and wheel click very responsively.
While the color jackets are perhaps a nice touch and are admittedly
well-hued to their respective iBook colors, they’re a novelty at best.

As with most Macally products, the packaging and documentation is
simple, clean, and effective. The downside, also as with most
Macally products, is the lack of included drivers in the box. Sure,
from a cost-effectiveness perspective it’s easier to just list a url
in the documentation than to include a CD. Still, it would be nice
to have immediate and full functionality at the start. The mouse, of
course, works fine in one-button mode until the drivers are installed.

After finding, downloading, and installing the Macally USB
Mouse/Trackball software (currently version 3.0.1), I was impressed
by the ease of use and general functionality of this little
ambidextrous mouse. The scroll wheel worked well in virtually all
applications, except when scrolling through a large PDF file on the
web. The three buttons were fully programmable, and the optical eye
tracked well on every surface. Note: glass and mirrors are still
problems for all optical mice. If you absolutely need to use an
optical input device on these types of surfaces, go with an optical
trackball.

With the possible exception of Contour Design’s MiniPro Mouse,
Macally appears to have a lock on optical mice for road warriors, or
any of my three nephews. At the very least, the iOptiJr is the only
small, optical mouse I’ve seen with a scroll wheel — and one that
actually works.

I’ve been using a Targus USB Mobile Mini-Mouse for the past year or
so while on business trips. While this has generally worked well,
the programmable buttons, scroll wheel, and optical tracking of the
iOptiJr weighs in favor of my switching. Yes, $49 is somewhat
expensive for such a small mouse, but since it is one of the only
such mice out there, it’s well worth the price.

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