The Apple Magic Mouse is one of those “I hate it”, or “I love it” items. Those who adore it seem to like everything about it except the frequency with which they have to replace the batteries. It is a bother, and it gets expensive. Mobee has created an alternative charger.
It is an inductive charger base station called the Mobee Magic Charger, designed specifically for the Magic Mouse by Mobee Technology and made from recyclable materials. It matches the mouse in design and the company states that it’s the world’s first of its kind dedicated to the Magic Mouse.
The Mobee Magic Charger with a Magic Mouse in charging mode
The Mobee Magic Charger is attached to a USB port for charging, and the Magic Mouse rests on top of it. The mouse can lie in any direction as long as most of the bottom is touching the charger. When fully charged using the Mobee charger, the Magic Mouse can operate six days without recharging.
Using the product
To use the charger, you replace the two AA batteries that ordinarily operate the mouse with the Mobee Battery Pack. It is very important that you make sure the battery pack is firmly in place and clipped in. The mouse power does not need to be on for the charger to work. The cover plate that comes with the Magic Mouse is not needed with the Mobee Magic Charger.
Battery insert
Once that is done, you just place the base station on your desktop and plug it through any USB port. Place the Magic Mouse on top of the charger and it will start charging. The product information states that it takes six hours to go from no charge to a full charge, but the product arrived charged about 75 percent, so I was able to start using it immediately.
There is a LED light on the base that lets you know the charged status. Solid green is fully charged, blinking green means charging in process and red indicates no charge.
The MSRP for this product is US$49.90 with spare battery packs available at US$29.90. I found the charger on-line at prices ranging from US$39.00 to $50.00.
Do I recommend it?
I do. I recommend it for two specific reasons and one other superfluous reason. (1) The charger keeps the mouse charged continuously, and I don’t have to deal with batteries which are a pain to deal with and not good for the environment. (2) At some point it will pay for itself. The company stats say that will happen one year for home use and six months for office use.
As for that superfluous reason? It looks really cool next to my Mac.