The Gigabyte GM-W9C is a fairly attractive little mouse, and comes in three colours 'Leather Black,' 'Leather Red' and 'Pearl White.' We tested the 'Leather Black' model. This micro-sized pointing device is about the size of a clamshell phone, and finished with a suede effect that gives it a very smooth and appealing feel.

Many Taiwanese manufacturers have used this process on their packaging before, but this is the first time we've seen it used on a mouse, and we approve. The Gigabyte GM-W9C is uniform in shape, so it fits snugly into the palm of your hand. The only design quirk is the odd little plastic window perched behind the wheel. This tinted porthole allows you to see into the body of the mouse if you so desire, but we can't see why anyone would want to?

The mouse uses the standard two button and scroll wheel arrangement. Both buttons are large and comfortable and offer decent tactile feedback, while the scroll wheel has excellent feel, but is a little stiff when used as a button. This will probably soften up with use.

The underside of the mouse has three plastic feet for gliding and a power on/off/connect button. This control can be used to power off the mouse by holding it for three seconds. Pressing it again will power the device back on. A single press of this button will also reset the RF connection. A green LED is mounted under the translucent plastic on the left side, and will flash to indicate low battery power.

A single port on the front left side of the mouse accomodates the charging cable, which runs between the mouse and the USB RF receiver. The palm rest pops backwards to reveal the battery compartment. The GM-W9C's package included the USB RF receiver, a four foot USB extension cable, the charging cable, a little instruction booklet and a black velvet drawstring bag for transporting the mouse.

The receiver takes the standard 'USB-key' form and uses a green LED on the top to indicate data transfer and connection status. The single button is used to reset the connection between the receiver and the mouse, and must be used in concert with the 'ID connect' button on the underside of the mouse. The plug on the front of the device can be used to connect the charging cable.

The tiny manual is well illustrated and covers everything that needs to be covered. It's nice to see an actual printed manual with a small product like this. Gigabyte has a good reputation for bundling a lot of value in with their products, so we were not surprised.

In use the Gigabyte GM-W9C was extremely easy to set up. The package comes with a pair of rechargeable batteries, and the manual recommends charging them for eight hours before using the mouse. After inserting them into the device and charging it (via the included cable that connects the mouse to the USB RF receiver), we simply had to press the button on the bottom of the mouse once, followed by the button on the RF receiver, and we were up and mousing.

The first thing we noticed was that the GM-W9C is a sensitive little creature. Compared to a Dell Optical mouse I normally use, the Gigabyte GM-W9C's sensitivity was dialled way up. This is common in 'mini' mice, as it requires less movement area to use them successfully. We found it a little hard to get used to at first, but dialling down the pointer speed through the XP control panel helped a lot. Twitch gamers should be fond of this 800DPi mouse, especially at LAN parties!

Once it was set up to our liking, we enjoyed our time with the Gigabyte GM-W9C. It's tracking is precise, and it takes up very little desktop space, ideal for portable computing. We had no problems with the included set of rechargeables. Battery life was fine, and turning your mouse off while you are away from the computer will extend it further. Obviously, battery life will depend on usage and by default, the GM-W9C kicks into power-saving mode after being stationary for ten minutes.

If you are looking for a portable wireless mouse which does not eat batteries, we have no hesitation in recommending the Gigabyte GM-W9C. This attractive little mouse features precise control, decent range and a novel recharging method which allows you to use the mouse while you are charging it. It is a small sized mouse, so if you have huge hands you may want to look elsewhere as long-term comfort could be an issue. As a portable mouse though, we can't find anything bad to say about the Gigabyte GM-W9C.

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