Help me find a laptop mouse?

Chop Logic

So I want to get a freind a laptop mouse for his birthday, one of those mouses that you can plug into a laptop and use, he's always complaining about that little touch pad thing. I don't know anything about this kind of thing though. Do they only work for certain laptops, or all of them? Can someone reccomend me a good one? Thanks.

Wezoin

Chop Logic wrote:

So I want to get a freind a laptop mouse for his birthday, one of those mouses that you can plug into a laptop and use, he's always complaining about that little touch pad thing. I don't know anything about this kind of thing though. Do they only work for certain laptops, or all of them? Can someone reccomend me a good one? Thanks.

Are you looking specifically for a laptop mouse? Because generally I just use a full size mouse and plug it in, as long as it's USB and his laptop has a USB port it should work.

HiredGun

Is there a special kind of mouse for laptops? All you need to know, I think, is whether he has a USB port or not. If so, any ordinary USB mouse will work with the laptop.

Chop Logic

Oh. See, I have no idea about this kind of thing.

So it looks like I'm going to have to go on some sort of ninja recon mission, because I cant outright ask him if his mouse has a USB port. Do most Dell laptops come with USB ports?

And if it does have a USB port, I just need to find a normal mouse that has a USB plug?

vonPoonBurGer

Chop Logic wrote:

And if it does have a USB port, I just need to find a normal mouse that has a USB plug?

Unless it's a pretty old laptop, I have to imagine it would have USB ports. Here's a super close-up picture of a USB port, it's the rectangular socket in the middle there, with a white plastic tab that takes up one side of the connecter. You could try to be sneaky and have a look 'round the edges of his notebook. Most Dell notebooks would have the USB ports on one of the side edges or on the back of the unit.

Any USB mouse should work with it, assuming his laptop has USB ports. They do make some mice specifically for use with notebooks, though. The only difference is that notebook mice are extra-small, which makes them useful in situations where you don't have a lot of extra desk space. Depending on where he uses his notebook, he may still prefer a regular mouse as opposed to a "notebook" mouse, because the larger regular mice tend to be a lot more comfortable to hold and use.

Roland of Gilead

I had one of these For my laptop and really liked it. It's really portable and you don't need any surface to set the mouse on as your thumb moves the pointer. I used mine all over. On the bus. On a park Bench etc. Was nice. Might be a good gift unless he really just wants a regular mouse.

tony_important

I've got one of these and it's awesome.

I even use it as a clicker for presentations. It's got a pretty good range, and battery life. Of course, it's kinda on the steep side. But, I'd still say it was well worth it.

I mean, Who needs wires anyway?

Roland of Gilead

If I'm going to go wireless on my notebook I'd rather have one of these. I know it's Microsoft but it's a really solid mouse for $23 and I really like how the receiver is stored in the bottom of the mouse. I had one when I worked there and It was really nice to not have to dig in my bag to find the receiver. It's always right there with the mouse(provided you use the slot obviously),