Initial Impressions

The more I play with this thing, the more I’m reminded of the Phasers that they used in Star Trek; it’s uncanny. I can almost pretend I’m Patrick Stewart dashing about in a well fitted uniform, barking out orders to my number one in a fine English accent.

It feels very natural to hold in the hand, and obviously Logitech have spent a good chunk of money on the ergonomics of this thing alone. It’s not often one has to pick up a mouse and wave it around, and they have certainly made sure that it feels pretty natural to do it. Once it is in hand you realise that the shiny chromed bottom of the mouse is actually plastic, a weight saving manoeuvre that ties in with the need to pick the mouse up and not feel like you are training for the iron man competition.

While it’s charging you can see the battery indicator gently scrolling in the bottom section of the mouse. This is a nice feature to give some kind of indication of the charge level when using the mouse, but can be a bit annoying that it’s always going when it’s charging up, especially if your computer is where you sleep. Thankfully this stops when charging has finished, and to help conserve battery when the mouse is not in use or in transit (Logitech have subtly suggested that this mouse is ideal for giving presentations) they have included a small slide switch underneath the mouse to turn it off and conserve battery.



After initially charging the unit and slamming the USB transceiver into my laptop, I’m ready to rock. With the mouse on the surface it feels pretty comfortable and seems to glide easily across my mouse mat; so far so good.

Tracking of the laser optics unit seems pretty precise too; clicking on icons produces a nice solid feedback from the mouse buttons and the scroll feature is really nifty, allowing you to gently rub your finger up and down the scroll pad on the mouse. The rodent will even simulate the clicking sound that comes from the invisible mouse wheel.

The neatest feature is the 'freewheel' style of scrolling; with a gentle flick of my finger across the scroll surface I can send the scrolling mechanism flying under its own momentum, only to be stopped by gently resting my finger back on the scroll pad. This does however lead me to my first gripe about the mouse.