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MX700 Cordless Optical Mouse w/Charger
dkgamez writes ""To make a long story
short, here I am, with my dream - a cordless-optical-rechargeable mouse. You can't imagine how good I feel right now.""
← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)
← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)
I'm sure HP have been selling something very similar for a very long time....
The secret of success is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake those, you've got it made. (Marx)
I hope you feel proud.
A clueless mouse?
... if the link actually worked. *waits 20 seconds*
Yellow bird I see
The gray dragon wisely hides
Honor is duty
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e4d'
/articles.asp, line 107
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Too many client tasks.
Slashdotted with 3 comments posted. Apparently the webserver is wireless and runs on batteries, too
At least Dexxa and HP have similar products.
What was stopping people from recharging the batteries before?
How about a cordless mouse that charges up with movements, like a wristwatch?
Send lawyers, guns, and money!
When you dream about cordless optical rechargable mice, you really need to go down to the pub and meet some girls!
But I quess you mean the GyroMouse by Gyration, or maybe something else. Anyway, there seems to be atleast a dozen devices to fullfill your dreams - lucky you ;))
Why, does it vibrate as well?
At here.
But is it USB?
/.ed]
[I don't know, the link is
Don't "make a long story short" unless you're sure your Web server can handle the traffic of every Slashdot reader trying to make the short story long.
It's Slashdot's evil twin... SlashNOT
My mouse was charged for this illegal deed. So you see, my mouse is optical, and charged *too*
I think maybe it's time to go hunt through preferences and see if I can't turn off stories by Michael... some geek dreams of a cordless mouse and that's front page news? Jesus... that's sad. I mean, if it was a cordless keyboard even, that wouldn't be quite so bad... a fucking mouse? Please.
In anticipation of a next big post (RH 8.0 release) /. folks would appreciate some fun.
Now this is something useful. My Microsoft Cordless ball-less mouse is a vampire. It loves its batteries.
What would be nice is a mouse with two slots with electrodes in the slots. Then you could park the mouse over its charger. You could even make the charger flat and tappered so the mouse could "drive" up the ramp, before parking.
Since this site is slashdotted, I guess the AA rechargeables will have to stay.
Anyone want to make rechargable mouse mods?
Gator/Claria is Spyware.
Introduction
I guess you may call me a "mouse freak", and I suppose that I am one indeed. With lots of high-tech mice, including the Logitech Cordless MouseMan, TrackMan FX and Microsoft's IntelliMouse Optical, floating around my desktop, I still wasn't satisfied - well, until I got the MX700. My "mouse dream" has been finally fulfilled by Logitech.
You will soon see why.
The story goes back to the year 2000, when I had to choose between two top-of-the-line mice - the then just-released Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer with optical technology and the Logitech Cordless MouseMan. It was a hard decision: optical or cordless. I remember wishing there were a mouse that combined both of these desirable characteristics - that were both optical and cordless. Eventually, I decided to go for Logitech's Cordless MouseMan, preferring to have "cordless freedom" at the expense of optical technology. The Cordless MouseMan remained my trusty mouse for about a year.
However, nothing lasts forever, and one day, while shopping at Best Buy, I unexpectedly came upon the Logitech Cordless TrackMan FX. Even though it was a trackball, the fact that it was cordless and had a built-in optical sensor deeply attracted me. I immediately decided to buy it and that may have been the biggest mistake I had ever made. The AA battery needed to be changed every once in a while, and it took me a lot of practice to get used to the trackball. Believe it or not, learning how to use the TrackMan FX is actually harder than learning to drive a car. So, my advice to all of you reading this article is, do not buy any trackballs unless you are a "mouse freak" like me or have some kind of problem with your wrist. I mean, it is a freaking marble! Also consider that I had bad quality rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries and was forced to change them almost everyday. In fact, I didn't even have the battery compartment cover set in place. I then wished that there were a mouse with a built-in charger of some sort, using which I wouldn't have to change the batteries all the time.
To make a long story short, here I am, with my dream - a cordless-optical-rechargeable mouse. You can't imagine how good I feel right now.
