Kensington Ci70LE Wireless Optical Mouse (rouge)

While Kensington is known for functional, but not exactly stylish, tech add-ons from iPod docks to laptop cases, the company's new line of mobile mice (including the slim Ci75m and the ExpressCard-based Ci85m) are all interesting variations on the basic wireless mouse.

The $40 Ci70 LE Wireless Optical Mouse straddles the line between a laptop mouse and a traditional desktop mouse, small enough to fit into a laptop case easily, but big enough to use with a desktop without fatiguing your hand. Still, lacking the Ci75m's built-in USB cable and the Ci85m's instant-on feature, there are better mice out there for both desktop and laptop use, and this hybrid represents a compromise on both fronts.

Like the slim Ci75m travel mouse from Kensington, the Ci70 LE (the LE version is burgundy, with a simple circle pattern printed on it, while the non-LE version of the Ci70 is silver in color) has a USB receiver that snaps into the bottom of the mouse when it's not in use. When you're ready to plug it in, pop the receiver out and stick it in your laptop's USB port. Snapping the receiver back into the base of the mouse also covers the optical sensor and turns it off to prolong battery life.

Desktop users may be used to extra thumb buttons, but the Ci70 LE has just the basics--left and right buttons and a scroll wheel. We found the standard 1,000-dpi sensors on Kensington's wireless mice to be precise and accurate, and didn't note any delayed reaction time--sometimes a factor for wireless mice.

Two AA batteries (thoughtfully included) are inserted into a compartment in the bottom of the mouse. At 4.25 inches by 2.5 inches, the mouse has the same length and width as the Ci75m, but unlike the flat, 0.7-inch thick Ci75m, the Ci70 LE curves up in the middle to a bit more than 1 inch. This makes for a much more natural fit for your hand, and makes this mouse much easier to use on a long-term basis than a superslim model, although less portable--making us less likely to pick it as our primary laptop mouse.

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