Logitech VX Revolution Ergonomic Design Cordless 2.4 GHz Wireless Laser Mouse for Notebooks/Laptops/PCs with Hyper-Fast Scrolling
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech VX Revolution Ergonomic Design Cordless 2.4 GHz Wireless Laser Mouse for Notebooks/Laptops/PCs with Hyper-Fast Scrolling
Customer Review: Like it so much, I own two.
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent mouse from Logitech.
I like this mouse so much I have two, one for the work laptop (Windows XP) and one for home use (Mac OS X).
There are some minor quibbles, which I note below, but the VX Revolution gives a great value for the price (especially when Logitech has a rebate going.)
Size.
The first thing to note about this mouse is its size. It's marketed as a "notebook mouse", and physically a bit smaller than a full-size desktop mouse. It seems quite a bit bigger (relatively) than mini or travel mice aimed at laptop users. I'm a 6ft tall male, and this mouse is just on the cusp of being too small; any smaller and I wouldn't care for it. If there's any doubt, test drive one in the store first.
Buttons.
This mouse has the standard 5 buttons (left, right, wheel-click/middle plus the back and forward buttons on the left side), and a couple extras.
Below the mouse wheel is the "Internet search button". By default (on Windows) this button finds the highlighted text in the active window and does a search on it in a browser. I don't find this useful in practice, and luckily you can remap the function of this (or any other) button. I usually keep it set to "Open Outlook".
On the right side, on top, above the back/forward buttons is the zoom slider. This slide is, for me, the biggest negative. It feels rough and looks cheap, and the sliding action is nowhere smooth enough to feel right in an application. I would have preferred a set of 3 clickable buttons (Volume -/+/Mute) as on the MX 610, but you can't have everything. I keep the slider mapped to increase/decrease volume, and don't use it for zooming.
Mouse Wheel.
The "Hyperscrolling" feature of the mouse wheel is a combination of mouse wheel mechanics and driver software that let you crank the sensitivity way up. The wheel supports a base speed and an acceleration, so if you scroll a little you move a little, but if you scroll faster you move a lot faster. It takes some tweaking the settings to get to a comfortable level.
Even better, there's a switch on the bottom of the mouse to change the wheel between free-scrolling and ratcheted operation. I prefer ratcheted, but the action in either mode is very nice, and never gummy.
Drivers.
On Windows I use the supplied SetPoint drivers, but I also install the 3rd part "UberOptions" package. UberOptions provides additional configuration files that allow you to map any mouse button to any SetPoint-supported function. (For whatever reason, out of the box SetPoint doesn't not allow certain functions to be applied to certain buttons.)
On OS X the supplied drivers are adequate, but I prefer using the 3rd party "USB Overdrive" software. USB Overdrive lets you set the mouse speed and acceleration far above what the Logitech drivers (or basic Apple drivers) allow, and let you remap button functions as well.
Misc.
The USB receiver for this mouse is smaller than a memory stick, and fits in a slot in the base of the mouse when not in use. Inserting the receiver into the mouse turns off the mouse, which was a neat touch. A button on the bottom of the mouse ejects the receiver, and turns the mouse on as well. The reception is the best I've had yet with a wireless mouse, and I never have any dropped clicks (except when the battery is almost low.) The mouse runs on a single AA battery, and lasts weeks at a time, depending on usage.
