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Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse ReviewThe computer mouse has been part of our digital lifestyle for decades now, allowing us to interact with what we see on the computer screen with amazing speed and grace. Logitech, long a leader in computer peripheral devices, has made the computer mouse their specialty product. Logitech consistently puts out winning designs and top-level performers. The latest in this string is the Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse. Building on the popular MX1000 mouse model, the new MX Revolution just gets better and better. The main performance improvements come from the many additional buttons that now grace a PC mouse (unlike the boring Mac mice..) and the software that goes with it - scroll wheels, application switchers, zoom control.
Best Wireless Computer MouseWhich brings us to the MX Revolution. Like all wireless, cordless mice, you get a standalone mouse that can be placed and moved anywhere on your desk surface, without worrying about entangling wires. The mouse communicates with a small receiver (the size of one of those small USB thumb drives) plugged into a USB port via radio waves - you move the mouse, your computer knows it, no strings attached. The laser tracking means it works on pretty much any surface - no need for mouse pads or worrying about dirt or dust - it just won't matter with this thing. Like all cordless mice, you also need batteries inside the mouse to give it power to communicate with the receiver. In the base of the MX Revolution, these are rechargeable batteries which you charge by placing the mouse occasionally in a little charger/holster device which you can put anywhere you like. The charger does need to be plugged into a wall outlet - no USB power. The design of the Revolution is similar in shape to the older MX1000, but with a larger thumb rest on the left lower edge to accomodate the more natural hand-tilted-to-the-side position. The Micro-gear scroll wheel is again a highlight of this Logitech mouse, allowing you to easily navigate through documents and web pages. It now has a free scroll mode where it will spin for several seconds, moving VERY quickly through long documents if you need to. It also comes with a search button - simply select a word, click the button, and up comes Google search results (or you can set your own preferred search engine). Personally, we didn't find this feature to be all that useful since we normally search for phrases and words that are not staring us right in the face - this seemed more like a dictionary lookup function.In the thumbspace, you have a wheel/switch that allows you to switch between running applications, much like the ALT-Tab keyboard equivalent. One flick brings up the list of open apps, scroll to the one you want, flick the switch again, and presto. There are two smaller buttons above the thumb switch that let you move forward and backward in your web browser, or can be assigned custom function. There is an on/off switch on the bottom, allowing you to turn the mouse off when not in use to save batteries. We found that the battery use was pretty heavy - our low battery indicator would show after just a single day or 2 of use, meaning you better remember to put it in the charger each night, or no mouse tomorrow morning. If a cell phone can run for days on a charge, why can't a mouse? I guess all those radio signals consume quite a bit of power. Anyways, this was the biggest complaint we had - having to switch the mouse on and off each time we used it. If the battery life is so limited, there should be a quick button to flick near the palm rest or something instead of having to turn it over to get to the power switch. MX Revolution Cost - you can get this new mouse for just under $100. It's a little costly considering you can buy a low end desktop computer these days for about $450 - a mouse really shouldn't cost 1/5 the cost of the computer, should it? But this mouse is not meant for budget users - it is clearly aimed at the high end power users and gamers that want a crisp, precise mouse with power to spare. If you are a power web user, or anyone who does a lot of scrolling, this mouse is terrific. Installing the Logitech MX RevolutionInstallation is easy - plus in the USB receiver, turn on the mouse, and MS Windows recognizes the mouse and you can start using its basic features. You will need to install 40MB of Logitech software though to really take advantage of all the MX Revolution features. Software installation is also automated and went without a hitch on our test machine. We were up and running and customizing our buttons within 5 minutes, and never had a problem. Overall, we rate the Logitech MX Revolution a 8.5 out of 10 - we'd love to see better battery life and a $59 price tag.Other Popular Mouse Products from LogitechLogitech makes a complete line of computer mouse products. In the cordless realm, beside the Revolution, there is the VX Revolution for notebooks, the G7 cordless laser mouse designed for gaming excellence, the MX 1000 Laser Cordless mouse (precursor to the Revolution), the MX 610 (also available in left hand version), the V450, and V270. Traditional corded mice include the G5 Laser Mouse, G3, MX 518 Gaming Optical Mouse, the MX 400 Laser, the V150 Laser for notebooks, LX3 optical. Logitech also still makes trackball devices, but those never seem to have caught on in the mass market.
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