But every time I wanted to change songs, I had to go to another room and make a few mouse clicks on my computer. Ever since then, I’ve been waiting for someone to come up with a good, affordable remote control that lets me change tunes no matter where I am in the house.

Apple’s Remote program

It turns out, I already owned that device. It’s an iPod touch. A new program released by Apple (AAPL) in July was all it took to convert my MP3 player into a sophisticated remote control for my digital-music collection. That program, called simply Remote, runs on the iPhone as well as on the iPod touch, a version of the Apple MP3 player that has an iPhone-like touch-sensing screen and Internet-access capabilities using Wi-Fi wireless technology. Remote is available free of charge on the online App Store that Apple has used since July to distribute software for those devices.

In essence, Remote is a remote control for all music stored on a Mac or Windows PC that’s loaded into iTunes, Apple’s music jukebox software. It allows you to jump between playlists, browse artists and pump up the volume. For the program to work, you need to buy into using other Apple entertainment products.

In the simplest setup, Remote lets you control the music from stereo speakers connected directly to a PC. But it’s most useful when you use a PC to deliver audio to additional speakers around a home — say, a pair on the patio and in the living room.

Apple sells a couple of products that receive audio signals from a PC running iTunes. Both work wirelessly over a Wi-Fi home network so you don’t need to put holes into your walls to run computer and speaker wires. I tested Remote using both. One is an Apple TV, a $229 set-top box in my living room that plays digital audio and video through a standard home-theater system. The other is an AirPort Express, a $99 Apple wireless networking device on my patio connected to a pair of powered A5 speakers made by Audioengine, of San Jose, Calif. A third set of speakers was connected to an iMac in the kitchen, where I store all of my digital music. (The least expensive iPod touch costs $299.)

It was a breeze to configure the Apple TV and AirPort Express to show up as remote speakers in iTunes on my computer. Setting up Remote to give me mobile control over this array of speakers was trickier. After installing the program on my iPod touch, I couldn’t get it to work with iTunes on my PC. After 20 minutes of fiddling with the security settings for my Wi-Fi base station, iTunes finally recognized Remote. I was in business.

We all know how confusing the remote controls for TV sets and stereo systems can be. Remote, by contrast, cleanly displays all the music on my PC on the color screen of my iPod touch.

The program let me flip through artists, albums and playlists with simple finger swipes. But I was sorry that Remote doesn’t have a feature in the iPod touch called cover flow that lets users browse their music libraries by flipping through album-cover art. Apple says it may offer the feature in the future.

The software also let me easily turn on and off the music from my speakers in my kitchen, living room and patio. I could have all the speakers on at once — good for a party. The sound was terrific. The crisp-sounding $349 Audioengine speakers don’t require a stereo receiver.

Because Remote uses Wi-Fi to communicate with iTunes, I could control music anywhere around my house and backyard, which are small enough to be fully covered with a signal from my Wi-Fi base station. That’s a big plus over conventional remote controls that use infrared, a technology that doesn’t work through walls.

One drawback: The battery in my iPod touch drained overnight when I configured the device to stay connected to iTunes, a feature that increases software responsiveness. Changing the setting let me go days without recharging my iPod touch, but it meant I had to wait a couple of seconds for Remote to connect to iTunes when I started up the software — an acceptable trade-off.

Another multiroom audio product with a good remote control is the ZonePlayer from Sonos, an equipment maker based in Santa Barbara, Calif. That system has some advantages over Apple’s offerings, including the ability to access tunes from online music services, such as Pandora and Rhapsody, and separate volume controls for each set of speakers.

The Sonos system starts at $999 for a remote control and wireless receivers, without speakers, that can deliver music to two rooms.

For people who already own an iPod touch or iPhone, Remote is a good reason to buy an AirPort Express, and fill your home with music.

Walter S. Mossberg is on vacation.

• Email Nick.Wingfield@wsj.com.

But several companies now sell wireless mice designed especially for laptop users for whom the laptop touch pad just won’t do. These mice are small, sleek, colorful gadgets that more fashion-conscious computer users can happily show off in an airport, in a coffee shop or on campus.

See a chart comparing the three mice

This week I tested three entry-level mobile mice designed for laptops, from Logitech (LOGI), Microsoft (MSFT) and Kensington Computer Products Group. These $30 mice include a USB receiver that plugs into a laptop, allowing the mouse to work wirelessly. When not in use, this receiver fits snugly beneath the mouse, turning its power off to save battery as it snaps into place. These mice are also somewhat smaller than regular mice so they can easily slip into a laptop bag.

Mobile mice are now more stylish than the traditional desktop mice, and like laptops and digital cameras, come in various shapes and colors. The mice I tested are available in pink, white, red, blue, orange and gray. Next week, the Microsoft mouse I used will be available in shades of pomegranate, aloe, dragon fruit (dark pink) and milk chocolate; a khaki-colored shade called crème brûlée will follow in June.