Customer Review: MOUSE KING
Summary: 5 Stars
The new Logitech mouse, VX Revolution, is by far the best I have owned. What's the big deal? How special can a mouse get? For one thing, this one has so much functionality and refines key features for the modern mouse. First of all, the scroll wheel on this mouse rocks. Rather than operating in staggered scrolling, this scroll wheel allows for more sensitive control - it isn't very resistant to momentum so with a little bit of force, you can scroll through a lot of screen space with one good motion. I think the scroll wheel is the best recent feature of new mice, and this scroll-wheel dominates all others. It somehow "senses" whether you need line-by-line scrolling or fast-scrolling, don't ask me how, and for the most part it works wonderfully. Also, the usual function of pressing the scroll wheel down (where you would get those up and down arrows on the screen, and then moving the mouse up or down scrolls up or down on the document) is rendered redundant by the dynamic nature of this mouse's scroll wheel. So replacing it is a really handy feature where pressing the scroll wheel effectively duplicates the effect of pressing Alt+tab (allowing you to switch through different windows very efficiently). In my work I often need to quickly cut-and-paste between different documents and this makes it very smooth and easy. Also useful are the zoom-in and zoom-out buttons on the mouse, for use with basically any software with zooming features - Adobe Acrobat for example, and IE - which is good because my eyes are horrible and a lot of newer webpages use quite small fonts. You can actually change the buttons features also, so you can make the zoom buttons do cut-and-paste (very handy) or other functions. There are also the Back and Forward buttons on the side of the mouse, which is handy as well. Perhaps best of all, there is an integrated search button on the mouse - if you highlight a word or a phrase, you can hit the search button and perform an immediate search through the search engine to which you've linked this feature. Very handy! Naturally I chose Google, and combined with the IE Google toolbar, you become a deadly searching MONSTROSITY! The mouse is super-comfortable in its ergonomics, and despite all its features, it feels _really_ small and loosely snug in your hand and all the buttons are located intuitively. Its contours are so nice you don't really even _hold_ the mouse - you just kind of rest your hand on it and when you move your hand, the mouse smoothly follows beneath. As to the connection, it's awesome. I previously had an infrared mouse that was vastly inferior to the laser-based interface with this device (it too was Logitech, actually). With a small USB connection, the signal transmits without a hitch. And it's almost stupid how far away from your computer you can sit and still move your cursor with the mouse! This actually comes in handy if you have your computer hooked up to your TV in any manner. You can sit on the couch, away from your desk, and control, fr'instance, your media center with the mouse on the side table or on a surface on your lap. Additionally, the unit only requires one AA battery rather than two, which is a big plus. Pretty crazy! I give the VX Revolution the highest recommendation possible for a mouse.Customer Review: Great Notebook Mouse
Summary: 5 Stars
It just works! It's a light, stylish, plug and play notebook mouse that I can take with me anywhere. The usb receiver is tiny and stows nicely inside the mouse for travel. I found the accuracy to be excellent. It should be more than adequate for most computer uses. I don't think you could call it a "gaming mouse" since the dpi is fixed and the response time is slower than a wired gaming mouse. However, I mostly play WOW. So, I don't need anything that indulgent anyway.
VX vs MX:
Battery -
Like the VX, the MX also has a nice, compact usb receiver. However, it uses a built in battery, which requires a set charging station. When the battery finally goes out, replacement may be an issue. Plus, that charging station is something else to carry around with you when you travel (ACK, wires!). Not a huge issue if you're not planning any LAN parties, or you just have a desktop that never leaves your room, but it's still lost deskspace. The tradeoff is that the MX has a MUCH longer battery life. Never tried it myself, but I've heard that the MX can literally go for months without a recharge depending on usage. The VX, by contrast, uses regular batteries that you can buy anywhere. I use rechargeable batteries in mine. Although, I honestly don't remember the last time I had to recharge them. I've heard people complain that they're worried it will go out while gaming, but honestly, there's a bright battery indicator light that comes on WELL before that. So, I don't care if you're too "hardcore" to look down while gaming, it's a non issue. In any case, the battery life on the VX is amazing. It really doesn't use very much power. A nice little bonus is an on/off switch built into the mouse. I've noticed other mouses (Microsoft) require you to pull the receiver out of the usb slot and stick it in the mouse to turn the unit off. I've always had problems with this as it will eventually wear out the usb connection. With the VX, I can leave the receiver plugged in and turn it off with the power button on the mouse. If I forget, the mouse will go into sleep mode anyway when it doesn't sense any motion. This isn't exactly a new feature. However, with the VX, you don't have that infuriating delay between shaking the mouse and the cursor responding when it's coming out of sleep mode. It's instant on, no lag. (Note: This can be deceptive, as I've had friends tell me their el cheapo mouse has the same feature for a lot less money. However, in many cases, it turns out there's no delay because their mouse never turns off in the first place. It's just always on, which saves no power whatsoever.)
Size -
The MX is much bigger. If deskspace is an issue for you, don't get the MX. The mouse itself is quite a bit larger than the VX, and you still have to put that charging station somewhere. The tradeoff is that the MX (to me) is much more impressive and stylish than the VX. It just has that WOW factor that screams expensive and completely unnecessary. Plus, those of you with larger hands will appreciate a larger mouse. For me, however, the added size, weight, and charging station makes it far too bulky for everyday use.
Hope that helps!
Customer Review: Nice, but with some caveats
Summary: 3 Stars
This mouse has its good and bad points.
The Good
-Compact size for those with small hands.
-Ergonomic design is quite comfortable
-HID Device Compliant (for those with WinXP)
-USB plug and play, it just works!
-Only uses ONE 'AA' battery! And it even comes WITH a Duracell battery!
