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Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse
Product Review Mice have come a long way since the early days of the Macintosh, with its innovative roller-balled brick. Fast forward 22 years and meet the Logitech MX Revolution. With innovative scrolling technology, rechargeable batteries, and improvements that make it easier to do common tasks, the MX Revolution is definitely a big step in the right direction. Whether or not this mouse is a revolution is up for debate, as it doesn't completely change the way we interact with our computers like the Macintosh mouse did, but it's clearly an important step in the evolution of one mankind's most indispensable tools.
The first thing you'll notice about the MX Revolution is the distinct shape, which is very reminiscent of a cresting wave. Fortunately, the design does more than look good. The mouse feels great in small and large hands, and the curved channel--which accommodates the thumb nicely--makes it easy to use the document "Quick Flip" dial on the side of the mouse. Above the Quick Flip control you'll find a pair of thin, customizable buttons that by default operate as forward and back controls for Web pages. The top of the mouse houses Logitech's tour de force, the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel, which dynamically controls the speed and resistance of your scrolling tasks. Side scrolling and a scroll wheel-based button press are also supported. Just behind the scroll wheel sits the quick search button, which pops you into the search engine of your choice.
The MicroGear Scroll Wheel Logitech says that the MicroGear Scroll Wheel "represents the single largest engineering effort ever undertaken by our engineering team," and their hard work shows; the scroll wheel is not only well designed with a smooth, progressive feel, but it is also surprisingly intelligent. Need to quickly scroll through large Web pages and documents? Place the scroll wheel in "freewheel" mode and give the wheel a quick, frictionless spin. The action feels much like a well-oiled roller-ball and offers blazing speed. Need slow scrolling for browsing photo libraries or spreadsheets? Switch to ratchet mode for precise movement. The included SetPoint software can automatically switch modes--a feature called SmartShift--or you can switch modes manually with a light press on the scroll wheel that shifts "gears." A note for Mac users: The Mac version of the MX Revolution Software does not appear to support SmartShift.
Two other nifty functions make the MX Revolution a great tool for productivity freaks and power users. The included software installs an application switcher that is linked to the mouse's thumb wheel, an action called "Quick-Flipping." Clicking the thumb wheel brings up a window listing all currently active application windows. Rotating the wheel and then pressing it again when you've reached your selection brings up the window of your choice. The Fingertip Search, which relies on a small button just behind the scroll wheel, allows you to input any copied text into the search engine of your choice. For OS X users, the action brings up a Spotlight search window. Connection and Power Connecting the MX Revolution couldn't be easier. The included wireless USB dongle was immediately recognized by Windows and Mac machines, and after switching on the power switch on the base of the mouse, we were mousing almost instantaneously. Wireless mice are often a pain when it comes to battery life and replacement. The Revolution MX solves one of these problems by integrating a rechargeable battery. The included charging stand is simple and stylish, although it requires wall power--no USB charging. You'll be using the stand a lot, as we couldn't squeeze much more than a day's work out of the mouse before the low battery indicator appeared. The mouse does not appear to have a sleep mode when it's not active (or when folks inevitably forget to turn it off), a notable omission from a device that is otherwise a home run--as long as you're a right hander. Pros
Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse, recharging station, AC power cord, USB micro-receiver, Logitech SetPoint software CD, user's guide, and three-year limited warranty. Product Description The Logitech MX Revolution scrolls through long documents at lightning quick speeds with the nearly frictionless alloy scroll wheel. Shift to precise click-to-click scrolling to navigate lists, slides and image collections. A high-resolution sensor inside this mouse makes it the most sensitive, highest performance mouse on the market. The precision laser tracking works on almost any surface. The Logitech MX Revolution uses advanced technology to detect your current application and automatically apply the scrolling mode that best fits the task at hand. Two conveniently located side buttons let you easily move forward and back through pages