The Package
All right, now let's get back to the review. The box that Logitech MX700 comes in is larger than those of most other mice on the market (the size of the box seems to be directly proportional to the price and functionality of the product).
Inside the package are an MX700 mouse, a Rapid Charge Base Station, a USB to PS2 converter, an AC adapter, 2x 1700mAh AA size Ni-MH batteries, a Quick Start Guide, and a driver CD. (After the first day of using the MX700, I found that the quality of the batteries that came with the mouse was rather bad. I strongly recommend that you replace them with a pair of good Ni-MH batteries.)
The AC adapter provides the power needed to charge the mouse on the base station. One interesting detail is that the power jack connects to the USB plug but not the back of the base station. That eliminates one extra cord on my already messy desktop.
The Rapid Charge Base Station looks rather weird. It doubles as the charger and the signal receiver. When you want to recharge your mouse, all you have to do is place it on the base station, just like you would place a PDA in its cradle. It takes less than two hours to fully recharge the 2 AA Ni-MH batteries inside the mouse. You can recharge the batteries whenever you want to, due to the fact that the Ni-MH batteries do not have a "memory effect". The base station is one of the most wonderful things a cordless mouse can come with. Imagine a cordless phone that cannot be recharged on a base station. What a hassle it would be to take out the batteries and put them into a battery charger! The release of the MX700, I believe, marks the beginning of a new trend in cordless mouse technology that will prevail in the future. There's no way for me to go back to using my non-rechargeable cordless mice anymore.
The Technology
The Fast RF Cordless technology used in the MX700 has been improved by Logitech to match the speed of a USB connection, allowing you to use the mouse within a six foot radius of the receiver. Unlike the older cordless mice which could only transmit signals at a rate of 40hz, equivalent to the speed of a PS2 port, the new Fast RF technology can transmit signals at 140hz, which is actually faster than what the USB port can handle (125hz). You won't miss out on a bit of the optical performance or accuracy because you will not be limited by the speed of the radio signal. Logitech uses a 27Mhz frequency to transmit the signal as opposed to the 900Mhz used in some other cordless devices. This helps avoid signal interference between the mouse and some cordless telephones used by many people.
By now, you should already know about the advantages optical technology has over the traditional mechanical technology. Optical mice do not trap dust, are more precise than the traditional ones, and work well on almost any surface except glass. It is true, however, that there are several downsides to the optical technology used in the first generation of optical mice like the Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer version 1.0. When you move your mouse very quickly the mouse pointer might skip or jump around the screen because the 2500 pictures per second taken by the optical sensor are not enough for the mouse to process moves that exceed a maximum speed of 14 inches per second. In other words, the optical sensor cannot keep up with the speed at which you are moving the mouse, which results in a "loss" of the pointer on the screen. Even though Microsoft has upgraded the optical sensors in its optical mice product line to take 6000 pictures per second, which translates into a maximum speed of 30 to 37 inches per second at 400 dpi, they still are not as good as the MX sensor used by Logitech's MX series mice. The Logitech MX Optical Engine takes an astounding 8000 pictures per second at 800 dpi and is capable of handling mouse movements made at a speed of 40 inches per second. The sensor captures images at the rate of 4.7 megapixels per second, providing users with the greatest degree of accuracy and the smoothest mouse movement ever. You won't have to worry about the "pointer skipping" even in fast paced games like Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament 2003.
The Mouse
Like other Logitech mice, the MX700 feels solid and "in-one-piece". I personally own a Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical, and its quality is not nearly as good as that of the Logitech mice. When squeezed, the IntelliMouse Optical makes a crackling noise, and when shaken, it seems that the plastic parts are not firmly held together. The MX700 is not too large, just about the right size for most people's hands. When you place your hand on the MX700, it feels like something that has been integrated into the palm of your hand. The scroll wheel does not feel loose like the ones on the Microsoft mice, and it doesn't make a loud scrolling noise either. I got accustomed to the shape of MX700 in a very short amount of time.
