To state the obvious, I went ahead with a wireless mouse was for the clutter-free experience. And indeed it is worth it, with a caveat though.

The world’s first wireless mouse was designed by Logitech and made use of Infra-red to communicate movement and clicks to the computer, kind of like a TV remote.

Computer mice are perhaps, one of the most endearing Human Interface Device (HID) designs of all time. Since the time the first mice were designed in the 60’s, they haven’t evolved much design-wise, following the same multi-button body form-factor. Only the working principle has changed over the years, in-tune with advancements in technology.

Should you go wireless?

There are two ways of looking at this.

One, wireless mice have fallen in terms of price nowadays. They are no more a novelty item. Prices are comparable to other wired mice.

Two, mobility is a requirement. You travel around and you primarily use the mouse for your laptop. Or you use your laptop all around your home, like me.

Or, if you are a sane person and insist on a clean desktop with no ugly wires going all over the place, then yeah, you can go wireless.

If however, you are a gamer and don’t want any surprises during the final match of that important multiplayer session with your friends, then stick to the wired brethren. Although I never had any such experiences, you never know.

I’ve really loved the wire-free experience though. This is especially true when I’m carrying my laptop in one hand and my wireless mouse goes easily into one of my pockets discreetly without any unruly wires hanging about.

Should you go shh… silent?

Again, simply ask yourself this. Do you work / game late into the night?

If so, then silent mice are ideal. During the day, you really don’t notice the sound of a mouse because there is enough ambient noise to drown out those clickity-clacks.

During the night though, those click-clicks could become irritating to you and the ones around you.

From my experience, silent mice are cool. Do go ahead with them. I love them so much that I now shudder at the thought of a clicky mouse.

Finally, the caveat.

Yeah, almost forgot about the caveat.

The only thing about using a wireless mouse that bugs me is this: I’m always wondering when the cell will run out.

Although this problem can be solved with a stand-by cell, it just becomes another thing to carry around during travel.

Summary

To summarise, buy a silent wireless mouse if you travel a lot / love a clutter-free life and want some quiet nights while working.