So if you ever asked me if I would be writing about a computer mouse someday, I probably would have laughed.  Yet here we are and I am excited to be able to write about this one.  Recently Citrix released the Citrix X1 Mouse to be used with Citrix Receiver on the iPad and iPhone.  This mouse prior to its official release, had great feedback from the community, and is now receiving the same kind of feedback from everyone.

The Issue

So the problem that this mouse solves is that it is very awkward to use a virtual desktop, and even many Citrix applications without a mouse.  To be honest, I gave up on using an iOS mobile device years ago for Citrix applications, because the process was so painful.  I reserved this process for on-call emergencies, and I mean it had to be a real emergency for me use Citrix on iOS.  Now, with one these mice, problem solved.

How do I get started?

Citrix X1 Mouse and iOS device in hand, start by making sure your iOS mobile device has the latest Citrix Receiver v 5.9.6 which was released on 05/29/15.

receiver

 

  • Enable Bluetooth on your device by going to Settings, Bluetooth
  • On the mouse, switch the device to “On”, this will allow the device to appear in the Bluetooth area of your device

Bluetoothdetection

  • Start Citrix Receiver and enable the X1 mouse setting

receiveron

  • Back to the mouse and push the “connect” button on the bottom
  • When the following prompt appears choose “Pair”

pairing

  • The device will show as paired and your mouse pointer will appear within Receiver

After using this, it’s clear that with this mouse my Citrix experience on iOS mobile devices is no longer awkward. While this is only a mouse, it is very exciting!

Also as a bonus, this mouse can serve as a Bluetooth device for PC’s or Androids.  Guess what I will be trying out next!