Kensington Si750m Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse Review

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by Tim Utecht

Kensington Si750m Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse

If you ask most people, “What is one of the most annoying things about owning a laptop?”  A large portion of them will reply with the same answer, &quot;using the touchpad&quot;.  However, this problem can be easily remedied by purchasing the Kensington Si750m Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse.

The Kensington Si750m wireless notebook mouse is very stylish and compact

Features:

• Unit measures: 3.25&quot;d x 2.0&quot;w x 1.25&quot;h
• USB dongle measures: 1.75&quot;d x 0.50&quot;w x 0.25&quot;h
• PC/Mac compatible
• Micro size and sculpted design ensure comfort and control
• High-resolution laser tracking provides superior precision on almost any surface
• 2.4Ghz wireless technology ensures high performance and secure connectivity without interference
• Mini receiver tucks easily inside the mouse and automatically turns it off when stowed to preserve power
• Battery indicator light blinks green to red as the battery level is used.
• Up to 6 months of battery life on 1 AA battery.
• Kensington 5-Year Warranty and free technical support

Kensington Si750m on the left next to a generic $5 cheap mouse on the right (view large image) 

First Impressions:

When I first opened up the package for the Kensington Si750m, I couldn’t believe how small it was.  Having viewed the pictures of the mouse online, I thought it would actually be a bit larger.  At first, I was not sure if it would work for me since my hands are very large.  However, after I had used the Kensington Si750m for a while I was able to adjust and find a best way to hold the mouse.

Using a small notebook mouse with a large hand takes some adjustment and getting used to, the benefit is being able to use the mouse in tight places and it's easy to stow when moving about (view large image)

In addition to the nice compact size, the mouse is also very responsive.  With the cheap mouse that I previously used, I would need to use large hand gestures to move the pointer across the screen.  However, with the Kensington Si750m, I am able to move the mouse two inches and cover the entire screen.  At first, I had a hard time adjusting to this, but now I LOVE it!  I don’t think I could ever go back to a cheap mouse.

Hand to mouse size comparison (view large image)

General Usage:

I have been using the Kensington Si750m for three weeks now.  One thing that has been convenient is the long range of the wireless.  I tested it and discovered that it has a range of around 30 ft.  This could be very helpful if you were giving a presentation and could not have the laptop very close to you.

The wireless dongle conveniently fits into the Si750m.  To access the slot where the dongle and the battery are located, you need to push two buttons in that are on both sides of the mouse.  These two push buttons are built right into the rubber grip on the side of the mouse.  They are very hard to detect, but you can feel a slight indentation in the grip.

Left side of the mouse, notice the one push to open button is slightly visible at the back of the rubber grip (view large image)

Here is the wireless dongle inserted in the mouse (view large image)

The dongle is removed in this picture.  You can see the battery on the right (view large image)

The Kensington Si750m is also very durable in my opinion.  As an example, it survived being thrown through the air while being in my backpack and hitting the dashboard of my car.

The right and left click buttons feel very good and the scroll wheel works smoothly.  The wheel makes a slight clicking sound as you scroll.  The Si750m is very responsive to every click.

Here is a picture of both buttons and the scroll wheel (view large image)

Another neat feature is that the laser is actually invisible.  It is very nice if you want to use the Si750m in a dark room but you don’t want to bug people.

This is a picture of the bottom while the mouse is turned on, notice there is no glowing red light like you see in most laser mouse devices (view large image)

In conclusion I believe the Kensington Si750m is a great USB wireless mouse that deserves to be on any laptop owners Christmas list who is looking for a new notebook mouse. The mouse is comfortable and the wireless range is amazing.

Pros:

• Very small
• Lightweight
• Battery lasts 6 months
• Very comfortable (even for people with big hands)
• Durable
• Works on almost any surface

Cons:

• Slightly expensive
• The plastic door seems breakable

 

Neat gadget, great review. Which 'plastic door' are you referring to? Does the USB adapter fit into the mouse itself when not in use, similar to that of Microsoft mice?

 

I was referring to the plastic door that the battery and the dongle is housed in. And to answer your second question yes the dongle does fit inside the mouse when not in use. That is actually how you "turn off" the device. It pushes in that orange thing that you can see in the picture and that turns off the mouse. However you don't need to have the dongle inserted to turn off the mouse. You could just push in the orange button with your finger and that would work too.
Tim

 

The dongle is the piece that attaches to the laptop? (The USB device). So that piece on the right of the open housing is this device? If there is anyway you could make a quick video reference of opening the 'door', removing that piece (which attaches to the laptop), closing the door, and reopenning, inserting the piece to shut off the mouse and closing the housing, that would be great .

I know it's self-explanitory, but I am trying to compare it to the Microsoft one I have seen.

Like you said, I could imagine that door becomming 'loose' or unsecure after use. Similar to that of a remote control - the piece that conceals the battery.

The Microsoft one eliminates the concern because the piece 'clicks' into a groove on the bottom of the machine. But I find the setup a little big to be ultra-portable.

 

Cool review Tim. That sure is a little mouse and different looking to.

 

Well...I don't really have a video camera that could connect to my laptop. But I will try to explain it for you:

There are two little indentations on the side of the mouse (you can see a picture of them in my review). You press both of those down and the back flips down and you can access the battery on the right and the wireless dongle goes on the left. The dongle is the wireless USB stick that plugs into your laptop.

Thanks Niki. Yeah the mouse looks different but I have grown to love it. It is the only mouse I use when I am at a desk somewhere.
Tim

 

Neat. Good thing it gets hidden and secure. Kensington sure does make good accessories.

 

Hi ppl,
Thanks Tim for the review.

But I have a question.
Is the USB Bluetooth adapter (that came with the mice) universal, I mean, is it possible to connect any other Bluetooth device, or is it specific to this mouse?

I just bought a Sony VAIO C140B/G (although I didn’t receive it yet) and it only has two USB ports, and no internal Bluetooth, so certainly I need to attach one USB Bluetooth adapter which is universal, and still don't want to occupy the other USB port with the mouse thing.

Any good suggestion?

Thanks

 

Cool review, Tim. That looks like a cool little mouse. I've always been concerned about the smallness of those things--but if you can use it comfortably, I guess it wouldn't be an issue for me either.

You don't even have to use Bluetooth if you don't want. Invest in a USB hub, or even a USB thumb hub (smaller, travel-version) and you can expand your USB abilities very easily that way. I use one for my mouse, keyboard, and printer connections. If I need to take my notebook somewhere I only have my hub to unplug.

 

Thank you chisyano for your answer.
But then I should stick to the USB connection of My Nokia, which I don’t prefer. I always wanted to have a Bluetooth Connection with that small device.
But besides that, still wondering, is the Bluetooth USB adapter (which came with the mouse) universal or not?

Thanks again.

 

The BT dongle is universal AFAIK.

 

how has this mouse been? any problems? am thinking of picking it up at ebay..thanks

 

Hi,

This mouse is good excepted the wheel that is way too thin. When the weather is hot and your hand is sweating a little, your finger slides on the wheel without making it roll. In the summer, I'm really struggling with this wheel. I think I will buy another mouse because of this.

------
Update:
The hole under the mouse is too small and retains dust, preventing the laser from doing its job. My previous mouse didn't have this problem.

One positive thing is that the wheel gets smoother after a few months of use.