There are eight customizable buttons and one scroll wheel which doubles as a clickable button on the MX700. That should certainly make all the "button lovers" happy. The left and right click buttons are installed in a very interesting fashion, which adds a "hype" factor to the mouse. They are actually part of the silver body of the mouse. The buttons do not feel like those on the Apple Pro Mouse, which requires you to press on the whole mouse body to make a click, and they feel like regular mouse buttons. There are three little round buttons between the left and right click buttons. Two of them, located at the two ends of the scroll wheel, comprise the "Cruise Control Scrolling System", which allows you to scroll up and down through a long webpage or document at a constant speed. Logitech designed the cruise control buttons for high speed scrolling and the scroll wheel for line-by-line scrolling. Therefore, they made the default scroll speed for the wheel to be 1 line, which I'm still not very used to. Fortunately, you can customize all the buttons using MouseWare. Fixing the the scrolling problem is easy: just set the scrolling speed to "screen". I believe this is a MouseWare problem, and that it will be resolved in future versions of MouseWare. The third button in the "scroll island" is called the "Quick Switch Program Selector". It helps you switch between different application windows with a touch of a button. However, I found the app switch button to be placed too low, in an area that is darn hard to reach for my index finger. I would rather stick with the "Alt-Tab" app switch method. Just below the app switch button, there is a little LED indicator that shows you the current status of the battery. The LED becomes green and flashes while the mouse is being recharged on the base station. When the battery is fully charged the light stops blinking and turns off after five minutes. The LED turns red and blinks when the battery is low and should be recharged, and, of course, you can recharge it whenever you want. The LED battery indicator is really useful considering that the battery status application that comes with the MouseWare driver doesn't always show the correct information. There are two browse buttons on top of the thumb rest that can help you move backward and forward if you are in a web browser or file explorer. I found these buttons to be well placed and pretty useful for surfing the web.
The latest version of MouseWare (v9.73) available at the Logitech website does not work with the MX700, and I was forced to use version 9.70 included on the driver CD instead.
Although I miss the cool glowing Logitech logo found on the older Optical MouseMan, the new silver brushed metal logo isn't that bad at all. I suppose the people at Logitech took the illuminated logo out to conserve battery life.
Turn the mouse over and you will see the optical LED. Unfortunately, it is still the boring red, but that is fine with me because I couldn't find any optical mice on the market that didn't not have a red LED. I wonder, wouldn't a blue LED look so much cooler? Okay, here we go again. I think I just found another good "dream thought" - blue LED! I guess the designers might have had technical difficulties with using wavelengths of different colors, but I've no doubt that these problems will eventually be resolved as further advances are made in the field of optical technology. Another concern is that the optical LED does not turn off when your computer is shut down. You have to place the mouse on the base station in order to make the light go away. We might have an answer to this problem when we get more information from Logitech.
I have tried using the mouse while playing several fast-paced action games, including Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament 2003 demo, Battlefield 1942, and No One Lives Forever 2 demo. Amazingly, it worked great in all of them. I was unable to detect any skipping even when moving the mouse really quickly in some of the games. The MX700 is quite heavy because there are 2 AA batteries inside of it. This makes it hard to lift it up, and sometimes slows down mouse movement in some of the newer first person shooters. Hardcore gamers might want to choose the corded MX500 or MX300 instead.
Conclusion
Logitech's MX700 is a cordless-optical-rechargeable mouse with all the buttons you've ever wanted. Its ergonomic and comfortable design makes it an enjoyable tool to use. Super fast RF cordless technology and the MX optical engine make this mouse perfect for desktop applications as well as games.
Pros:
# Rapid charge base station
# Ergonomic design
# MX Optical Engine
# Fast RF Cordless technology
# Battery status indicator light
# Lots of buttons
Cons:
# MouseWare needs improvement
# Heavy
# Awkward application switch button placement
# Bad quality stock batteries
- Larry
Update: the scrolling lag is caused by the MouseWare. Until a newer version of MouseWare comes out, you can temporarily use the mouse without the MouseWare or with Microsoft IntelliPoint, which works perfectly with the MX700; the only drawback is that you will not be able to use the app switch button.
