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Product: MoGo X54 Media Mouse ExpressCard
Manufacturer: Newton Peripherals
MSRP: $79.99 [BizRate]
Lowest Historical Price: $30 [History]

Introduction
There is a delicate balance between size and function when it comes to notebook mice. They are getting smaller and smaller as more people are using their computers on-the-go. Newton Peripherals decided to push the envelope and developed a mouse that will fit into a notebook computer's ExpressCard/54 slot. Did they go too far or does the ExpressCard form factor fit the bill? Click through to find out.

Specs
Model: MG-304-01-0002-01
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ExpressCard/54
OS: XP SP2, Vista 32/64, OS X
Resolution: 800 DPI
Range: 30 ft
Battery Life: 8-10 hrs
Charge Time: 30 min



Un-Boxing
The package comes with the mouse and a quick start guide. The best thing about this mouse is that it connects with bluetooth and it can be stored and charged in your ExpressCard/54 slot. The worst thing about this mouse is that it is stored in your ExpressCard/54 slot. This basically means that the mouse cannot be any bigger than the slot, which makes it a fairly un-ergonomic device.



Review
As a multimedia remote / occasional-use mouse, it's great. You can plug it into your ExpressCard/54 slot for storage and to charge it, and just whip it out whenever you want to watch your favorite videos or listen to your music on your computer. It supports iTunes v7.0, MusicMatch v10.0, Windows Media Player v10.0, Real Player v10.5, and WinDVD Player v7.0. It can do Play/Pause and Volume +/- on all the listed software, with FF and RW functions limited to only iTunes and WinDVD.

I was originally going to give the mouse a bad review for use as a notebook mouse replacement until I figured out the trick to using it comfortably. There is absolutely no way you can try to hold it like a regular mouse. If you try to do so, it will strain your wrist and you will be frustrated with mouse movements. In my frustration, I came up with the method I recommend to you as the best way to use the mouse. Instead of trying to hold the mouse, simply use the friction of your two fingers on the mouse and slide it around to get the cursor to where you want it to be. It should feel like you're using the touchpad, except you are only limited by desk space as opposed to touchpad size.



As for the buttons, the Play/Pause button can actually be used as a middle-click. I use it quite frequently to open new tabs or close existing tabs, so it is good that it can works that way. However, I had issues with the scroll feature of the mouse. It works similar to the volume up/down on the Logitech diNovo Keyboard, so you'd slide up to scroll up and slide down to scroll down. I had the same issue I did with the diNovo where the sliding was not as accurate as it should or could be. This led me to give up on using the scroll feature and to stick with using the scroll bars on whatever program I was using.

The mouse was surprisingly accurate. I was able to draw a fairly smooth circle with the mouse despite its small size. There were no lag issues that I had with the Logitech V470, which was also a bluetooth mouse.



Conclusion
In conclusion, if you need the portability that this mouse gives you, you can get around the lack of ergonomic design by using the method I described. It is quite accurate given its size and method of connectivity (bluetooth), and it can be easily charged in your ExpressCard slot. However, I would still recommend getting the Logitech VX Nano if you are in the market for a notebook mouse, as it is the best balance between size and function.

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Price History [History]