A mouse, a mouse! My keyboard for a mouse!
My old Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical has served me well this past eight or so years (Seriously, it’s possibly the oldest part of my PC kit.) but the scroll wheel has started to wear down, causing it to pause between scroll clicks and then snap back down at random, causing a random scroll. This can be really annoying when a video I’m in the middle of watching jumps back or forward five seconds randomly and without warning.
I had a look at some of the Razer mice, which all seem to be far too performance focused for my uses (My uses consisting mostly of mid-range FPSs, desktop publishing and general navigation.). I also had a look at the Logitec Revolution MX (Link goes to what I think is it’s closest current relative.) which seemed ergonomically really nice but has a lot of features aimed at office workers that I, firstly, wouldn’t have need for, and, secondly, probably wouldn’t be able to get working in Ubuntu.
Now, the problem with trying to find a mouse in the mid-range is that there are so many to choose from, Microsoft alone makes thirty-one, not particularly distinct, mice, which, in some ways, reminded me of a TED talk called The Paradox of Choice and I was considering just getting another Wheel Mouse Optical when I came across the Microsoft Razer Habu (Pictured above.) which is a cross-breed of the WMO and a Razer mouse and, luckily, keeps the parts I like from both.
From it’s Razer side, it gets the big, flat buttons and 2000dpi sensitivity, while maintaining the flat sides and rounded back of a Microsoft mouse.
Having very large hands, I move the mouse almost exclusively with my thumb, ring and little finger gripping from the sides. This makes Razer mice harder to use as the sides have a smaller surface area (They curve away at the bottom.). While it wouldn’t be that hard to get used to, the smaller sides aren’t preferable but the Habu, with it’s WMO style sides, make it practically my ideal mouse.
To conclude: If you’re looking for a mouse that’s a bit more than the basic WMO (In itself, a fine mouse.) but not excessively sensitive or loaded with features, the Microsoft Habu Razer is the mouse for you.
Expect a review soon.