...all they need to do is make a dual optical cordless mouse for us gamers. THEN i'll be really happy.
although...the article mentions that the high-resolution of the sensor on the MX700 results in very little cursor skipping, even in video games. do I even need a dual optical?
I belong to the ______ generation.
From the article:
"the fact that it was cordless and had a built-in optical sensor deeply attracted me. I immediately decided to buy it and that may have been the biggest mistake I had ever made. "
I can relate. Yes, I too understand being deeply attracted, and later realizing it was a huge mistake. My biggest ever mistakes, didn't usually involve mice, but maybe I get out more..
it took me a lot of practice to get used to the trackball. Believe it or not, learning how to use the TrackMan FX is actually harder than learning to drive a car.
You actually have to leave the house to drive a car..
It does sound cool though, and one nice detail which would have been nice to include in the article would have been the price.
-- -- Warning. Do not stare directly at the sun.
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Too many client tasks.
Sounds like the webserver needs recharging...
Invoicing, Time Tracking, Reporting
I mean, these are not new - we have had one sat on our receptionists desk for ages - months at least. I fail to see anything here that is
a) news.
b) stuff that matters.
Bizzare.
<fnord>OBEY</fnord>
Well I can understand being happy having a cordless optical mouse. I just got mine back after waiting for three weeks. Logitech almost refused to cover the warranty after 9 months because I use Linux. He claimed that he could not help me unless I installed Windows. Of course it was just plain dead and did not care what O/S it was running under.
If I had not insisted that I knew what I was talking about, the tech was just going to hang up.
What I don't understand is why the world should care about our new mice?
Has slashdot been taken over by aliens? : )
The link has also been slashdotted which makes the above story even more cryptic. BTW, why does it say;
... instead of something sensible??? WTF is error '80040e4d' - MicroSoft's special error code for a good reaming from theAlison
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." - Albert Einstein
...Here's the article in its entirety...
Introduction
I guess you may call me a "mouse freak", and I suppose that I am one indeed. With lots of high-tech mice, including the Logitech Cordless MouseMan, TrackMan FX and Microsoft's IntelliMouse Optical, floating around my desktop, I still wasn't satisfied - well, until I got the MX700. My "mouse dream" has been finally fulfilled by Logitech.
You will soon see why.
The story goes back to the year 2000, when I had to choose between two top-of-the-line mice - the then just-released Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer with optical technology and the Logitech Cordless MouseMan. It was a hard decision: optical or cordless. I remember wishing there were a mouse that combined both of these desirable characteristics - that were both optical and cordless. Eventually, I decided to go for Logitech's Cordless MouseMan, preferring to have "cordless freedom" at the expense of optical technology. The Cordless MouseMan remained my trusty mouse for about a year.
However, nothing lasts forever, and one day, while shopping at Best Buy, I unexpectedly came upon the Logitech Cordless TrackMan FX. Even though it was a trackball, the fact that it was cordless and had a built-in optical sensor deeply attracted me. I immediately decided to buy it and that may have been the biggest mistake I had ever made. The AA battery needed to be changed every once in a while, and it took me a lot of practice to get used to the trackball. Believe it or not, learning how to use the TrackMan FX is actually harder than learning to drive a car. So, my advice to all of you reading this article is, do not buy any trackballs unless you are a "mouse freak" like me or have some kind of problem with your wrist. I mean, it is a freaking marble! Also consider that I had bad quality rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries and was forced to change them almost everyday. In fact, I didn't even have the battery compartment cover set in place. I then wished that there were a mouse with a built-in charger of some sort, using which I wouldn't have to change the batteries all the time.
To make a long story short, here I am, with my dream - a cordless-optical-rechargeable mouse. You can't imagine how good I feel right now.
The Package
All right, now let's get back to the review. The box that Logitech MX700 comes in is larger than those of most other mice on the market (the size of the box seems to be directly proportional to the price and functionality of the product).
