Review: RadTech BT600 Bluetooth Mouse for Mac and Windows

Apple’s Magic Mouse is an innovative buttonless contraption, but some Mac users may end up wishing they had a more normal mouse. And while Windows users often find great bargains on their latest PC, there’s a good chance that the peripherals which come bundled with it leave something to be desired. That leaves some users from both platforms looking for a third party alternative. RadTech offers the BT600, a full sized bluetooth wireless mouse with five physical buttons, and a novel way of recharging the unit.

BT600 is a laser mouse, which means no ball inside and therefore no mouse pad needed. Its curved top surface has a pair of large embedded buttons, and turns convex on the sides for gripping. Another pair of buttons is on the right, and the scrolling wheel is the fifth button. A round power button on top triggers a blue light within the scroll wheel to let you know it’s been turned on.

Included are two rechargeable AA batteries, which can be recharged while still inside the mouse by connecting the entire mouse to the computer via USB. This means that you never need to remove the batteries, and you can keep using the mouse while they’re recharging – a trick which some other vendors could take note of. This trick alone means that the BT600 is one of the better bluetooth mouse products I’ve ever laid my hand on.

When it comes to cosmetics, this mouse comes in a choice of black or white, with prominent silver highlighting. The top surface is textured rubber, while the sides are smooth plastic. Customizing the five buttons can be done with RadTech’s own Mac app, which is easy to use, or with a choice of third party Windows apps, which I didn’t test.

About the only thing not to like here is that while the almost-symmetrical design means that you can use it with your left hand if you need to, the side buttons are clearly positioned for right hand use. But while left handers may want to look elsewhere, the other ninety percent of the population is in for an impressive mousing experience – particularly when the batteries eventually run down.

Price: $59 • radtech.com