Mouse Preferences: Wired or Wireless
The mouse is one of the most important hardware associated with the computer system. In the previous article, we learnt about the essence of keyboard shortcuts and how they are used to achieve productivity, but there are still some important tasks to perform that keyboard shortcuts can’t do. Before we examine some unique characteristics of the mouse, let’s take a look at what a mouse is.
A mouse is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of a pointer on a display, which allows a smooth control of the window on a graphical user interface of a computer [Wikipedia]. In plain terms, with this setup, it can allow for the movement and selection of files, folders, applications and so on the computer screen.
A Brief History of the Mouse
The early generation of mouse consists of a metal ball rolling on two rubber-coated wheels known as Trackball. The trackball uses 4 disks that can only pick up motion in just two directions which is the X and Y direction i.e. two for each direction. The trackball was modified in recent decades to the Ball point and Optical mouse.
The typical mouse consists of two Buttons (left mouse click and right mouse click), which are used for manipulating objects on the screen. It also has a wheel used for scrolling in between pages as well as a USB cable for connection to the computer system (in the case of a wired mouse). The mouse also requires a mouse pad or any flat surface to function. This is the basic setup of a mouse as an input device in a computer system.
Up until now, I know some of us might think there are just two types of computer mouse, but there are actually several others which will be seen in the next section.
1. Wired mouse: it is an input device that connects to computers via cable. This is the most commonly used type of mouse.
2. Wireless mouse: It is an input device that connects to a computer without a cable. A USB receiver is used to connect the computer with a wireless mouse, which is plugged into the computer and accepts signals from the wireless mouse (this serves as the transmitter of wireless signals). The wireless mouse mostly makes use of the Bluetooth and Radio frequency to connect with the computer system. A wireless mouse requires a battery either rechargeable or replaceable to function.
3. Optical mouse: the optical mouse uses sensors that detect the movement of the mouse. It uses LED light usually red-color and can be used only on Opaque surfaces. It is best for its accuracy and speed. It can be either wireless or wired.
4. Laser mouse: this is a more advanced version of the mouse. It uses Laser light beam for detection of movement. It can be used on glass and other transparent surfaces. This is usually more expensive than any other mouse because of the technology embedded in it. This is a recommendation for Gamers because of its fast action.
5. Trackpad mouse: this is a flat control surface used to move the cursor by using fingers. This is mostly found on laptops. It includes two buttons under the touch surface which correspond to the right and left click buttons on the typical mouse.
6. Ball mouse: this is also referred to as the Mechanical mouse. The ball mouse has a soft rubber ball on the lower surface which is used to detect movement of the mouse. This rubber ball sometimes gets stuck after a degree of navigation and it doesn’t work well on rigid surfaces. A mouse pad is the most suitable for this type of mouse. Aside from getting stuck while using, it can be really slow compared to laser and optical type. This type of mouse is slowly going out of use because users now adapt to advanced versions of the mouse that makes their work more efficient.
7. Track point mouse: this is usually located in between the G, H and B keys of the keyboard. It is a curse control device also known as the Nub. It is operated by pushing to the desired location where you want your mouse to point at on the screen. This is just an alternative in case the trackpad is not working because users seldom make use of them.
WIRED VS WIRELESS MOUSE
Having seen some of the basic types and categories of the mouse, we will streamline our attention to concluding with a few differences and comparisons between the wired and the wireless mouse.
- Wireless mouse is mobile meaning it can be easily carried about without having to bother about cluttering of its cables as compared to its wired counterpart.
- Wireless mouse requires power. Because it uses replaceable batteries while others use rechargeable batteries, it needs to be charged or replaced for continuous use. This might affect the productivity of the user. Unlike the wired mouse which uses a USB cable for direct usage with the computer system.
- A wireless mouse can cause interference with other devices. Because some types of wireless mouse use Bluetooth technology, other Bluetooth devices might interfere with the connectivity of the mouse, because as we know having devices operating in the same frequency range is a common cause of interference.
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