March 3 - March 10

Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer by Alessandro Cancian How often did you notice your mouse pointer moving very slowly, or in leaps, across your screen? Personally, thousands of times. The problem, as many of you will undoubtedly know, is due to the dirt collected by the mouse ball and deposited on the inner direction-sensing devices. The only solution is to dismantle the mouse and clean it well, or& you can abolish the ball. The latter solution was adopted by Microsoft, with its IntelliMouse Explorer. The USB IntelliMouse, perfectly compatible with PCs and Macs equipped with that port (the mouse also comes with a PS/2 adapter for computers without USB port), only requires installation of the appropriate drivers to enable the system to exploit its characteristics to the maximum. The IntelliMouse works like a traditional mouse, but without a mouse ball. The mechanism is optical, not mechanical, and movements are detected by comparing successive frames of the surface over which the mouse is operating. IntelliMouse is equipped with five buttons, but while the three on the forward side work beautifully, the two located on the inner side are in my opinion a bit too bulky, and can induce involuntary clicks. If one wants to obviate this inconvenience, it is enough to change the settings in the control panel. The ergonomic shape of the mouse is quite comfortable, especially for people with hands as big as mine; left-handed people, however, shall find it totally incompatible with their habits. All you need now is to calibrate pointer speed, configure the small wheel in front and have fun; and forget about cleaning balls! For further information please visit www.microsoft.com.

 

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