Logitech's Cordless Keyboards and Mice Review

(MX700 continued)

The MX700 is the largest and heaviest of the three mice tested. Included in the package is the recharging station, 2 rechargeable AA batteries, AC adapter, and MouseWare CD.

The MX700 comes with two rechargeable AA batteries. You place it in the "rapid charge base station" to recharge it. Logitech says the charge lasts up to 10 days. The base station is also the receiver for the wireless signal. It is connected to the USB wire and the AC adapter plugs into the back of the USB plug. I would have preferred the USB wire be at least another 2 feet longer. At 4 feet it just isn't long enough to place it as I would prefer.

As you can see from the specs this is one fast mouse! After reading (and rereading) Logitech's documentation on the MX700 and the technology behind it I've decided to skip the drawn out explanation of why it's faster and more accurate than every other mouse out there. I've got roughly 50 pages of documents in front of me that were written by experts (I think the marketing guys had their hands in it too!) and as my sister in law would say, "That's TMI". I'll try and put it in a nutshell. Optical mice work by taking little pictures every so often, converting those pictures into data and sending the data to the computer. The MX700 is able to take more, better quality pictures with a larger "camera lens" (optical sensor). Then it's able to convert those pictures into data using a better algorithm (process) and send the info to the computer faster than any mouse ever has. In fact the reason it isn't faster is because the USB port can't handle it. It would be interesting to see if they switched to USB 2.0 technology!

Installation

Under Windows XP just plug it in and you instantly have a 3-button scroll mouse. To use the other 5 buttons you must install MouseWare. Full customization of all functions is at your fingertips. Just click the image below to see all 6 screens. You can tweak it out baby!

Testing the MX700

In general use the MX700 felt good in my hand and I didn't have "mouse hand" after hours of use. I love the extra buttons and after only a few days using them has become a habit. I actually like the fact that the mouse is heavier too, it just feels right. I have used it with a standard gray mouse pad and wood desktop (with 2 coats of clear varnish) with no noticeable difference or problems.

Testing the MX700 under various applications revealed some pleasant surprises. Using Photoshop and Picture It, picture editing and drawing was easier and more precise. Sound editing with Cool Edit was the same, slicing files at exact points was easier than ever. Ditto for video editing.

Playing Unreal Tournament 2003 was fast, smooth, and stable. Even a sub-par gamer like myself can feel the difference. I could slide the mouse around the desk with abandon and not have to worry about it keeping up. Some UT2K3forums described a problem with the mouse wheel under UT2K3 but it worked flawlessly for me. One disappointment was I was only able to set up the right, left and middle mouse buttons and the wheel. If anyone knows a way to setup the other 5 buttons please let me know.

*update March 18, 2003*

Thanks goes to "The Moog" who informed me that there is a possible work around for the button/gaming issue from Logitech. He said it did not wok for him but you may have more luck. It is located HERE.

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