11/22/2017 Different Types of Computer Mice | Tech Explainer

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COMMON TECHNOLOGY JARGON DEMYSTIFIED AND TECH HOW-TO'S FOR INDIA

Different Types of Computer Mice

23 MAR
The computer mouse functions by detecting the two dimensional motion relative to the surface it is kept
on. It is the motion of the mouse that converts into the motion of the cursor on the screen of the PC or
laptop.

Over the years, we have seen dramatic evolution in the technological arena. Various types of mice are
available in market and the selection solely depends on your requirement. Lets take a quick look at the
available options:

Mechanical Mouse

Also called as the ball mouse, a mechanical mouse has rubber or metal ball on its underside. When the
ball rolls, mechanical sensors inside the mouse detect the direction and move the pointer on the screen of
the PC. This type of mouse requires a at surface or a mouse pad to work eciently. One of the
drawbacks of the device is that it is more prone to a racting dust.

(https://techexplainer.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/mechanical-mouse.jpg)

Optomechanical or Optical-mechanical Mouse

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An Optomechanical or optical-mechanical mouse is same as the mechanical mouse except that the sensors
used in it are optical and not mechanical. The device is a combination of optical and mechanical
technologies, wherein, the ball is present but the mouse movement is detected optically leading to more
accuracy.

Laser Mouse

A laser mouse is the new generation mouse with two necessary components light emi er and light
detector. A laser mouse uses laser as the light emi er and has a precise scanning of mouse movement. You
will nd a laser mouse ranging anywhere between 1000-5700 dots-per-inch (DPI
(h ps://techexplainer.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/what-is-mouse-dpi-3/)).

(h ps://techexplainer.les.wordpress.com/2012/03/laser-mouse.jpg)

Optical Mouse

An optical mouse also has light emi er and light detector but it uses LED as the light emi er. It generally
has lower DPI than laser mouse and users might nd diculty in using the device on black or shiny
surfaces.

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(h ps://techexplainer.les.wordpress.com/2012/03/optical-mouse.jpg)

BlueTrack Mouse

The next generation mouse from Microsoft, it is based on the BlueTrack Technology that enables the
mouse to track eciently on any surface, be it a granite countertop or a carpet. The blue beam in mouse is
a combination of image sensor and pixel geometry & is four times larger than the average laser beam used
in laser mouse. It generates high-contrast pictures of the surface for an exceptional tracking accuracy.

(h ps://techexplainer.les.wordpress.com/2012/03/bluetrack-mouse.jpg)

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Posted by techexplainer on March 23, 2012 in Uncategorized

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