Technology Today - Review Cherry Mouse

Technology Today - September 2018 Cherry MW 4500 Mouse.

By Robert Sanborn

I am a long time user of the Cherry Keyboards; they are quiet, reliable, long lasting, and never give me any trouble at all. You can see my review of the Cherry MX Silent here. While they are far more expensive than the ordinary keyboard from Microsoft and Logitech, I highly recommend them for the reasons mentioned above as to reliability, long lasting, and simply, when you hit a key, you can count on it showing up on screen. So when they asked about sending me the new mouse, I said yes immediately for the above reasons and in fact, didn’t want to look it up to see what others thought so to give you my unbiased first opinion.

The first thing I notice is that the images don’t tell you the whole story. What you need is a 3D rendered image as when I first pulled it out of the box, I really began to wonder what it is. It is truly an odd shape that Cherry will tell you is much better ergonomically for you, your hand, and your wrist. So to get started. It is a wireless mouse with a very small Nano USB transceiver that you find by opening up the battery compartment. The good news is that the battery compartment is easy to find and open unlike many other mice. It uses two standard AAA Sized batteries. Plug it in and it was immediately recognized by my computer and the good news here is that it only sticks out a miniscule ¼ of an inch from the computer and yet has a near 30 foot range.
	I have to confess, in looking at it, I wasn’t sure how to place my hands. And again, the first images I saw were not very helpful but the image here to the left is the correct orientation to use it and you can only use it right handed. (hint, the word CHERRY reads vertically downward) Having used a two button mouse (with scroll wheel) for so long, it will take some time to get acquainted with the other buttons. Unlike many other ergonomic mice, this has a 45 degree angle for your hand to rest on the two traditional buttons on the top side which you see here to the left.
So, besides the odd, or in this case, normal feel of the mouse, what sets it apart? I can tell it is much more sensitive than my other mice. It has a maximum resolution of 1200 dpi which is adjustable. The higher the dpi, the more accurate the mouse is when working with fine details. The topmost button on the mouse is how you adjust the dpi resolution and there is a tiny led light near the bottom of the mouse that indicates what the setting is. (look straight down from the “C” in Cherry to find it and see it in the image to the right) That LED will also flash when it is time to change the batteries and there is an off switch on the bottom of the mouse if you are not going to use it. It also will automatically switch to power saving mode if it is not moved for 10 seconds. In using it, it quickly switches back on near instantly so was not an issue at all. Those batteries should last nearly six months.
As I explore the mouse, it was easy to see what the four buttons I have talked about do but the other two are a mystery. I suspect if I had an application that took advantage of them (a game maybe) they would become useful but right now, the two buttons you see to the right here in the image above are not used. To activate them, you gently lift up with your thumb on them.
	This mice does take some time to get used to it having used a rounded flat mouse for so long. I like the better accuracy I am seeing with it and my hand does rest comfortably on it though it is a bit of struggle keeping it there. I have used it in a number of Microsoft Office applications and has worked out very well. You can find it on Amazon for a terrific price of $27.45. I think it is well worth taking a longer look at this mouse. See more at Cherry’s website.

Robert Sanborn