RadTech BT600 Bluetooth Mouse Review

RadTech has pulled out all the stops when it comes to the BT600. Its offers everything anyone could want in a Bluetooth mouse. We're talking 5 buttons, all functional in OS X, unlike many other Bluetooth mice... An on/off button to help conserve battery power and to keep the mouse from waking the laptop up while traveling... No Bluetooth dongle required... Rechargeable through a USB cable... Its almost as if the list never ends. These features are what initially led me to the BT600 while searching for a BlueTooth mouse.

Before purchasing the BT600 I was a little skeptical. I didn't think that a mouse from a company that I had never heard of could produce a product with these features that would not only work, but work well. After receiving the mouse it wasn't long before my skepticism was washed away.

The mouse comes in a well made package without that impossible to cut/tear plastic stuff, which is nice. Included in the box was a small instruction sheet about how to pair the mouse with the Bluetooth on a Mac and PC, two AA sized NiMH batteries, a short USB cable for charging, and the mouse. I was surprised to find that there was no driver CD. The BT600 paired quickly with OS X without a hiccup. I quickly found that a driver is not needed for the BT600 to work with OS X. However, if you want to customize the functionality of the 5 buttons you'll want to download RadTech's RadMouse driver for OS X.


The 800dpi sensor is no slouch. I found the mouse to responsive and accurate. While doing precise selections with the lasso tool in Photoshop I had no problems. The mouse also works great with World Of Warcraft which is good, because I was having a hell of a time trying to play with the trackpad before.

I'm pretty impressed with the power consumption of the BT600. I was half expecting to half to charge the mouse every night, or at least every few days. This is the reason its taken me so long to write this review. I've been trying to gauge how long the batteries will last. So far I've logged 12+ hours on the mouse and have yet to have to charge the BT600. The only time I've gotten to use the neat charge by USB feature was the first day I got the mouse. While the mouse was plugged in and charging I was taking the mouse for a test drive! I really loved being able to charge on the fly and use the mouse at the same time. This is probably one of my favorite features of the mouse.

When researching the BT600 I was a bit worried about the on/off button located on the top of the mouse. I thought that I may accidentally turn the mouse off while using it. But, after purposely trying to do so I was unable to succeed. The button needs to be pushed down quite a bit to power off the mouse and it is simply not possible to do so with your palm. I had also read a few comments online about how the buttons of the mouse felt cheap. This is not the case. The right/left buttons and the scroll wheel click and feel exactly as my Logitech MX500 does. The back/forward buttons located on the side near my thumb are a little stiffer than what I'm used to. Its not a big deal and I'm sure that as I use the mouse more they will loosen up a bit.

Something I found odd while using the mouse was the default functions of the forward/back buttons. The button I was expecting to be the back button was the forward button and vise versa. Swapping the functionality was a quick fix in the System Preferences via the RadMouse software.


I only have one gripe about the mouse and I've already adapted so its not an issue. Its a bit tough to explain, but when you lift the mouse off the mouse pad it keeps tracking slightly. This only happens if you keep the mouse very close to the surface of the mouse pad. By lifting the mouse a little higher than normal I've been able to completely eliminate the rogue movement.

I'm thoroughly happy with my RadTech BT600 Bluetooth mouse. It not only has a bucket load of features, but all of them work exceptionally well. I'd recommend this product to anyone who's in the market for a Bluetooth mouse. Hell, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a mouse period, its that cool :)

The RadTech BT600 Bluetooth mouse can be purchased here if you are interested.

Random Rambelings For the Day

With all the work on the new site that I've been doing its been difficult balancing time between writing new articles and the design on the new site. I suppose that the content for the last few days has been lacking because of this. With any luck I'll be rolling out the new design shortly and it'll be worth it! In the mean time I plan on getting my RadTech BT600 mouse review finished up and posted tomorrow. I know I've been promising this for a few days now. Honestly, whats holding me back is that I'm trying to run the batteries all the way out so I can judge how long they will last. But, after about a week and 12+ hours of use its still running strong.

February 15, 1997: The Tiger is Unleashed…For the Apple II?
That's right... only 10 years ago! I remember a few of these Apple II computers sitting in my high schools computer lab when I was a freshman in high school. They seem so primitive by today's standards! Its hard to believe how far we've come in such a short amount of time.

