Review of the Motor Mouse Radio Frequency (RF) Mouse: Drive This Porsche Mouse
Can You Hear The Motor Humming?
A kid in a candy shop is how I feel every time UPS delivers a package to my door. This time I’m shaking my head because I’ve no idea what is showing up. I do know the package is about the size of a paperback book - but there’s no Amazon on the side of the box so it’s not the printed word. I rip off the front to see the headline: Motor Mouse. I think I better keep ripping.
So I open the packaging of the Motor Mouse with enjoyable anticipation - no I wasn’t disappointed that the silver Porsche inside wasn’t big enough for me to get into, nor powered by some hydrogen-powered “green” mixture. The only “driving” I plan to do with the Motor Mouse is around the desktop of my Mac Pro or MacBook. So while being the heavy from a “Land of the Giants” doesn’t appeal all that much, the classy lines and classic design of the silver Porsche I took out was ultra-cool. Not to mention that it’s a 1200dpi optical mouse as well.
Connecting The Motor Mouse (5 out of 5)
Connecting the Motor Mouse to your computer, be that a laptop or desktop, is simplified by the use of radio frequency (RF) instead of Bluetooth. Sure I know some feel RF can cause interference with wireless networks, but the reality is that RF is a well understood and used technology with a long history of use with mice (the metal kind, that is). The RF dongle, or USB drive if you prefer, is tiny and fits with ease in a USB connection. The distance between the dongle and the Motor Mouse is generally small (nearly insignificant with a laptop) so any RF effect is marginal as I see it. Or from real-life experiences, I didn’t encounter any problems using the RF dongle on my desktop computer, even with the Wireless router less than 10 feet away.
Connecting the Motor Mouse and the RF dongle is easier than with Bluetooth - no pairing being necessary. You insert the tiny, and I mean TINY as in about the length and half the width of the average index finger’s nail, adapter into a USB port. I’d suggest you just leave it in once there - unless your laptop/portable has a shortage of USB ports (Apple Air, I’m talking about you). On my Mac, I immediately got a pop-up window asking me about the device and helping me set it up. Total time, about 3 minutes to do. Your time may vary PC-users, but I doubt it will be much more involved than what I got on the Mac.
Prepping The Motor Mouse (5 out of 5)
Prepping the Motor Mouse is next (or could have been done before the RF dongle if you prefer). Above the “trunk” is the battery compartment lid to pull off and insert two “AAA” batteries (provided). Close the battery compartment lid and you’re ready to zoom.
Using The Motor Mouse (5 out of 5)
Using the Motor Mouse doesn’t take much to understand what needs to be done: the “hood” is where you’ll find the left and right clicks as well as a scroll wheel between the two. The Motor Mouse has energy saving; no I’m not talking about how the wheel’s don’t move but the power goes into a lower state when unused but then perks up as needed. I think the scroll wheel is a nice touch as it certainly didn’t need to be included. Plus it’s actually quite wide and easier to use than the tiny ball on my Mac Magic Mouse. True the scroll wheel does mar the “reality” of the Porsche’s hood a bit, but I’m sure your imagination, like mine, can airbrush/Photoshop it out of your mind.
No, it’s not an afterthought how well the Motor Mouse works as a mouse - it’s just that its “look” keeps taking over. The response is excellent, no jittering or hesitation encountered after a few days of trying it out. I didn’t encounter any “down” time when I pressed a button after a few minutes (or more) of inactivity, and found the scroll wheel a delight to use for my admittedly larger than most hand. That’s not to say that I couldn’t see that being heavy handed with the mouse buttons won’t lead to disaster, so it’s recommended that you press, not punch them. She’s sturdy enough, but let’s keep it real - plastic is after all plastic. Bottom line - treat Motor Mouse with respect and she’ll give you good mileage.
Boxed To Drive (5 out of 5)
Finally there’s the box - my wife pointing out that the black and silver design, complemented by a Velcro-closed cover, was as attractive as the Motor Mouse itself. Or at least until the Velcro was pulled and the Porsche taken out. I don’t know about making such a big deal out of packaging, but I do know that the addition of a carrying pouch and even a Motor Mouse-inclined small mouse pad adds value to what is already a valued proposition. Besides, this is at least one Porsche I can afford!
