Kensington SlimBlade Media Mouse

As we all know, modern society is saturated by media data, whether it be snaps from your latest adventure, or a clip from the next summer blockbuster. We are surrounded by it, and it is everywhere we go, on our ipods and laptops. As such, there is an ever increasing need for a mouse that can simply pop into a bag next to your laptop, ready to be attached when you want kick back with your media content on the go. The Kensington SlimBlade Media Mouse does just that.

On first impression, Kensington package the mouse in a translucent packaging that allows the pure sophistication in the design to stand for it’s self. Kensington offer the mouse in gloss black, which could appeal to any design conscious consumer. During this review, I can say with great satisfaction that it’s place on my desk is a visual compliment, as this mouse screams sophistication and expense.

Ergonomically, the mouse is a perfect partner to the palm of your hand, and the beveled grips that run down the side are a great addition for comfort and accuracy. I can safely say that the prospect of carpal tunnel is not a worry with this mouse. With such comfort and sophistication, it is no surprise that the accuracy of this mouse is fantastic. When compared to tracking on competitors, the SlimBlade is a contender for one of the smoothest consumer experiences, allowing your work to be done efficiently and in style, even for extended periods. The advertised battery life of this mouse is 6 months, allowing the user to worry more about the music on their holiday slideshow, rather than changing the batteries. When it inevitably comes to that time, the mouse simply takes double A batteries and is easily accessible from the bottom of the mouse.

The 360 degree scrolling ball is yet another design feature that makes this mouse a breeze to use. While other competitors offer the same concept, the Kensington mouse is especially desirable with it’s solid construction, and the smooth action of the ball itself. Other mice of it’s kind have the worry of dirt buildup under the ball, inhibiting contact, but the SlimBlade has such precision and solidity that dirt build up is no longer a problem for the consumer. Instead, the user is left to scroll around documents and webpages quickly and freely.

It is clear when purchasing such a product, that it’s unique selling point is it’s portable media capabilities, but it is perfectly capable of standing up against other mice that advertise other features. As a portable laptop mouse, it is an excellent choice, likewise, as a permanent desktop mouse it provides a stylish, low profile footprint, comparable in size to the Apple Mighty Mouse. For all applications, this mouse is a good choice and I feel being marketed purely as a notebook mouse is understated when it is capable of so much more.

Nevertheless, the portability and media functions play a key part in my desire for the product. This mouse can indeed be thrown in a bag, alongside your laptop with a convenient slot next to the battery under the cover for the receiver itself. That of course is another element to the genius design, with the receiver being roughly the same length as the diameter of a 10 pence piece or quarter, providing a small footprint and portability. As a mac user, the receiver sits comfortably hidden in one of the additional USB ports of the Apple keyboard, which makes this a great choice for anyone is obsessed with a neat desktop setup.

Alongside all these positive aspects of the mouse, comes into play the included media pad, which sits at the bottom of the mouse next to the optical laser. On the pad are the basic media keys including navigation, play and pause. This is where the user can truly sit back and enjoy their content. Unlike other remotes, this uses the same connectivity method as the mouse itself, so can it be used anywhere in the room without a direct line of sight, perfect for travelers on the go and desktop users alike.

The one gripe I have discovered with the mouse is with the included drivers. The mouse was completely plug and play, but I decided to install the drivers later on to see if there were any additional features. Upon doing so, the driver or ‘kext’ continually caused a kernel panic upon boot-up when the mouse was plugged in. A simple solution was waiting until after boot-up to plug in the mouse, but the included drivers did not appear to improve my user experience, so I uninstalled it to no effect. My advice to all mac users is not to install the drivers, as they do not seem to be required on modern macs, but instead cause issues. Of course, it is possible to contact the very helpful Kensington support with such issues, and the mouse itself does come with a 5  year warranty. I honestly feel this mouse provides complete peace of mind and is a great choice for support conscious users.

The SlimBlade Media Mouse is available from many Kensington resellers or direct from their website for $49.99. I highly suggest considering this if you want a versatile mouse that can suit many environments, from on the road to a desktop, and from word processing to raving. Give the mouse a try today.