If your in need for a good laugh watch the following video. A spoof of Apples get a Mac commercials starring Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. There are a few sware words in the video, so if you are at work its probably best to wait till you get home.

The Valentines Day edition of Full Frontal Nerdity is worth a read. From what I can tell this web comic doesn't normally do Mac related humor. My favorite line... "The resulting ANGER, if harnessed, could power Los Angeles for a MONTH!" This is of course referring to the heated debates that spring up about Mac's Vs PC's.

Belkin ExpressCard Multimedia Reader/Writer Hands On

Since I've got a portable computer its really important to me that my perifrials are equally portable. This has infulenced my decisions to buy a surge protector (Tripp-Lite Traveler 100Bt), a mouse (RadTech bt100), and now a memory card reader. I currently have have a Sony DSC-N1 Camera and also chose it for its size and image quality (for a point and shoot its pretty decent). Carrying around the cable to transfer pictures onto my computer along with many other cables just isn't cool. So in an attempt to declutter a bit I've purchased a Belkin ExpressCard reader/writer.

I can leave the ExpressCard in my MacBook Pro wherever I go. The card sits in the ExpressCard slot flush and I don't even notice its there. I was amazed that everything worked right out of the box and didn't require any drivers. As for supported formats the Belkin ExpressCard supports: Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Pro Duo (with adapter), MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, xD-Picture Card. Since my Sony DSC-N1 uses a Memory Stick Pro Duo card thats all I'll be able to test it with.

The process to move pictures off the camera and onto the computer is easy. Remove, Memory Stick Pro Duo from camera and insert it into the Memory Stick adapter. Then place the adapter in the Belkin ExpressCard. Push the card into the card till you feel a bit of resistance. If you push the Memory Card in to far, the ExpressCard will eject. This is an issue with how the MBP's ExpressCard slot is designed. It would have been nice if Apple used an eject button for cards instead of the 'push-release' method. Once the card is in all the way an icon on the desktop appears and simply drag your images onto your computer. You'll notice that the Memory Stick only goes about half way into the ExpressCard. This is a slight bummer as it could get bumped and damage something.

If I wasn't such a nerd I'd end this story here, but this is where the fun begins! I was curious how the transfer rate of the ExpressCard compares to using the DSC-N1 usb cable. I decided to run two different tests. The first test would entail transfering a 1gb file using the ExpressCard and then just the usb cable. For the second test I'll transfer 100 5mb files with the usb cable and ExpressCard.

I wrote the following ksh script to help with the experiment...

#!/bin/ksh

# This script creates n number of files whos sizes are in
# x megabytes
# Usage ./createfiles [filecount] [filesize in megabytes] [output file name]

if [ "$3" = "" ]
then
Echo "Usage: ./createfiles [filecount] [filesize in megabytes] [output file name]"
exit -1
fi

FILECOUNT=$1; # The amount of files you want to create
FILESIZE=$2; # The file size in megabytes
FILENAME="$3"; # The name of the output files

bc |& # Use bc to convert mb to bytes
print -p "$FILESIZE * 1024"
read -p FILESIZE

FILESIZE=${FILESIZE/.*} # Remove the decimal place

# Create as many files as FILECOUNT specifies of
# the size FILESIZE
for ((i=1; i<=FILECOUNT; i+=1)) do
dd if=/dev/zero of="$FILENAME""$i" bs=1024 count="$FILESIZE";
done

Basically this allowed me to create the 1gb and the 5mb files needed to run the tests. Gotta love the unix aspect of OS X :) Once I had all the files created an on my Memory Stick I tested the transfers individualy using terminal and the following commands

neyoung$ time cp 5mbfile* ~/speedtest/
neyoung$ time cp 1gbfile ~/speedtest/

And here are the transfer times...

1gbx1 USB: 267.38 sec.
1gbx1 ExpressCard: 217.15 sec.

5mbx100 USB: 135.42 sec.
5mbx100 ExpressCard: 54.20 sec.

