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Mouse Off

 Off button for cordless mouse.
  (+9)(+9)
(+9) 		  [vote for,
against]

'Tis very annoying when the cordless mouse dies, especially as it tends to do so suddenly, in a house where there are few batteries.

It seems a waste to have them on all the time, when they are not always in use.

I propose that cordless mice have a little button to the side which can deactivate them when not in use. Thus lots of power can be saved.

—dbmag9, Jun 20 2006

[link]






       my apple mouse already has this. hee hee and it goes to sleep automatically if you don't use it for a while (extra smugness abounds)
—xenzag, Jun 20 2006
   

       I'd rather have a mouse that dies suddenly, than one that dies slowly.   

       What you need is a rechargable mouse.
—BJS, Jun 20 2006
   

       "...and it goes to sleep automatically if you don't use it for a while..."
I'd assumed they *all* did that.
—st3f, Jun 20 2006
   

       The led only dimes, so that the mouse will still work as soon as you move it again.
—BJS, Jun 20 2006
   

       Everything that uses power, however little, should have an off switch. [+]
—wagster, Jun 20 2006
   

       your watch?
Grandad's pacemaker?
—methinksnot, Jun 20 2006
   

       If it has an off button than wouldn't it need an on button also?   

       There is a power button on the computer which also turns the mouse off.
—BJS, Jun 20 2006
   

       Great film, Micky Mouse meets Nicholas Cage - astounding.
—zen_tom, Jun 21 2006
   

       An acceleration detector (piezoelectric, of course) could switch the mouse on as soon as you move it, after an automatic power off. Such a sensor would only require a tiny current. The off switch could disable even this, but batteries run down even when no current is drawn, so the advantage might be small.
—spidermother, Jun 21 2006
   

       The off button would double as an on button, in a strange dual existance. The power button on the computer, used to having control over the mouse via its cord no longer has this because of the mouse's new-found cordless freedom... the plot thickens into the consistency of custard.
—dbmag9, Jun 21 2006
   

       easy solution - use a wired mouse. A good one is not awkward because of the wire as long as it is configured correctly.   

       Or failing that, keep spare batteries, invest in rechargeables or buy a rechargeable cordless mouse.   

       This is also baked, I have seen a cordless mouse with a switch.   

       Spidermother - i thought they already do this, i.e. the radio transmitter does not actually transmit unless you move the mouse, the rest of the time it is in standby.
—webfishrune, Jun 21 2006
   

       I had an old logitech ball mouse. It was cordless, and only transmitted when moved. Consequently it would run six months on two little AAA batteries.   

       The mouse I have at the moment is optical & cordless; the laser goes into a sleep mode when not in use and I assume no transmission takes place at such times either. It'll do a few days in between replacing it in its charging station. I've never had it cut out, either - a red flashing LED warns you of low batteries, but performance doesn't suffer even over the next few hours. Not sure when it would actually cut out.
—david_scothern, Jun 24 2006
   

       I love my logitech cordless ball mouse. Battery lasts forever.
—RayfordSteele, Jun 24 2006
   

       how about a capacitive switch on the top that turns the mouse on when you put your hand on it. no complicated motion sensors or moving parts added.
—tcarson, Jun 24 2006
   
      
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