on the Internet. The mouse also moves seamlessly between documents. It's never been easier to cut and paste between applications, compare documents or check email. Highlight a word or phrase and click the Search button to display results from a search engine immediately. Have full-speed USB wireless technology with a simple plug and play interface. System requirements - Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me, NT 4.0, XP, Mac OS 8.6 or later, available USB port, CD-ROM drive (for MouseWare software installation) Package Includes - Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse / Recharging station / AC power cord / USB micro-receiver Logitech SetPoint software CD / User's guide / Manufacturer's 3-year limited warranty 
Reader Reviews Installation is a breeze. Plug in the charger. Turn on the mini switch on the back of the mouse. Pop the USB receiver into a USB port. (It is so tiny; it is the size of 2 USB plugs altogether.) then use the auto install on the CD. Then shut down, remove your old mouse, and reboot. Done. By the way, the lithium battery had a sufficient charge right out of the box. You're up and running in a couple of minutes. You don't need a mouse pad. Right away I put it to the test. You know the frustration you feel when a mouse doesn't work, restricting you to the mouse pad. Not this one. I tried it on a gloss lacquer finish maple desktop table, it worked great. Then I said, "Aha, I will put it on the perfectly clear, see through plastic, it came in", and it read perfectly again. You could do microsurgery with this thing, using it on clear plastic, your pants, your legs, or whatever. No movement is too fine, no matter what surface you use it on. The scroll wheel has a special feature, it tilts right and left. That is a whole new set of choices. You can custom set the features yourself in the Set Point software. You can set up this whole mouse to your specifications, and it is an intuitive menu for doing so. For scrolling at hyper speed, I set "Cruise down" and "Cruise up" at 40%. With a gentle tilt, you are rapidly moving up and down the page, able to stop anywhere. At 100% the page is flying by you. I love hyper speed at 40%. The bottom line is their is no having to scroll the wheel like crazy to get down to the bottom of a long page. It even has an autosensing feature that automatically adjusts the speed to the size of the page. In addition to the tilt is the standard scroll wheel function, but now with 2 speeds, normal and extra fine, by simply pressing down on the wheel, to toggle between the two. You have presentation flexibility because the mini USB receiver is good up to 12 feet away, even though it had to go through my couch to get to me. This thing rocks. It's got a topside mini search button that you set up with your favorite search engine. All you do is highlight a word, or phrase, hit the search button and you're there. (HUGE time savings.) Great for learning software; you've got the book, you've got the help file, but you need more. Highlight the topic, one button, and instantly their is a page full of help called Google. (for example) The document scroll feature is cool enough to deserve its own scroll wheel on the side, which it has. If you're working between two or more programs, or documents, a quick push on the scroll wheel, up comes a box with all the running applications/docs right under your mouse cursor. Then, the tiniest movement brings up your program. Way faster than using the task bar. The design is something right out of Star Trek. Finally, someone built a mouse with tons of features and the buttons don't get in the way. The top of the mouse doesn't have a left and right click panel, instead the complete top flexes on each side of a slit, in the front middle. So it is an arch that is flexing. It has a Frank Lloyd Wright feeling to it. It works perfectly, very sensitive. I guess you can tell, I love this mouse. I have been using Logitech keyboards and mice on my machines for quite some time. This thing is a technological breakthrough in sensitivity, intelligent design right down to how they wrap the CD, and I have to admit, beauty. You should see it. Whether it is sitting on the charger, or on your desktop, it's beautiful. I'd like to say it is a toy, but it is a very serious business tool that makes your work more efficient, and exact. This is the way mice should have been made all along. The only thing wrong with it is you won't be happy with your old mouse anymore. I should get one for every machine. Highly recommended. PS: This thing is intelligently wrapped. You can be sure that in a UPS (Unbelievably Pulverized Shipment) :-) it won't be flopping around in the box. To remove it once it arrives, do as the instructions tell you, and press on the mouse "On the logo" and it pops right out. The mini receiver pops out just as well. Comment (1) | Permalink | (Report this)
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