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A4 Tech NB-30 Wireless Mouse

     With so many new mice on the market this year you really have to look hard to find something that sticks out.  A4 Tech is offering something that just might change how you look at wireless mice forever. Battery Free.  Lets take a closer look.

     A4 Tech is short for Affordable Technology and they have been around longer than you might think.  Founded in 1987, they have been producing devices for retail and OEM. A4 Tech makes many different shapes and sizes of pointing devices and ships over 25 million units per year. The NB-30 is their award winning new offering in the wireless arena.

     The NB-30 comes in a non-descript package that makes a lot of bold promised reminiscent of those annoying late night TV ads; Wireless freedom, optical precision, ultra light and smooth, no battery required, no battery costs, no RF interference, and no battery pollution.  I am pretty sure you can cut a tin can with it too!  But what makes this mouse stand out?

     The NB-30 has no batteries onboard, none. The result is a mouse that weighs almost nothing and glides across the included mouse pad very quickly.  The mouse draws its power from the special USB powered pad called the Ingenious Pad.  Like magic, the mouse draws its power from the pad using what seems to be a combination of magnetic induction and RF modulation to send a signal back to the PC.  A search of their website shows they are not willing to spill the secret on the actual technology and spoil the magic for us.

     The result is a highly responsive glide that weighs in at about 75% lighter than my MX1000.  The mouse and pad combination is so slick, I have had it slide off onto the floor when used on my tilted keyboard tray.  Other actual stats are hard to find as well.  A quick Google finds the optical resolution to be 620 CPI.  The pad is also listed as water proof!

     For office use the mouse lives up to the hype.  Setup is true USB Plug and Play simple and the mouse is smooth and responsive. The pad does require a powered USB port to function making the placement a little more limited. The shape is very similar to a Logitech scroll mouse and the soft concave scroll wheel is a nice touch.

     For gaming the mouse is limited by the basic 3 button scroll design and the size if the required mouse pad.  The pad measures just 22cm x 17.5cm and is barely adequate for any serious gaming.  In practice the mouse proved to be only slightly less accurate than my Intellemouse Explorer USB and slightly smaller overall. I found the size of the mouse to be a bit smaller than I like as well, slightly smaller than a basic mouse.

     Coming in at $39.99 with no battery costs is also a consideration.  No battery cost places the mouse in competition with the slightly more expensive Logitech rechargeable mice.  The price puts it on par with an MX 500. Both are more responsive with a higher DPI and programmable button options.

Pros:

• Super lightweight mouse
• Very responsive pad
• No batteries or charging
• Magic power source is pretty clever

Cons:

• Only available in 3 button scroll style
• Small pad is very restrictive
• Powered USB required

Conclusion:

     The Battery Free Mouse is certainly an innovative idea and this can be best looked at as an early attempt at bringing this technology to the market.  The mouse works great for normal day to day use but doesn't quite live up to the high performance offered by competing wireless mice from the big boys.  With a larger surface and more button options in a future model, we just might start seeing these appearing on more high end systems in the future.