Receiver
The RF receiver is a small grey unit with room for 2 AA batteries. The 2 batteries in the receiver are always charging when the computer is on. So, you will always have a fresh pair of batteries for your mouse (or discman), which is a very nice feature by A4 Tech. I found that for the first few charges the batteries didn’t last much more than 2 days, but after 2 weeks of use the batteries seem to last for 5-6 days before needing a recharge. The Receiver also has a switch so you can switch between two different channels. According to A4 Tech each channel has 255 possible ID’s.
Mouse
Now for the actual mouse unit itself. At first I didn’t have high hopes for the A4 Tech RP-648. I have been using a Microsoft Intellimouse for the past 2 years and didn’t think a cheap wireless mouse could even come close to the responsiveness of the Intellimouse. I had a mental image of an old 2 button serial mouse in my head. I couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The RP-648 has much better tracking than the Intellimouse. Not only is it more responsive to movement but it also seems to move across the screen much, much smoother. This makes gaming as well as Windows browsing a much easier task. After using this mouse for two weeks I tried to switch back to my Intellimouse for a comparison and I couldn’t stand it. It just seemed so sluggish compared to the RP-648.
One downside with this mouse is the fact it only has 2 buttons (plus the scroll wheel button). This is a disadvantage that will affect some people more than others. Personally I never really used the extra two buttons on the Intellimouse, so it didn’t effect my greatly. The Left and Right mouse buttons have a much more distinct ‘click’ than the Intellimouse. I wasn’t too pleased with this at first but I honestly don’t notice it anymore.
The scroll wheel on the A4Tech is much better than my Intellimouse. Not only is it silent (thanks to A4 Tech’s exclusive Noiseless Scrolling wheel) but it also is a bit stiffer and easier to control. Easily the best scroll wheel I have used on a mouse. However, some people prefer a little more feedback from the scroll wheel.
A4 Tech has done a really good job on the ergonomics of this mouse. Normally it takes a couple of days for me to fully adjust to a new mouse. But this mouse just slipped straight into my hands. I tried to use the Intellimouse again after a week and it made me wonder how I used that brick for so damn long. Overall the RP-48 is a very comfortable mouse.
The wire on a mouse isn’t something that ever really got in my way. It’s not like I was tripping up over it or anything. I could never see the point in going for a wireless mouse if it was going to perform worse. But after using this mouse it has shown me that a wireless mouse can perform just as good (if not better as in this case) than a corded mouse. I never had lag caused by lack of a cord and responsiveness was better than ever. A4 Tech have gone out of there way to deliver an excellent cordless mouse to the mainstream market.
For those who want to use the mouse away from the computer I found it was fine for about 5 meters away from the computer before it started to break up. This was with a direct line of site though. Your mileage may vary.
Conclusions
I have to say A4 Tech have really surprised me with this mouse. Not only did they make a really nice mouse, but they also nailed the electronics perfectly. The only issue I can really fault this mouse on is the fact it only has 3 buttons. But apart from that it is great. The wireless specifications of this mouse put it up there with the Logitech MX700. While I haven’t personally used the MX700 I honestly can’t see how the RP-648’s movement could be any worse than the MX700. This is a very good feat considering the A4 Tech retails for $50 which is ~$70-$80 cheaper than the MX700.
If you’re looking for a very reasonably priced optical mouse that has the bonus of being cordless then I have no hesitation to recommending the A4 Tech. Before this review I had every doubt that this mouse wouldn’t replace my Intellimouse. But after 2 weeks my Intellimouse has been donated to a disadvantaged computer user (dad). Recommended!
All original content copyright James Rolfe.
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