Last July i had the chance to take a look at Kensington's Si670m bluetooth mouse. I have been using that same mouse up until now, our friends over at Kensington sent me their Slim Blade Presenter Mouse to take a look at. A drastically different design than the Si670m that I enjoyed. How will it compare? Will this become my new laptop mouse?
Product Name: Slim Blade Presenter Mouse
Review Sample Provided by: Kensington
Review by: Wes
Pictures by: Wes
Features
-Full-featured ultra-thin mouse allows you to navigate through your documents and travels easily -Presentation mode with backlight technology tells you when you are ready to start your presentation -Sculpted design fits your hand -Never worry about turning your mouse on or off again--your mouse goes into sleep mode when your notebook does -4-way tilt scroll lets you quickly maneuver through documents and graphics just by moving your fingertip -USB Micro receiver stores inside the mouse -Battery indicator light is green then changes to red as the battery level is getting lowSpecifications
| Model | K72283US |
| Wireless Type | 2.4 GHz |
| Wireless Distance | 30ft |
| Tracking Method | Laser |
| Buttons | 3 |
| Scrolling Capability | 4 way Tilt Wheel |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 moth Battery life & battery indicator |
| Warranty | 5 Year Limited Warranty |
| UPC | 50085896722835 |
Packaging
The Slimblade Presenter Mouse came in normal Kensington packaging. Ive seen this packaging on a few different products and it still impresses me. The front is fully clear giving you a perfect look at the mouse. On the back you will find a description and list of features along with a diagram of where to find those features.
Installation/Setup
Setting up the SlimBlade Presenter Mouse was extremely simple. After installing the included batteries you remove the wireless receiver. The slick part about the receiver is that it's hidden fully inside of the mouse. With the receiver plugged in the mouse came to life right away for me even without using the driver disc. After installing the included driver just to be safe I was ready to put it to use.
Performance
The SlimBlade Presenter Mouse was designed to be compact and easy to store while still being functional when needed. Kensington accomplished this by making the design thin. Even being thin, they were able to include internal storage for the receiver. The receiver was very tight to plug in at first, but loosened up with use.
Living with the mouse day to day I came to love and hate some of the features. The small size that makes the mouse easy to store wasn't as comfortable as the Si670m that I have been using previously. The wireless range never became an issue during use. I am not able to test battery life, but I can attest to the battery life of the Si670m, I am still on the factory batteries! The laser tracking worked on every surface that I tried it on, even without a mouse pad. The feature that makes the mouse stand out of course is the presenter functions. Once in presenter mode the mouse has two arrows that light up to make it easy to click forward and back, even in the dark. Its easy to switch back and forth, and the laser turns off when in presenter mode so there are no worrys of the mouse pointer moving around on the screen.
Overall
When looking for a laptop mouse most people are looking for a few simple things; portability, comfort, style, and battery life. Kensignton hit the nail on the head with their Presenter Mouse. Every laptop mouse should have a hide away receiver like this! The slim form factor made it easy to tuck away in even the smallest laptop bag. The battery life of Kensignton's laptop mice is amazing, I am still running the factory batterys on the Si670m that I reviews last July. Of course due to the slim size i found using the mouse for long periods to be uncomfortable. Also with the mouse running at just under $50 dollars I felt the price was a little bit to high. If you do power point presentations very often and don't want to worry about having the battery on your mouse dieing half way into an important meeting, this is the mouse for you. Myself, I wish I could get the shape of the Si670m with the features of the Slimblade presenter mouse.
