While my normal computer is a desktop Mac with (ironically) a Microsoft mouse, I have a little Windows 7 Netbook which I use when travelling. I’m not a fan of laptops in general, and find it remarkably difficult to use the touch-pad. So I bought a very cheap basic wired mouse at Argos and it worked just fine.
Unfortunately, mice seem to vanish in our household. I don’t even think I can blame the cats. The only spare mouse I could find the next time I was packing was a wireless one, and my hands tingle unpleasantly if I use one of those. So when I arrived in the UK, I picked up another inexpensive wired mouse at Argos…
UNEXPECTED GIFT
My husband finally acknowledged that perhaps he was responsible for the vanishing mice, so he decided to buy me one that would not be picked up by someone else by mistake. Browsing on Amazon he spotted the Choco NG wired mouse. Suitable for Mac and Windows, resembling a bar of chocolate with a bite taken out, he decided it was perfect.
So he ordered it, and wrapped it as an extra Christmas gift for me, nearly a year ago.
I could not guess what it could possibly be - and even when I opened it, it took a couple of seconds to register.
‘I can guarantee I won’t pinch that one by mistake,’ he assured me.
APPEARANCE
The actual clickable parts are the top two chunks on each side, giving the usual right- and left-clicking functions as expected. There’s what looks like a bite taken out of the bottom right-hand corner.
INSTALLING THE CHOCO MOUSE
My Netbook computer often sits unused for months, until I charge it up and it installs another hundred or so Windows updates. But we thought it a good idea to check that the mouse was working, so we switched the Netbook on and plugged the mouse into one of the USB ports.
The computer chuntered around for a while telling us that it was detecting new hardware. Since it was also downloading Windows and Avast! updates (amount others) it was rather slow. But eventually it acknowledged that the hardware was acceptable, and the choco mouse took control of the mouse pointer.
It was a little more lively than I liked, but I was able to adjust that in the hardware settings on the computer. The mouse felt a bit awkward at first; I’m used to more traditional rounded tops. But it was more than adequate for the various downloads and installations that the computer insisted on doing.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MOUSE?
There were none.
The only difficult part of the entire process was getting into the hard plastic packaging that housed the mouse. Once released from its bondage, it was as simple as plug-and-wait.
TRAVELLING WITH THE CHOCO MOUSE
I put it away until a planned two-month trip to the UK in the summer. The mouse, with wire gently coiled around it, fit nicely into one of the pockets at the top of my carry-on luggage. It survived the flights and various other journeys, by car, train and coach, without problem. It’s very lightweight - only about 60g - which is a bonus as far as travelling goes. It feels a bit flimsy but is evidently quite robust, as I didn’t use any kind of padding or case.
USING THE CHOCO MOUSE
When I started using it with the Netbook for email, browsing, writing, and so on, the mouse did feel a bit uncomfortable at first. I don’t have very big hands, and a traditional mouse with a rounded top fits into my palm quite neatly. The choco mouse with its flat sides didn’t feel so natural, and for a day or two I wondered if I would find it too intrusive for regular use. The scrolling button at the top made my index finger ache if I used it too often, and it took me a little time to find a suitable position on the table I was using. It seemed to need a bit more space than a regular mouse.
However, I gradually became used to it. I had thought that having corners would make it uncomfortable but the ‘bite’ in the lower right corner ensures that there’s nothing to stick into the base of my thumb; it’s actually rather a well-thought-out design. By the time I had been using it for a week, I barely noticed it.
WOULD I RECOMMEND THE CHOCO MOUSE?
If you like chocolate, and don’t mind an unusual mouse that takes a day or two to feel natural, then this isn’t a bad choice. It’s unlikely to be ‘borrowed’ by anyone else; if it is, it’s easy to find! The weight makes it ideal for travelling, and it seems to be reliable and surprisingly sturdy.
It doesn’t have any extra features, but it does its job as a basic mouse - so on balance I would recommend it if you want a lightweight wired USB mouse.
My Netbook is long gone, but I used the choco-mouse when travelling with another Windows laptop which I used for some years, and - more recently - I used it when travelling with a Mac notebook computer. I had to have an extra adaptor wire for that as the Mac doesn't take standard USB any more, but it was fairly easy to find. I've had no problems with this mouse at all, and it's ideal for travelling as it's flatter than most computer mice, so fits easily in a bag.
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