Dual charger and two mice
by Volker Weber
New Belkin gear in the mail today. First item is a dual car charger. Very handy, since you can connect two devices at the same time via USB cable. It comes with two cables, one for an iPod or iPhone, the other for any device with a MiniUSB port. Of course you can plug in any other USB cable and connect your device. In its standard configuration it lets me connect both the TomTom Go 940 and the iPhone. Great stuff.
The Bluetooth Comfort Mouse is going to replace the Apple Not-So-Mighty Mouse which clogs up the scroll ball much too easily. Tracking works very well, even on my glass table. Which means I probably need to clean the table. :-)
The other mouse is a really cool enhancement for my Samsung NC10 which does not come with Bluetooth but three USB ports, one of them conveniently located at the right side. The wireless connector for the Comfort Mouse seems rather large at first, but it can hold the mouse when not in use. There is a groove underneath the mouse which attaches the mouse to the connector and holds it in place with a small magnet. There is no white version of this device, but black fits much nicer than the other two available colors blue and aubergine.
Comments
"The is a groove underneath those mouse with attaches the mouse to the connector and holds it in place with a small magnet."
I think this sentence might need some grammar check. ;)
The Bluetooth mouse seems very nice, especially when you have a laptop with interal Bluetooth support.
If I ever get one of those, I'll definitely buy a Bluetooth mouse. ^^
No need for the car charger though on my side, but the concept behind it seems to be quite well. If I see it correctly on the photograph, the charger itself has two normal USB ports on which you can connect any USB cable, correct?
I have the dual charger-- have been very happy with it. Perfect for my wife's car with her work blackberry & home iphone. Curious for your longer term review on the mouse. I'm struggling with the mighty mouse clog up routine.
Daniel, correct. One is labeled quick charge, because it is rated at 1 A, the other is a standard 0.5 A port. Belkin ships the two most often used cables, but you can plug in your own. I have to try and charge the N86 with the 1 A port, because it failed to charge on the tiny one.
Seth, I don't expect any surprises here. I have been very satisfied with all Belkin gear with two exceptions: a tiny Bluetooth adapter because of its awful software stack, and the Network USB hub which I could not get to work with 10.5.6. Everything else has hit the sweet spot of being much better than the cheap junk while still being affordable.
Ditto on the mouse...my de-clog routine is getting rather too frequent for my liking. Either it's a design issue or I would seriously fail the hand hygiene test they must use at Apple.
I could not find it on the web site but what would be interesting for me: how much does the adapter poke out of the 12 connector?
I always had the problem to find something that fits into the box under armrest of my BMW 3 E91 ...
This would be perfect for charging my BlackBerry Bold and use the Bluetooth Stereo Gateway at the same time.
It is one of the longest such adapters. 109 mm long end to end and 102 mm when the spring loaded contact is all the way in. But the cables go out the side, which might make it fit.
I am using the Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse with my Samsung NC10. The mouse ships with the tiniest wireless connector I ever saw. I'm very happy with the Logitech mouse. :-)
BTW: You've mentioned "despite running Windows" in your Samsung NC10 article. After several months with Windows XP I switched to Ubuntu Netbook Remix (after a little side trip with Jolicloud) and I love it. It is fast, it also runs for six hours, suspend and resume works and I can use all my favorite software: Firefox, OpenOffice, Virtualbox, Truecrypt, KeePass, etc.
That looks like one fine mouse indead. The adapter is as tiny as the Belkin Bluetooth device. That is why I mentioned the large adapter which comes with the Belkin mouse. It does serve a nice purpose though.
I have to run Windows. If only for installing the odd Nokia or BlackBerry update. I also run Ubuntu on several machines, and they have always been a huge fight with WLAN drivers etc. While I like Ubuntu, I would not replace Windows on this machine.
I also have the Logitech mouse, and love it. The scroll wheel has excellent feel for something so small. The USB receiver fits nicely into the mouse (inside the battery compartment), but I've never taken it out of the USB port since installing it.
The gear for charging might be nice, but it is a disaster that we still need a zillion different plugs for charging different devices. And - guess what - Apple is still reluctant to follow an EU initiative for standardising chargers for mobile phones (I'll spare my comment about Apple here). So Belkin will stay in business with this device ...
I thought you had a Macbook? Are you telling me you use the mouse instead of the wonderful huge trackpad?
Axel, I think we solved the problem when all devices charge over a USB-port. Apple has used USB chargers for a while, so I don't really mind them using a plug that provides more than USB, as long as there can be a USB plug at the other end. The clever thing that Belkin provides is more than one port from one power outlet. I am actually using a dual port wall charger instead of the one that Apple sells.
What you may not be aware of is that mobile phone makers want to stop shipping power plugs once they are standardized. Much as Apple has done with the iPod. You can then buy one extra, if you need it.
When I'm at my desk, absolutely. When I'm on the road, I use the trackpad.