Inside the package are an MX700 mouse, a Rapid Charge Base Station, a USB to PS2 converter, an AC adapter, 2x 1700mAh AA size Ni-MH batteries, a Quick Start Guide, and a driver CD. (After the first day of using the MX700, I found that the quality of the batteries that came with the mouse was rather bad. I strongly recommend that you replace them with a pair of good Ni-MH batteries.)
The AC adapter provides the power needed to charge the mouse on the base station. One interesting detail is that the power jack connects to the USB plug but not the back of the base station. That eliminates one extra cord on my already messy desktop.
The Rapid Charge Base Station looks rather weird. It doubles as the charger and the signal receiver. When you want to recharge your mouse, all you have to do is place it on the base station, just like you would place a PDA in its cradle. It takes less than two hours to fully recharge the 2 AA Ni-MH batteries inside the mouse. You can recharge the batteries whenever you want to, due to the fact that the Ni-MH batteries do not have a "memory effect". The base station is one of the most wonderful things a cordless mouse can come with. Imagine a cordless phone that cannot be recharged on a base station. What a hassle it would be to take out the batteries and put them into a battery charger! The release of the MX700, I believe, marks the beginning of a new trend in cordless mouse technology that will prevail in the future. There's no way for me to go back to using my non-rechargeable cordless mice anymore.
The Technology
The Fast RF Cordless technology used in the MX700 has been improved by Logitech to match the speed of a USB connection, allowing you to use the mouse within a six foot radius of the receiver. Unlike the older cordless mice which could only transmit signals at a rate of 40hz, equivalent to the speed of a PS2 port, the new Fast RF technology can transmit signals at 140hz, which is actually faster than what the USB port can handle (125hz). You won't miss out on a bit of the optical performance or accuracy because you will not be limited by the speed of the radio signal. Logitech uses a 27Mhz frequency to transmit the signal as opposed to the 900Mhz used in some other cordless devices. This helps avoid signal interference between the mouse and some cordless telephones used by many people.
By now, you should already know about the advantages optical technology has over the traditional mechanical technology. Optical mice do not trap dust, are more precise than the traditional ones, and work well on almost any surface except glass. It is true, however, that there are several downsides to the optical technology used in the first generation of optical mice like the Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer version 1.0. When you move your mouse very quickly the mouse pointer might skip or jump around the screen because the 2500 pictures per second taken by the optical sensor are not enough for the mouse to process moves that exceed a maximum speed of 14 inches per second. In other words, the optical sensor cannot keep up with the speed at which you are moving the mouse, which results in a "loss" of the pointer on the screen. Even though Microsoft has upgraded the optical sensors in its optical mice product line to take 6000 pictures per second, which translates into a maximum speed of 30 to 37 inches per second at 400 dpi, they still are not as good as the MX sensor used by Logitech's MX series mice. The Logitech MX Optical Engine takes an astounding 8000 pictures per second at 800 dpi and is capable of handling mouse movements made at a speed of 40 inches per second. The sensor captures images at the rate of 4.7 megapixels per second, providing users with the greatest degree of accuracy and the smoothest mouse movement ever. You won't have to worry about the "pointer skipping" even in fast paced games like Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament 2003.
The Mouse
Like other Logitech mice, the MX700 feels solid and "in-one-piece". I personally own a Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical, and its quality is not nearly as good as that of the Logitech mice. When squeezed, the IntelliMouse Optical makes a crackling noise, and when shaken, it seems that the plastic parts are not firmly held together. The MX700 is not too large, just about the right size for most people's hands. When you place your hand on the MX700, it feels like something that has been integrated into the palm of your hand. The scroll wheel does not feel loose like the ones on the Microsoft mice, and it doesn't make a loud scrolling noise either. I got accustomed to the shape of MX700 in a very short amount of time.