-Has a very nice ON/OFF switch (so you can manually switch off the mouse) and a battery indicator lights up green when you turn on the mouse and it'll only come back on with a red light when the battery gets low, otherwise it stays off.
-I absolutely ADORE the smooth frictionless scrolling while web browsing, so easy on the fingers!
-Receiver is storable inside mouse, HANDY!
-Without mouse software
--Zoom buttons don't work
--One click highlighted searching doesn't work
--Unable to customize buttons
--Side to side scrolling doesn't work
--Scroll wheel and 'wheel button' work fine
--The 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons work fine for web browsing!
--Hitting search button opens default search engine webpage, for me it opened the Firefox Search page (which uses Google). The search button doesn't work at all if you disable the 'HID Input Device' service in WinXP.
-With mouse software
--Zoom buttons work
--One click searching when you highlight a word and hit the button
--Side to side scrolling enabled
--All mouse buttons FULLY customizable
The Bad
-The middle mouse button takes a bit of effort to click, so if you use it for gaming then you should test it out in a store to see if you will get used to it. I wouldn't try to middle-click while having the scroll wheel on 'free-spinning' mode, you should set it to 'ratchet' mode first.
-That nice receiver WILL get stuck inside the mouse if you don't put it in *exactly* the right way. You flip the mouse upside down, turn the reciever upside down as well, then insert it with the USB connector going inside the mouse. There are NO instructions that tell you how to do this, so hopefully you read this review before buying.
-Originally I stated that you must have the 'HID-Input Device' service in WinXP enabled to get this mouse to work. After further testing, the mouse does work without it or the software installed, but the dedicated 'Zoom' controls on the mouse as well as the 'Search' button will not function. Enabling the service (but without installing the software) will only enable the 'Search' button but nothing else. For full functionality it is required to install the mouse software.
-For those with larger hands (like mine), this mouse can cause cramps unless you get used to it (or just use a nice mousepad with gel wristguard like I do).
-The Logitech mouse software can be a horrible memory hog and affect gaming performance, be warned and I'd skip the install unless you *really* need side to side scrolling or custom button configuration.
-You do have to flip the mouse over to change the function of the scroll wheel between the 'smooth' and 'ratchet' methods, but you shouldn't have to switch it often.
Customer Review: Revolutionary, But Expensive, Logitech Computer Mouse for Notebooks
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't regard myself as a technological Luddite, since I try to keep abreast of the latest technology when possible, including, for example, photography, even though I have yet to embrace fully digital imaging. The same holds true with respect to using laptops and notebook personal computers, especially when most of the software I'm interested in, is designed to perform best using the latest Windows and Macintosh operating systems. However, I'm not convinced yet that the new Logitech VX Revolution computer mouse is truly worth its kingly ransom as the finest computer mouse available now for users of Windows-based and Macintosh notebooks. Acquiring it is almost analogous to spending more than $4,000 for your own custom-made 35mm Leica rangefinder camera via Leica's a la carte program; a lavishly expensive option when one can buy mint condition versions of the discontinued, but still venerable, Leica M6 rangefinder camera for substantially less than half this price, or purchase a brand new Zeiss Ikon rangefinder camera.
Despite my own misgivings about this new Logitech computer mouse's price, it is without question, one of the easiest I have handled so far. One of its revolutionary features is its hyper-fast scrolling, which allows users to move literally at warp speed through pages of large documents or extensive Internet sites. It also permits precision scrolling that will allow you to navigate carefully through collections of slides and other digital images. There is also a handy search button which allows you to look up easily a word or phrase in a document or an internet search engine such as Google. Last, but not least, you can customize your mouse preferences via Logitech's Setpoint software. All of these tasks are accomplished via the mouse's laser-guided infrared beam, which connects to a user's notebook via a micro-receiver plugged into the computer's USB port.
Installing this mouse to your notebook isn't a difficult task at all. The Logitech VX Revolution computer mouse comes with a Micro-Receiver, AA Battery and Logitech SetPoint Software CD-ROM. After installing the battery into your mouse, the instruction manual recommends that you plug in the Micro-Receiver into the computer's USB port, then install the software loaded on the CD-ROM (Macintosh users must download the Logitech Control Center software from www.logitech.com/vxrevolution/software and follow the online instructions.). I agree with the instruction manual's claim that this installation takes only a few minutes.
I think most dedicated notebook users will find the Logitech VX Revolution computer mouse a useful utility that transcends the relatively primitive mouse or mouse pad that's built into their computers. While I am not strongly convinced that having the latest, greatest computer mouse will enhance your notebook usage, I am of the opinion that this is one neat little gadget that potential customers should consider seriously.