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You would think with the increasing popularity of the Wi-Fi standard and various wireless devices that are on offer that Bluetooth would have struggle to survive and beaten a hasty retreat.  But not so!  Despite its initial limited range and some problems with compatibility, Bluetooth technology continues to play its part in everyday society.  No doubt its ability to work in close conjunction with the mobile phone has played a major part in its continued presence in the market.  Still the area of computing has not been forgotten and still holds an attraction for the technology as new Bluetooth products only go to testify.  The PilotMouse Bluetooth Mini from Kensington in one such example.

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Making use of DiamondEye optical technology, this mouse has been designed for ambidextrous use.  It is predominately silver in colour with rubberised corrugated panels running along either side to help give the user a good grip.  Rubber is also used for the two buttons which run along almost the length of the mouse and its centrally positioned wheel.  The mouse is powered by two AA batteries which slot into a compartment located at the rear of the mouse.  In order to save on battery power, a small switch on the base of the mouse can be used to turn off power when the device is not in use.

Setting up the mouse, or pairing as it is normally referred to with Bluetooth, is achieved by pressing a rubber button on the base of the mouse when the appropriate option of the Bluetooth-aware laptop or desktop machine is in search mode.  The whole process should be automatic but, as I quickly discovered, there could be problems with recognition - not all Bluetooth implementation is as true blue as it could be. 

My laptop was unable to detect the mouse despite several attempts.  Fortunately, switching to a desktop machine, which recently had been enhanced with Bluetooth capability, proved to be more successful.  The necessary adjustments were made to the system as numerous windows opened and closed without any intervention from myself.  At the end of the process, the Bluetooth device was in control of the desktop mouse cursor.

Using the Bluetooth mouse for the first time was a little disconcerting.  Its movements were smoother and quicker that the mouse it was replacing.  Whether this was down to the DiamondEye optical technology (the previous mouse has been of the wireless ball variety) or Bluetooth is hard to say but there was definitely a marked difference.  Fortunately it was relatively easy to make the necessary adjustments in my handling of the mouse with various applications.

Overall I was impressed with most aspects of the PilotMouse Bluetooth Mini.  Apart from the rather hectic windows activity encountered during the initial set-up, using the mouse was a pleasure.  Its performance was smooth and the device felt comfortable to hold.  However there is a price to pay for all this that could hold back the uptake on this device.  That price works out at around £44.95 and could put off many users especially those on a tight budget.  This mouse will require a Bluetooth enabled computer running either Windows XP or Mac OS 10.2.8. or later as it does not come with its own Bluetooth adaptor.

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