With a name like Rocketfish, this company has a lot to live up to, just from its own hype. So, having recently come into posession of one of their mice, I’m going to take it for a spin (or is that a twist?) and find out. Here’s the package:

First of all, Rocketfish seems to be part of Best Buy. Which isn’t bad, in and of itself. I’ve reviewed a few Insignia products, and on the whole I’ve been very pleased with them. Just remember when the salesperson is pushing the product on you, is all I am saying.

Anyway, on to the mouse. The Twister Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse is a nice little laser mouse with a twist (get it? ahhhh, I slay me). Actually, that’s its gimmick. It twists. As you can see in the photos, it twists over so you can have an approximation of a standard mouse, but then twist it back into a flat position for easy storage in its little foam pouch, which I assume must then tuck neatly into a briefcase or whatnot.

Aside from that twist, there isn’t really anything innovative about the mouse. I’m not saying it isn’t a good mouse, just saying… it’s a mouse. It has the standard left and right buttons, as well as a center ‘3D flat scrollpanel’ for scrolling (it’s a trackpad). The scroll panel doubles as a middle mouse button, so heavy-fingered users will need to adjust. Also, the scroll panel is insanely sensitive, so it takes a little time to get used to moving your finger slowly to control scrolling effectively. The control set is rounded out by a thin red button for your thumb which defaults to the ‘Back’ function on web browsers. Cute.

It’s wireless, as most good notebook mice tend to be nowadays, with the wireless USB receiver tucking neatly into the side of the mouse when not in use. It also runs in the 2.4GHz band, which is also pretty standard. I found the range on the wireless to be more than satisfactory, easily beating out the Logitech I use with my home desktop. The optics tracked smoothly and accurately, and there was no cursor-jumping, another problem with my Logitech.

The styling and comfort, by nature of its ‘flatness’ leaves a little to be desired, at least in my opinion. I have pretty average hands, but the hump created by twisting the mouse into it’s normal operating mode was small, and nowhere near my palm, and I found myself guiding the whole thing with a thumb and two fingers. Since I like resting my palm on a mouse, I found this a bit disconcerting. This might be standard for travel mice, but it makes it hard to replace my everyday mouse. Its looks are also pretty tame, and I am guessing they’re aiming at the average business traveler with this one.

All in all, it’s a good unit, and aside from the vanilla styling and dubious comfort, I have no complaints. My twitchy fingers eventually mastered the scroll pad, and this mouse didn’t let me down once during testing. It sells for $44.99 at Best Buy, which puts it in just about average range for quality wireless mice. Depending on your personal needs and tastes, it might be right up your alley.

PROS

- Slim, flat design delivers on portability

- Battery life seems astonishingly good

- Excellent wireless range

- Accurate tracking

CONS

- Bland, vanilla styling

- Poor ergonomics

- Silghtly pricey