BTNEWS.INFO

Mike Hatton

I have two mice, a Bluetooth mouse for my laptop and a wired mouse for my desktop. I really like my Bluetooth mouse because I can put it in my backpack and not worry about the cords getting tangled with all of the other crap I am carrying around.

So why don’t I use a Bluetooth mouse on my desktop? The main reason is that with a wired mouse, I do not have to worry about batteries. A wired mouse may be clunky and cumbersome, but from a utility standpoint, it is dependable.

I hate batteries: You have to change them; you have to dispose of them (which degrades the environment); and they are an added expense. Even rechargeable batteries have to be disposed of eventually. Having batteries is worth it for a mouse that travels in my backpack, but for one that never leaves my desk, it seems like a waste.

So how do we get rid of the power cord and the need for batteries?

At first it looks like these guys have solved that problem. http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-249-1.htm They have a mouse that is wireless that does not need batteries. Great, you say. The catch is that you have to use it with a special mouse pad that uses USB. It has all of the disadvantages of my wired mouse, plus a few more with no benefit as far as I can tell. This product totally misses the point of being wireless.

This kind of problem has been solved before. I have a calculator that does not need batteries or a cord; it runs on solar power. Solar powered calculators became viable because the LCD took up so much less power than the earlier LED based calculators. Once the power needs were reduced, it was easy to add some solar cells and have a solar calculator.

Now solar is not going to work too well with a mouse, since your hand is covering it up most of the time you are working. So we need to look for an alternative power source; if not solar, then why not kinetic? Your hand moves the mouse all over the place. It would be nice to harness that energy for good use. We could get rid of the LED to conserve the energy and go back to a mechanical mouse. You could tie this to a tiny generator that powers the mouse with the movement of your hand.

One problem with mechanical mice is that you had to clean them. Some people might not be happy if they had to start cleaning their mice again.So maybe someone clever can come up with an internal mechanism like some watches have, with counter weights so power is generated every time you switch directions with your mouse.

Of course, not a lot of power will be generated and we still need to communicate with the computer. This is where Bluetooth low energy comes in. I am sure many Bluetooth companies will continue making Bluetooth mice with Bluetooth BR/EDR, since they already have it working. But if you can get an added benefit, like not needing batteries, then the switch will certainly be worth it.

Reducing power is always a good thing and for small devices it allows you to use alternative power sources like solar. I believe many Bluetooth low energy devices will be using different sources of power, in addition to just running off of batteries. It will be interesting to see what people come up with. If someone makes a wireless mouse that does not need batteries, I will certainly be happy to try it out.