Input devices such as computer mice are commonly used for interacting with
personal computers (PCs). Increasingly, wireless computer mice are
becoming popular with users due to their ability to provide cordless
accessibility for interaction with the PCs. The wireless computer mice
are usually powered using batteries and uses radio frequencies (RF) for
transmitting the users' input to the PCs. The wireless computer mice
usually have a fixed transmission power, thus resulting in a fixed
transmission range. Notably, the battery life and transmission range of
the wireless mice share an inversely proportional relationship. Hence, a
long battery life cannot be obtained without decreasing the transmission
range and vice versa. However, existing wireless computer mice typically
do not have provisions for making such adjustments. An embodiment of the
invention describes an apparatus and a method for managing power usage of
wireless input devices.