I bought a Microsoft Designer Bluetooth Mouse a while back, but as I said, it won’t connect on Ubuntu 14.04 — it doesn’t support Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy. Actually the thing is supported in BlueZ 5.0, but Ubuntu 14.04 still ships BlueZ 4.X. So here’s a way to enable BlueZ 5 and Bluetooth 4.0 / LE support. There are sacrifices. After the upgrade GNOME’s Bluetooth management is completely dead and you have to let Blueman take over. If you don’t care, keep reading.

Microsoft’s new “Designer” line of Bluetooth mice is pitched at “designers,” but honestly, designers probably wouldn’t touch this thing — same way a lot of Apple fans who swear the Magic Mouse is great wouldn’t actually put up with that feel. The full name is Microsoft Designer Bluetooth Mouse. It’s flat and portable, and it takes the unusual AAA battery, which means my pile of Eneloops are useless here. The upside of that battery choice is a big drop in weight, so the trade-off does make some sense. There’s not much to it: left and right buttons, a scroll wheel, and a middle click on the wheel.