Mouse Vinga MSW-908 Silent Click black

Background

I'll say right away - I've never liked laptop mice. Throughout my computer life, I've had large mice 12-14 cm long with a symmetrical design because mice for left-handers almost don't exist or their cost is unjustifiably high. Accordingly, I usually didn't look at the "Mice" section on the Vinga website due to their form factor and (mostly) portable orientation. And when I took the [Vinga Limpid case] for review, I initially refused the offer to also take the MSW-908 mouse. But when the brilliant phrase followed: "Maybe your dislike for laptop mice will be the topic?))", curiosity got the better of me, and now I'm ready to tell you interesting details about this mouse.

Package and Appearance

The package includes a mouse, a wireless receiver, and one AA battery.

I got the black variant, but there are also graphite gray and blue. The mouse is so compact that it easily fits in the palm, not even reaching the fingers. It resembles a small motorboat in shape: a small "wave breaker" at the front that spreads along the side lines and then ends impressively with a stern overhang with the Vinga emblem. At the front is a narrow rubber scroll wheel, behind it is the DPI change button and the current DPI value indicator. The scroll wheel does not have free movement and works like a gear, scrolling precisely at a certain angle. These turns are clearly felt during slow scrolling. I like this solution more than if the wheel were not fixed at all.

At the bottom of the mouse is a sensor shifted to the right, below is a compartment with a cover for installing the battery and a compartment for storing the receiver. There are also anti-slip stickers. Overall, the appearance of the mouse is reminiscent of the Logitech M335 and M535: shape, buttons, scroll wheel, DPI change button. Even the bottom part is designed the same - a G-shaped battery compartment and a shifted sensor. The only noticeable visual difference is that Logitech has a toggle switch for turning the sensor on/off. Vinga has implemented this slightly differently. I'll talk about this a little later.

The wireless receiver ensures the mouse operates via a radio channel at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. It has the Vinga emblem, which is good because if there are several identical receivers in the USB slots, there will be no chance of confusing them. And the ability to hide the receiver in the mouse will clearly appeal to laptop owners because, despite its miniature size, there is still a chance of breaking the connector when placing the laptop on a table or carrying it in a backpack. By the way, regarding the emblem and the internal compartment for the receiver: on AliExpress, I occasionally came across reviews from disappointed buyers who gave one star (the worst rating) and complained that the mouse came without a receiver. How surprised they were when sellers replied that the receiver was inside the mouse in that very special compartment. The problem was that the receiver had no identifying marks and, being inserted into the compartment, it could easily be mistaken for part of the construction. So the decision to put an emblem on the receiver was the right one.

Specifications

Impressions from Use

After inserting the included battery into the compartment and connecting the receiver to the computer, the system quickly recognized the drivers, and the cursor came to life. The very first launch of familiar applications surprised me - I didn't hear a double click, as if the left mouse button wasn't being pressed. However, my joy knew no bounds when the selected applications successfully displayed their windows. Only after that did I bring the mouse to my ear and listen. The sound was very soft and resembled pressing on a rubberized surface. In fact, my assumption turned out to be correct. A little excursion into theory. If someone doesn't know, there are two most common types of buttons:

These very small electronic components produce the characteristic sounds we are so used to hearing when working with a mouse. So, when I curiously, armed with tweezers, pried open the case to get to the button, I saw that the pressing element (in the Winga MSW-908, the buttons shown on the right are used) was made of rubber (or similar material) of red color. This feature allows the usual click sound to be dampened and makes the presses very soft.

In operation, the mouse turned out to be convenient. Despite the unusual grip for me (I held the mouse with my thumb and little finger), I felt quite comfortable with it in my hand and had no problem actively manipulating the buttons and scroll wheel. The mouse worked well on wooden and plastic surfaces, but on glass, the cursor was overly sensitive, requiring many "steering" movements.

By the way, about sensitivity: the mouse is equipped with a sensor with the ability to change DPI "on the fly" with a step of 400 points: 800 dpi - 1200 dpi - 1600 dpi. Why is this needed? Since the mouse is a "universal soldier," different DPI modes can be useful in different working conditions. For example, for internet surfing, modes 2 and 3 (1200 and 1600 dpi, respectively) were comfortable for me because the cursor moved quickly, and reaching the edge of the screen could be done with minimal mouse movement. If greater precision is needed, for example, when working in graphic editors or with files, a lower DPI value can be set. The cursor will move slower but more precisely, without jerks. What's also great is that when pressing the DPI mode change button, the indicator located behind it shows the selected mode: single blink - 800 dpi, double blink - 1200 dpi, triple blink - 1600 dpi. Very convenient.

