Ever since I got my MacBook Pro back in June, I’ve been on the hunt for a decent bluetooth mouse. I wanted something portable, small, and easy to use, without being a small fortune to purchase. Sure, wireless mice are neat too, but I always worry about losing that tiny dongle. Then there’s the Apple Magic Mouse, but I’ve covered my debacle with the Magic Mouse here before.

Through it all, I watched a buddy of mine use his Microsoft Notebook mouse, and resisted the urge to buy one. I had used small mice before, and they never really felt right in my hand. Then recently, he tells me about his shiny new Magic Mouse, so I ask him what he’s doing with his old one. “Nothing. You want it?” Now that’s an easy way to save $50.

Pairing it up with my MBP took no time at all, just a quick stop at System Preferences | Mouse, then to Set Up Bluetooth Mouse, then pushing the button on the bottom of the device. In no time flat I was surfing the web.

How do I like it? Well, it’s nice. As expected, my pinky and ring finger don’t fit on the mouse so they drag the desktop as I work. Turns out, that doesn’t bother me as much as I seemed to remember. This mouse also has a higher profile than most notebook mice, so even though it’s fairly bulky for carrying in a bag, it’ll still fit just fine and fit in the hand even better.

That said, the side buttons are the only real issue I have with it. It comes with one back button on the left, and the scroll wheel acts as a fourth button as well. Unfortunately, I can’t find a way to program them, so I can’t get them to work the way I want to. It’s not a huge issue, but every time I click to go back a window, I end up pulling up Expose instead. Hopefully there’s a workaround for it.

At $50, it’s not a bad deal, and at $41 on NewEgg, it’s even better. Of course, if you can get one for free like I did, take it. You won’t be disappointed.