Thermaltake X-Wing Bluetooth Mouse

The units

Both the BT009X adapter and BT500 mouse are VERY small.  While they can be used on any computer, it seems that the vast majority of people interested in this device with be laptop users.  Laptop users are always on the lookout for small portable devices to make their life easier.  Eliminating three feet of wire from a notebook carrying case should never be undervalued.  You can gauge the USB Adapter's size simply by looking at the USB plug.  The BT009X's height and width isn't much bigger than the plug itself.  The bonus about the Bluetooth USB adapter included with the mouse, is that it can be used to connect your computer to any other Bluetooth device.

I'm an average sized guy, yet the BT500 mouse still seemed to dwarf in my hand.  While this will be very desirable by laptop users, people with big hands could feel very awkward with such a small device.

The BT500 mouse is offered in three color combinations; black/red (shown), blue/silver, silver red.  Given its size you can understand that there are not multiple buttons on the BT500.  The BT500 at heart is a two button scroll mouse.

Flipping the BT500 over, we find a button and an on/off switch.  The on/off switch will help lengthen battery life significantly.  I use a couple of wireless mice at home and am changing batteries about every two to three months.  In this context, I can only wonder how much a battery's life would be prolonged if the on/off button were used.  The button we mentioned, is for 'pairing' the device to a Bluetooth network which we will explain shortly. 

Installing two AAA batteries (included) in the BT500 requires the rear of the mouse be snapped off.  Here again, the two AAA batteries really help illustrate how tiny the BT500 is.  The pic to the right is the scroll button when it is being paired to a Bluetooth network.  It only glows blue during the short time it is discovering/being discovered by a network.

  

Installation

Installation and setup begins with the BT009X adapter.  Using the driver disk, you install the Widcomm Bluetooth software.  Subsequently you have a new network set up, 'My Bluetooth Places."  Installation of the BT009X went quick and easy on my laptop computer.  Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for the BT500 mouse.  Following the instructions we attempted to let the Bluetooth Setup Wizard lead us through installing our mouse.  On the first unsuccessful attempt, I was convinced I had done something incorrect.  The second try, I religiously followed the included instructions and confirmed these with the manual that was on the CD; no luck.  The third time was the charm however.  Following the exact same steps as I did on my first two attempts, the BT500 was detected almost immediately.  Wanting to confirm my installation experience, I installed the BT500/BT009X on a second laptop as well as a desktop machine.  Same result; four tries for the laptop and two for the desktop.  This is not good.

The BT500 in operation seemed to be precise and responsive.  It took a few minutes to adjust to its small size but once I did, it felt like we'd been old friends for years.  It was during the BT500's use we ran into a surprise of sorts.  The BT500 after approximately 20 minutes of inactivity would go into a hibernation mode of sorts.  It would 'wake up' after a few seconds but the delay was just long enough to cross into the irritation range.  I contacted Thermaltake's USA office about this issue.  They reported that the BT500 is not supposed to 'hibernate' and were unaware of any issues similar to this experienced by others.  Considering that the BT500 is not widely offered yet, we'll have to wait and see if our experience was a fluke or a problem with the device's design.

Conclusion

Small wireless mice are and will continue to be sought after by laptop users.  Being compact, easy to store in a laptop case and free of the hassle of cables put them at the top of the wish list of many users.  Bluetooth technology is here to stay and its good to see Thermaltake pushing to expand its horizons.  As far as the BT500 is concerned, I wasn't impressed.  The hibernation thing can be looked at from the standpoint of our review unit could have not been 100%.  This alone may not have been too bad but add in the difficulty we had with installation gave me pause.  My personal belief is that the Widcomm drivers perhaps need some tweaking and updating.  Until the installation becomes more user friendly, we are going to have to withhold our recommendation of this device.

Pros

• Compact

• Easy to store in a brief case.

• Wireless is the only way to fly.

• Applicable to both Windows OS and Mac OS.

Cons

• What's up with the hibernation quirk?

• Installation with the current drivers is enough to make you drink.

• Users with big hands may not care for a super small mouse.

 

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