Operation of the mouse is as easy as installing the included drivers. I plugged in the USB hub and popped in the CD for the mouse. After choosing your language the wizard steps you through installation of the Bluetooth software and drivers. The drivers are automatically installed for the most common devices that you would need the Bluetooth hub for, such as the mouse, networking, headsets, etc. You can choose to install or not install any of them from the list during the install, but the wizard warns you to leave it at the default settings for best operation.

After installing the drivers, the wizard searches for any available Bluetooth devices and configures them. This is where I ran into problems the first time around. I don’t know if it is just my particular setup or a bug in the software, but I found that when the wizard is searching for Bluetooth enabled devices it shuts down ‘any existing Bluetooth devices’ during the process. For some reason it inadvertently shut down Norton email and script blocking services in Windows XP Pro, which because NORTON didn’t shut them down, caused Norton Anti Virus to have a conniption fit. I uninstalled the Bluetooth software and then reinstalled it AFTER shutting down those two Norton services and it seemed to work perfectly the second time around.

               
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After the software and drivers are installed it searches for devices as I stated earlier. At this point you need to make sure the mouse is turned on and press the small pairing button on the underside. The scroll wheel will glow a really cool blue color as the mouse pairs with the hub. Once detected, the mouse just works off the default drivers. You only have to pair them once as Windows will automatically enable the mouse upon each boot.

The BT500 has the ability to sleep, or hibernate; after a short period of non use, but Thermaltake recommends turning it off when not using it to extend battery life. I found that once the mouse goes into a hibernation state, it takes a few seconds to wake up and respond which creates a funky effect. All mouse movement during the wake up time will suddenly be there once the mouse wakes. This literally causes the mouse curser to dance around the screen for a second after the mouse initially responds. This is slightly annoying yes, but funky at the same time.

The mouse tracks well during normal usage, but again, being so small and light it took some getting used to. I am used to my MX700 which weighs a ton. The scroll wheel works well, but as I stated earlier, is somewhat mushy. I found gaming with the mouse impractical. It worked mind you, but the lack of buttons and extreme lightness made it slightly glitchy and hard to control when zoomed in through a scope, for example. I think though, it would be ok for gaming on a laptop, as it is MUCH better than the alternative pointers available on a laptop.

If you are looking for a small and ultra light mouse for use with your laptop, or just want something small to save space the Xwing from Thermaltake is worth looking at. You not only get a full featured optical mouse, but a Bluetooth hub that will work with any Bluetooth enabled device. Once paired with the hub, the mouse works great. If you have large hands though, you might find it to be a tad small. Also, if you are used to mice with 3 or more buttons, you will again have to get used to this one as it only has two. I wish my cell phone was Bluetooth enabled or that I owned a PDA so I could test out the other functions of the Bluetooth dongle. Over all, Thermaltake has created an excellent mouse with the added bonus of Bluetooth. The only problems I found were the extremely small size took some getting used to, the wake up from hibernation lag, and the software is a tad glitchy. I will give it a strong 4 out of 5.