As you can see, the ExpressCard was faster in both tests. But, you'll notice a much bigger gap between the USB/ExpressCard test on the 5x100 test than the 1gb. As is the case with trying to time your computer there can always be factors that will affect the outcome. If I had more time I'd run the tests multiple times and take the average, but its getting late. I suspect that with multiple tests the USB cable times would be more in line with the ExpressCard. If anyone has the time to do this I'd be interested in the outcome :)

Anyways, overall I'm pleased with the Belkin ExpressCard Reader/Writer. It works with no hassle and the speed is impressive. Another bonus is that I don't have to carry my camera cable around with me! For $27 I couldn't be happier.

Search For The Perfect Bluetooth Mouse

Let me start by saying that the track pad on the MBP is large and responsive. The button also clicks very nicely and is quiet. In most cases this is the only pointing device that you'll ever need. For some instances (gaming, photo work, etc) when you need a bit more precision or another button or two, having a mouse is nice. Everyone has their own opinions on what is the most important criterea when choosing a mouse and I'm no different. Here's what I want in a prospective mouse.

• Wireless - I've got a computer that can be used without a power cable, internet that doesn't require a wire... why not a wireless mouse as well?
• No Dongle/Base - If you've looked around at wireless mice you'll notice that most come with some sort of base to recharge and connect the mouse, or a usb dongle. RF mice require one of the two. Bluetooth mice do not since my MBP has built in Bluetooth. Why buy a wireless mouse and then deal with something that plugs into your computer. Not only that, but its just another thing to carry with you when you travel.
• Working Buttons - Another thing you'll notice when researching Bluetooth mice is that many of them have numerous issues with OS X. In most cases all the extra buttons on the mice don't work. I can't justify buying a product that doesn't do what its advertised to do no matter how many cool buttons or lights it has.
• Power Consumption - Whats the point in buying a wireless mouse if the batteries are always dead or if its gotta sit in a charging cradle. I don't want to spend a ton of money on batteries so a way to recharge the mouse would be nice. The mouse must have an on/off button to keep it from waking up during travel.
  
• Size - I can't stand insanely small or overly large mice.

With this criteria in mind I've settled on the RadTech BT600. I looked at many different mice from a wide variety of vendors and this mouse seemed to fit my needs the best. I've been using Logitech mice for as long as I can remember, but the only Bluetooth mouse in their current lineup just doesn't cut it in my opinion. Microsoft didn't have anything that sparked my interest either. Apples Bluetooth Mighty Mouse just isn't my cup of tea.

The BT600 is average sized and boasts Bluetooth. From what I've read all 4 buttons and the scroll wheel work fine in OS X. My favorite feature about the mouse is how its powered. The BT600 uses 2xAA NiMH batteries that can be swapped out for regular alkaline batteries in emergencies. You'll know when you need to recharge via the integrated status meter in the scroll wheel. The best part is the NiMH batteries are charged via a standard USB cable. Unlike charging docks, you can still use the mouse while its charging!

The only negative aspect of the mouse that I could dig up was that some people thought the buttons felt a little 'cheap'. I'm used to the great build quality of Logitech mice so I hope it doesn't feel 'too' cheap. I'm willing to overlook a 'little' cheap feeling if all the other features live up to their potential. I'll report back when I receive the mouse and give it a test drive :)

Should I See a Dentist About My Bluetooth?

So I've been thinking about all the possibilities that built in Bluetooth gives me. A wireless mouse without the need for a cradle would be simply awesome. I know that Apple has their own Bluetooth mouse named the Mighty Mouse. But, coming from the PC world I don't think that I'd be able to get used to the odd form factor. I was also looking at the Logitech MX900. The MX900 has nearly exactly the same form factor as my MX500, which I love. However, I read that users experienced flaky compatibility with Max OS X. I suppose I could always give the MX900 a try and if it doesn't work return it.

After checking out the mice I delved a bit deeper and checked out Bluetooth headphones. I read somewhere that basically any Bluetooth headphones would work with OS X. I also read about people having problems getting Bluetooth headphones to work with any computer not just OS X. A pair that I really like are the Motorola HT820 stereo headphones. These headphones even have a built in microphone that could be used for Skype calls or similar voice chat programs. But after reading a few reviews users had problems connecting or pairing these to their computer, both PC and Mac. Just like the MX900, I guess I could give them a shot and if they don't work I could just return it.