I tried Logitech’s $30 V220 Cordless Optical Mouse in black, Microsoft’s $30 Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 in aloe, and Kensington’s $35 Ci75m Wireless Notebook Mouse in orange. To gain some perspective on high-end mobile mice, I also looked at two pricier options from Logitech: the $50 V470 Cordless Laser Mouse with Bluetooth (instead of a USB receiver) and the $70 VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse.

My vote for a favorite low-end mobile mouse had me struggling between portability and comfort. But overall, I found that the Logitech V220 offered the best combination of small size and usability. The Microsoft mouse was also comfortable to use, but its slightly bulkier size made it less portable, and it didn’t feel as sturdy as the Logitech. While the Kensington was the flattest and most portable, it wasn’t as comfortable to use as the Logitech or Microsoft mice.

To conserve battery, all three of these mice go into low-power mode after 10 minutes of nonuse, but none of them turns off completely. Battery indicators light up when juice is running low. According to company estimates, the Microsoft mouse has a battery life of over six months and the Logitech mouse has a battery life of up to six months. The Kensington mouse’s battery life was estimated to be three months. I didn’t use any of them long enough to prove the company claims.

These mice are compatible with Macs and PCs, and are plug-and-play — meaning you don’t need to install any additional software to make them work. I used each on laptops running Mac OS X and Windows Vista without any problems. The Microsoft and Logitech mice also can work with their own special software programs, but the extra features, such as reassigning a mouse button to open an application, aren’t really necessary for the average user.

The $30 Logitech V220 fit comfortably in my hand, with rubber grips on its sides and a generously sized, smooth-gliding rubber scroll wheel that made it easy to use. This scroll wheel can be nudged to the left or right for horizontal scrolling, a feature found on most of Logitech’s mice.

Unlike the Microsoft and Kensington mice, which show flashing red sensor lights, the Logitech uses an invisible optic sensor. This sounds cool, but because the mouse doesn’t use any lights, it can be left on accidentally. I did this a few times before remembering to stow the USB receiver in the mouse to automatically turn off its power.

Of the three, the Logitech mouse was the only one with a manual on/off switch — so you can turn it off without snapping the USB receiver into place in the mouse. This could save frequent travelers from having to detach the USB receiver every time they want to turn off the mouse, and could let people keep the receiver plugged into the laptop.

Kensington’s $35 Ci75m was the flattest mouse by far, making it a cinch to slip it into the outside pocket of my already full laptop bag on a train trip to New York. And this mouse has a bonus feature: It can work wirelessly or with a USB wire, which wraps up inside the mouse and serves as a backup in case the mouse runs out of battery. I tested this by removing the batteries and using only the USB wire, and it worked like a charm.

I also liked the way the Kensington USB receiver disappeared into the body of the mouse, while the Microsoft and Logitech receivers protruded a bit when stowed, adding to the thickness of the mouse when tucked into a laptop pocket.

But though this bright orange mouse received approving feedback from passersby, it wasn’t all that comfortable to use after a while. Its flatness saved room in my bag, but didn’t give my hand much support. It also felt flimsier than the Logitech, and its small wheel wasn’t as satisfying to use.

I received early test units of Microsoft’s $30 Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 in aloe, pomegranate and milk chocolate.

This mouse has rubber sides for a better grip, like the Logitech, and an arched shape for comfort. Its wheel is slightly smaller than Logitech’s, though its overall size was bigger and more like that of a regular mouse — not one designed specifically for mobile use. But even though the Microsoft mouse was larger, it didn’t feel as solid as Logitech’s; rather, it felt more like the thin Kensington. Its right and left buttons felt less stable, and its wheel didn’t roll as smoothly.

I did like Microsoft’s nod to new colors, and the aloe — a cool hue of green — was my favorite.

For people who don’t mind spending a little extra money on a mouse, the $50 V470 Cordless Laser uses Bluetooth, eliminating the need for a USB receiver altogether. It took only a couple seconds to pair this mouse to a MacBook with built-in Bluetooth, and it worked smoothly. A manual on/off switch on this mouse’s underside can help to conserve battery.

The $70 Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser is sleek with shiny black accents and a silver-edged wheel. The “Nano” in this mouse’s name refers to its ultra tiny USB receiver, which sticks out only about a quarter of an inch when plugged in, so it can be left in a laptop at all times for ease-of-use. If needed, this receiver can be hidden away in the cavity of the mouse, under a snap-on lid. I used the VX Nano to glide around Web pages and Word documents with buttery smoothness.

No matter what mouse you choose to use with your laptop, most will be considerably more comfortable than touch pads and trackpoints, especially while working on long, mouse-intensive projects. But of the three lower-end mobile mice, the Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse delivers the best combination of comfort and transportability.

The chart below (click on it to make it larger) compares features of the three mice described in this column.

Email mossbergsolution@wsj.com