What’s more, battery life is now so good and connectivity so reliable that the old objections to going wireless have pretty much dropped away. Cables are messy and a real hassle if you’re using a convertible tablet-style PC or laptop, there’s a huge choice of wireless and Bluetooth mice available, and the price premium is virtually non-existent. These days, the best mice are primarily wireless and it’s really not hard to understand why. Most of us are faster and more accurate when using a mouse to click on icons, buttons or links, or to make selections, and the combination of keyboard shortcuts and mouse navigation is pretty hard to beat when it comes to getting stuff done. Despite all the excitement around styluses and touchscreens, computer mice haven’t got any less important. Nowadays, the optical version is the standard type sold.We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: while people obsess about the performance of their desktop PC or the resolution of the screen on their laptop, too many ignore the two factors that will have the greatest impact on their everyday use: the keyboard and mouse.

Optical mice were expensive to make, however, and it wasn't until the late 90s that prices had dropped enough for them to come into general use.

The advantage of an optical device was that it solved a major issue with the ball mouse, where the ball would pick up dirt, grease, and fluff and gradually lose functionality over time (although they could be cleaned, of course - never a particularly pleasant task!). The optical mouse was developed in around 1980.The ball mouse was such an iconic design, that it dominated the market for many years.The motion could be converted into electrical pulses signifying direction and speed. The ball could detect movement in any direction thanks to interaction with two rollers that in turn spun wheels. In 1972 Bill English came up with the design known as the 'Ball Mouse' by replacing Engelbart's wheels with a ball.plus a couple of two metal wheels that rolled around on the surface that the mouse was placed upon. The first mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1964.

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