Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

I recently tested Rocketfish’s Twister Mouse, a compact laptop mouse. Rocketfish, for those of you that do not know, is Best Buy’s in-house brand. I used the mouse for two days at work, logging over 20 hours of use. In general, I liked the mouse, especially when traveling. Here are a list of features from the Rocketfish website:

• 2.4GHz wireless laser mouse provides precision performance with laser tracking
• 3D flat scroll panel provides smooth and silent scroll operation with notebook trackpad-like touch feeling
• Compact microreceiver along with push-push design allows for easy storage when not in use
• Converts from travel/storage to use mode with a quick and simple twist
• Flat, slim mouse fits in your pocket for portability

This mouse, which is almost the size of a Motorola Razr phone, has a lot of small features that make using it a joy. First off, it is completely wireless, using a USB microreceiver that slides into the body of the mouse for easy storage. Very cool (but hard to properly explain, see picture below). Second, the mouse is automatically turned off, saving your batteries, when the microreceiver is placed in that storage compartment. The mouse and microreceiver fits nicely into a small pouch provided with the mouse. Third, the flat panel scroll is a nice touch, though I think I like a scroll wheel better.

The twisting action of the mouse is mostly a gimmick since the mouse is already pretty small. The mouse can twist flat for travel, and then twist back into a more ergonomic shape for use. There is a certain cool factor with this mouse. I showed of the twisting and the receiver to my co-workers, and everyone came away impressed.

Most of the negatives of the mouse stem from the fact that it is a “travel” mouse. This is not a desktop mouse. If you have large hands, the mouse can be hard to use and, in general, it is not very ergonomic for those with larger hands. I actually got use to the small size though I would not recommend it as an everyday mouse.

If you are looking into a buying a mouse for your laptop, I would definitely consider Rocketfish’s Twister Mouse. The compact size of the mouse makes it the perfect travel companion. It originally retails for $44.99, which I think is a little steep. I did notice that Best Buy has the mouse on sale with a $15 reduction in price.