As I mentioned earlier, the mouse operates on a 2.4 GHz radio channel. However, this does not provide any clarity about what this radio channel is based on, as both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi work perfectly at the aforementioned frequency. Being curious about technical aspects, I decided to conduct an experiment. Its result showed that the mouse calmly sends a signal over a distance of just over 10 meters through 2 (!) brick walls. On one hand, this also doesn't clarify, but if you read Bluetooth specifications, you can find approximately the following phrase: "Officially, Class 2, most commonly used in mobile devices, has a range of 10 meters. However, Bluetooth Marketing qualifies that the Class 2 range is usually 5-10 meters." Based on the results of a recent headset review, I can conclude that the radio channel in the mouse is still more inclined towards Wi-Fi, as Bluetooth already started having issues at the tested distance. Regarding the radio channel, Vinga representatives provided some additional information: the 2.4 GHz frequency is hardware-encoded at the receiver level, meaning the mouse only works in this range and only with this receiver. This implies that in case of a breakdown, replacing the mouse or receiver with analogs is unlikely to work, and a new set will likely need to be purchased. On the other hand, wireless components are generally very reliable and far exceed the usual life cycle of even the most beloved mouse.

Since the mouse is wireless, I was also concerned about the device's autonomy and how well (or poorly) the mouse itself conserves battery power. Naturally, I couldn't completely drain the mouse during the entire testing period (about 3.5 weeks), but some conclusions can be drawn about possible autonomy based on its operation features. For instance, if the mouse is idle, after 15 seconds, the sensor enters "search mode," blinking intermittently, and if no movement occurs within 15 minutes, the sensor automatically turns off to save battery power. To return it to "active" mode, a click of a button or scroll wheel is enough. By the way, if the mouse is turned off (computer is off or the wireless receiver is removed from the USB port), the sensor can still be awakened for a second in "search mode" with a click. Why am I mentioning this? When I noticed this sensor behavior, the first thought that came to my mind was, "What happens with a long click?" The answer: in the off mode, the mouse only registers intermittent clicks, meaning a long press will have no effect, and the sensor will still turn off after a second. Now imagine a situation where the mouse is lying on a table and covered with something (like a notebook or papers). Even considering its shape, there's a non-zero chance that accidental presses will still occur. What if you carry the mouse in a bag or backpack along with a laptop? In fact, this was the case when I returned the mouse to the store after the review—the sensor was blinking cheerfully, visible even through the blister packaging. Clearly, such presses won't significantly affect battery life because the sensor turns off with a timeout, but sometimes mechanical disconnection of the mouse seems better than automatic. Moreover, it's quite strange that it's not here because models MSW-527 and MSW-907 have such a switch. As for the dry numbers, according to Vinga, the battery life can reach 4-6 months. This is a good result, but as my previous experience with a wireless kit showed, the charge always runs out at the wrong time, so a spare AA battery is always handy :)

On Vinga's official website, it is stated that the mouse is guaranteed to be compatible with Windows and macOS operating systems, but there's no mention of Linux. I'm correcting this oversight—Linux is fully supported, tested on Ubuntu versions 16.04.4 LTS and 18.04 LTS.

Conclusions

So, did my bias disappear after this review? Definitely yes. Among portable mice, there are sometimes worthy options for truly comfortable work with a laptop. At the time of writing this review, Vinga had 6 models of wireless mice, of which only 2 had a dpi mode switch (including MSW-908), but only MSW-908 had the feature of silent buttons. This is a definite plus. In the evening, when you want to enjoy silence while surfing or coding, mouse clicks will no longer be annoying :) The dpi switch is set to very appropriate modes: 800 dpi is convenient for precise manipulations, 1600 dpi for fast surfing, 1200 for everything else. Anything higher can be considered gaming preferences (though this is very individual).

From small wishes (traditionally), rubberized inserts are still needed on the sides where the mouse is gripped. And for greater convenience, a battery charge indicator (or software to display it in the system tray) would be helpful. Although, I suspect that the dpi mode indicator will signal low battery charge.

I was disappointed by the absence of a mouse power switch. As I mentioned above, automation is great and convenient, but mechanical on/off can also be useful. Such a switch was noted in other models, and to me, it's strange why it was omitted in the higher-index model.

Would I buy this mouse for myself? For a laptop—yes, but only for it. On my desk, my heart has long belonged to the Logitech TrackMan Marble Trackball.

Source https://mister-gold.pro/