Kensington Ci85m QuickStart Wireless Notebook Mouse review

The Ci85m's length and width are the same as the USB-powered Ci75m--4.25 inches by 2.5 inches by just 0.7 inch thick--and it could easily slip into a shirt pocket, not that we recommend carrying a mouse around in one's shirt pocket. The shallow body and buttons can take some getting used to, and it's not the most comfortable mouse for long-term use.

The Ci85m's main selling point is its quick-start feature. While most wireless mice require Windows to recognize that you've plugged in a new USB device and do a little behind-the-scenes housekeeping before the mouse will start working, the Ci85m did indeed connect the moment we plugged its receiver in. It was impressive, but we can't recall ever being particularly put out by waiting for a few seconds the first time we plugged a USB wireless mouse into a new laptop. Plus, it takes about as long to find the ExpressCard slot on your laptop (if you even have one), pull out the placeholder dummy card that's probably already in there, plug the mouse's receiver card in and extend the tiny antenna built into the card, as it does to plug in a USB receiver and wait for your laptop to recognize it. While the ExpressCard receiver is an extra piece of hardware to carry around, once it's inserted in your laptop, the antenna can retract when not in use and the receiver can be permanently stored in the laptop, out of the way.