Targus PAWM001U Wireless Optical Mouse/Pointer/Presenter

* The on/off button is incredibly tiny so if you're inclined to stubby fingernails, forget it.

* The battery cover is suprisingly flimsy and feels like the tabs that click and hold it in place could break easily. It's hard to open, too, so I doubt the cover would last long.

* The overall size is larger than most products of this kind and surprisingly heavy. If you're going to go with this much bulk and weight, you might as well carry a full-sized mouse.

* Surprisingly, this is NOT PLUG-AND-PLAY! To use this mouse, you have to plug it in before you turn on your PC. If you unplug the receiver while your PC's running, you have to plug it in again and reboot.

* Also, mine did not come with the carrying pouch that's listed on the packaging.

There's absolutely no good reason to buy this mouse when there are better, comparably-priced, plug-and-play ones available online and in stores.


This remote is disappointed   July 20, 2003
18 out of 21 found this review helpful

I did a thorough research about the device which combines the laser pointer and page-up and down functions for the Power-Pointer presentation. Using this kind of device you don't have to interrupt your talk to step forward to your notebook and move to the next or previous slide anymore. Finally I chose this one because so far it is the only one which uses AAA batteries, therefore I always have backup and don't have to worry about the power issue. I got this wireless remote presenter (PAUM30U) from Amazon.com for $... with free shipping, which is the best price I can find on the internet and local stores. After $... coupon, it's $... only. At this price I can't complain too much. Unfortunately, it's a disaster when I use it. Sometimes it works normally, and everything is perfect in that case. But sometimes when I click the button to move to the next or previous slide, it will move continuously through many slides until I click the button again to stop it. Imagine how humiliating it is that when you are doing the presentation and it occurs, you have to move it back and find where you got screwed in front of your audiance. I asked Amazon for a replacement and there is no problem getting another one without any shipping (Thanks, Amazon). Unfortunately there is the same problem with the second remote presenter. I also try it on the other computers, and the same phenomenon happens. This product is made in China, so it's possible that the quality control is not good and maybe these two happen to be the ones with defect. To sum up, I don't recommend this presenter unless you don't care the situation I described above.


Small, simple, but heavy & not perfectly smooth   February 21, 2003
The Oracle (pasadena, ca)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Targus was one of the first to release the wirelss optical mouse without the huge base to lug around. Kensington has released one recently but it's pricey. I placed my NiMh batteries in here (highly recommended) and it works great so far! It's small and compact but a bit heavier than most mice because of batteries. I wouldn't say movement is perfect, but satisfactory. The scroll wheel is fine.

The mouse I had before was Logitech's popular blue optical wheel mouse. Targus's mini optical wireless mouse is great for laptop users but it isn't the smoothest mouse in the world. It's smooth normally but if you leave it alone for a few minutes and pick it up again it has to adjust and gets jerky but goes smooth again. If you find it for less than $ I'd get it.


Nice Design, but Doesn't Travel Well.   April 7, 2003
GRIZZLY (Yuma, Arizona United States)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I bought one of these to use with my two Compaq notebooks, both at work and at home, where it shows one of it's major drawbacks, (if one is as consevative as I, in wanting to conserve batteries when not in use) the mouse, powered by two AA batteries, has NO ON/OFF SWITCH, so, when transporting between work stations, one must remove one or both batteries to shut down the unit, which otherwise remains on when not connected to the computer. This may be different when used in conjunction with the charging station (sold seperately) which I have not purchased yet. Disconnecting the receiver and/or removal & replacement of batteries in lieu of a power switch requires resetting the frequency each time the mouse is moved.
Another drawback is that the transmitter will not work through the chassis of a metal framed laptop, where the USB ports are either in the rear or on the left side, a problem Targus attempts to solve by including an extention cord (about 6" long, half the lenght really needed).
If the transmitter and receiver are not in direct line-of-sight, the advertised three foot range falls off dramatically, causing hesitations and missed or partial click actions. Also, the receiver contains a BRIGHT blue light that FLASHES CONTINUOUSLY with movement of the mouse AND clicking any of the controls, which is HIGHLY distracting when one is trying to concentrate on one's work.
Some may complain that the control switches are somewhat stiff, but I prefer a more crisp click action on my controls, which this unit provides. With internal power provided by the two AA batteries, the mouse does suffer somewhat from overweight (a 3V camera battery may have been a better choice), but the loss of that annoying cable drag more than makes up for this.
For a fixed station home or office PC, this medium priced optical wireless could be a welcome addition, but it's not the best choice for use with a notebook, especially in portable mode.
NOTE:

Either Targus has come out with an advanced model(I recently purchased a replacement for the original damaged unit), or I failed to read the fine print in the owner's brochure. The unit DOES have an ON/OFF switch, operated by pressing the "Sync-Up" button on the bottom of the unit for three seconds, which will put the unit in "sleep" mode until the button is pressed again to re-activate it.


Great!!   August 3, 2003
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

This mouse is great for anyone with a laptop!! It has some great features that others are lacking:

-On/Off switch...no more batteries running out
-USB "extention cord" just in case the usb unit is a little too big or your plug is in the back...just a handy accessory
-functional scroll wheel
-travel bag

The only con is that the right/left click buttons feel a bit flimsy. (Hence four stars instead of five) Other than that i am very happy.