I've had an on-again/off again love affair with my old four-button Kensington trackball for years. But I have very oily skin, so I have to clean the trackball every two to three days to keep in functioning. Otherwise, I love it.

But as I've used the Mighty Mouse, I have found some things that have grown on me and some aspects that are really starting to annoy me.

The Juice

"There's a scroll button in the middle that can scroll in any direction or, if using 10.4.2, can be used to summon or discharge Dashboard with a click. It's every bit as nifty as the iPods click wheel. And it feels a lot nicer than the average scroll wheel."

I find that after using MM for awhile, that the trackball-inspired scroll button is indispensable to my daily routine. I rely upon it more and more everyday. It helps ease the longing for my trackball and probably is the main thing that keeps me using this mouse. I will never go back to a scroll wheel.

And I use the Dashboard function constantly. Particularly to check the weather (NOTE TO SELF: occasionally leave the house), my stocks and to use the Dictionary/Thesaurus.

OK. And for poker, too.

"Leave it to Apple's design brain trust to make two buttons look like one button. Users get what they want; Steve gets what he wants. There are two side buttons that can be programmed to work simultaneously, as well. But here again is where the details come in. The degree of programmability depends on whether or not you're running 10.4.2."

I'm still a sucker for the look and it's simplicity. I have found through past experience that there are only so many programmable buttons that I really need. So no qualms there. I have no need for buttons to specific web sites, specific apps and so on. I can easily pre-configure all of that with software. And it's just as accessible.

The Pits

"... There's a scroll button in the middle that can scroll in any direction ..."

Therein lies the rub. The diagonal scrolling needs a lot more work. When it does function, the cursor moves along in choppy movements. I don't have much need for diagonal scrolling, but if I did, this isn't the answer. Yet.

"There are two side buttons that can be programmed to work simultaneously, as well." These buttons are set in the wrong place. Ergonomically, they're very awkward to access. As to where they should be otherwise placed, I really can't say.

The really puzzling thing (and I've heard several others mention this) is that to click the left button, you have to really extend your index finger to the left. Otherwise, you keep accidentally hitting the scroll button and bringing up the Dashboard. Heck, I just tried the diagonal movement and now it doesn't move diagonally at all.

The easiest way around this, I've found, is to shift your hand position on the mouse by just a few degrees. But you shouldn't have to do that with a mouse. It's counter intuitive.

The Rind

Nada.

The Pulp

It's Mighty Mouse. Or is it an Apple mouse? Or just another mouse? I'm afraid this Trojan Horse isn't going to pull in any Windows users. But if they go back to the drawing board, rethink the details and make it more ergonomically, then Apple will have hit the nail on the head.

I'll still keep using it but I will still grumble from time to time. And I'll always keep my Kensington trackball nearby.

System requirements: Mac OS X (programmability requires Mac OS X 10.4.2 or later), or Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

Macsimum rating: 6 out of 10