Saitek Optical Mouse and Mini UFO Hub Review

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by Sarah Meyer

Saitek released the new Mini UFO hub and the Notebook Optical Mouse in multiple colors and even a few limited edition designs for the upcoming holiday season. The look is fun and the wide variety of color options is fresh compared to the dull grays of other mice.

And although the Mini UFO hub is &quot;officially&quot; not available for purchase yet, we did find the low-priced Mini UFO hub available in several stores. The Notebook Optical Mouse likewise seems like a much more affordable mouse option than a few I've reviewed recently. I wondered would the colorful Notebook Optical Mouse be as useful as its more expensive counterparts? And would the new Mini UFO hub be able to perform multiple hi-speed digital transfers where much larger USB hubs failed?

Notebook Optical Mouse Features

• 800 dpi optical sensor
• Rubberized scroll wheel
• Compact, symmetrical design
• No software required
• Illuminated
• Two-year limited warranty

Mini UFO Features

• Four USB 2.0 Hi-Speed ports
• Powered through USB - no external power required
• Compatible with all USB devices
• Ideal for large digital data files
• No installation required

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Look and Feel

The Notebook Optical Mouse and Mini UFO hub I reviewed were both in hot pink.   The Optical Mouse can be ordered in 18 other colors; the Mini UFO hub in 10 other colors.

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The Optical Mouse lights up when plugged in to a USB port.  The rubberized scroll wheel is lit up with a white LED light; and the bottom of the mouse lights up red whenever it’s in use.

The mouse is very small, probably the smallest mouse I’ve used to date, and is symmetrical for ambidextrous use.  There are small grooves on both sides of the mouse to help the mouse conform to the hand and the rubberized scroll wheel helps the finger grip.

The Optical Mouse is hooked up through a USB port, and the wire is approximately 57” to give the user some flexibility in positioning the mouse.

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The Mini UFO hub is extremely compact and also lights up.   There is a small LED light in the center that alternates between five colors when in use.  There are four USB 2.0 Hi-Speed ports on the hub and it connects to the notebook through a single short USB cord.  The small USB plug flips underneath the hub for storing and it comes with a USB extension cord that gives you about 28 inches of additional cord length in case you need it.

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Performance

The Optical mouse was simple to use.  Plug it into a USB port and follow the brief installation guide and it’s ready to use.  No software needed.  The Optical mouse is compatible with Windows XP, XP64 and Vista as well as Mac OS X.

The response time was great and the mouse moved fluidly.  The extra long wire got in my way at first but I eventually tied it up the extra length so that it didn’t bother me.

The Mini UFO Hub was also simple to use.  Just plug it in and it’s ready.  I tested the hub with all four ports in use to see how performance was affected.  The devices I attached were the Optical mouse, a Logitech speaker system, a Brando USB toy and swapped in two different flash drives.  All of the devices worked normally, it didn’t seem like any performance was strained because of the hub being split into fours.

I also tested the digital data transfer from the flash drives when connected to the hub compared to when connected directly to my notebook.  There was no notable difference in the speed or quality of the transfer.

Conclusion

The Notebook Optical Mouse is a good mouse.  It’s simple to use, has a good response time, and comes in multiple colors.  The one downfall for me is that it has a wire but on the flip side, there are no batteries.  And for $20, this mouse won’t break the bank.

The Mini UFO hub worked great.  Often, with USB hubs, you can get lower performance out of USB devices because the hub splits in so many directions.  The UFO hub didn’t have that problem, and it lived up to the claim that it could handle large digital data transfers.  My one problem with the hub is that it’s so small all the devices connect right next to the laptop, creating clutter.   But it did come with an USB extension cord that could solve this dilemma.

Pros for Optical Mouse

• Ambidextrous design
• Great fluidity
• Comes in 19 colors
• Inexpensive

Cons for Optical Mouse

• May be uncomfortable for users with larger hands
• Wire can be a pain

Pros for Mini UFO Hub

• Handles large digital data transfers well during multitasking
• Keeps multiple USB devices running normally
• No external power needed
• Comes in 11 colors

Cons for Mini UFO Hub

• Alternating LED light

 

Available for Purchase

The Saitek Notebook Optical Mouse can be found on Saitek’s website for $19.95 and the Mini UFO hub will be available soon.

 

 

Cute little mouse and hub there . . . suits its name!

Nice review!

 

Green and orange colors are appealing.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/photos/2006/7/saitek-notebook-mice.jpg

 

I wonder if the hub would charge a non ipod mp3 player alright...

 

Since it's a "non-externally powered" hub, I doubt it.