There are eight customizable buttons and one scroll wheel which doubles as a clickable button on the MX700. That should certainly make all the "button lovers" happy. The left and right click buttons are installed in a very interesting fashion, which adds a "hype" factor to the mouse. They are actually part of the silver body of the mouse. The buttons do not feel like those on the Apple Pro Mouse, which requires you to press on the whole mouse body to make a click, and they feel like regular mouse buttons. There are three little round buttons between the left and right click buttons. Two of them, located at the two ends of the scroll wheel, comprise the "Cruise Control Scrolling System", which allows you to scroll up and down through a long webpage or document at a constant speed. Logitech designed the cruise control buttons for high speed scrolling and the scroll wheel for line-by-line scrolling. Therefore, they made the default scroll speed for the wheel to be 1 line, which I'm still not very used to. Fortunately, you can customize all the buttons using MouseWare. Fixing the the scrolling problem is easy: just set the scrolling speed to "screen". I believe this is a MouseWare problem, and that it will be resolved in future versions of MouseWare. The third button in the "scroll island" is called the "Quick Switch Program Selector". It helps you switch between different application windows with a touch of a button. However, I found the app switch button to be placed too low, in an area that is darn hard to reach for my index finger. I would rather stick with the "Alt-Tab" app switch method. Just below the app switch button, there is a little LED indicator that shows you the current status of the battery. The LED becomes green and flashes while the mouse is being recharged on the base station. When the battery is fully charged the light stops blinking and turns off after five minutes. The LED turns red and blinks when the battery is low and should be recharged, and, of course, you can recharge it whenever you want. The LED battery indicator is really useful considering that the battery status application that comes with the MouseWare driver doesn't always show the correct information. There are two browse buttons on top of the thumb rest that can help you move backward and forward if you are in a web browser or file explorer. I found these buttons to be well placed and pretty useful for surfing the web.
The latest version of MouseWare (v9.73) available at the Logitech website does not work with the MX700, and I was forced to use version 9.70 included on the driver CD instead.
Although I miss the cool glowing Logitech logo found on the older Optical MouseMan, the new silver brushed metal logo isn't that bad at all. I suppose the people at Logitech took the illuminated logo out to conserve battery life.
Turn the mouse over and you will see the optical LED. Unfortunately, it is still the boring red, but that is fine with me because I couldn't find any optical mice on the market that didn't not have a red LED. I wonder, wouldn't a blue LED look so much cooler? Okay, here we go again. I think I just found another good "dream thought" - blue LED! I guess the designers might have had technical difficulties with using wavelengths of different colors, but I've no doubt that these problems will eventually be resolved as further advances are made in the field of optical technology. Another concern is that the optical LED does not turn off when your computer is shut down. You have to place the mouse on the base station in order to make the light go away. We might have an answer to this problem when we get more information from Logitech.
I have tried using the mouse while playing several fast-paced action games, including Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament 2003 demo, Battlefield 1942, and No One Lives Forever 2 demo. Amazingly, it worked great in all of them. I was unable to detect any skipping even when moving the mouse really quickly in some of the games. The MX700 is quite heavy because there are 2 AA batteries inside of it. This makes it hard to lift it up, and sometimes slows down mouse movement in some of the newer first person shooters. Hardcore gamers might want to choose the corded MX500 or MX300 instead.
Conclusion
Logitech's MX700 is a cordless-optical-rechargeable mouse with all the buttons you've ever wanted. Its ergonomic and comfortable design makes it an enjoyable tool to use. Super fast RF cordless technology and the MX optical engine make this mouse perfect for desktop applications as well as games.
Pros:
Rapid charge base station
Ergonomic design
MX Optical Engine
Fast RF Cordless technology
Battery status indicator light
Lots of buttons
Cons:
MouseWare needs improvement
Heavy
Awkward application switch button placement
Bad quality stock batteries
- Larry
Update: the scrolling lag is caused by the MouseWare. Until a newer version of MouseWare comes out, you can temporarily use the mouse without the MouseWare or with Microsoft IntelliPoint, which works perfectly with the MX700; the only drawback is that you will not be able to use the app switch button.
I have a slick panasonic razor that gets charged right through the plastic by induction. (this link isnt the one I have, but I believe this charges the same)
Panasonic CatalogBR Then you could use your mouse anywhere, and just by using it on the mousepad or by leaving it on your desk when you leave, it would recharge. Why isnt this type of recharging technology used in more applications??
No I didnt spell check this post...
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Best idea ever in lamest article ever!
graspee
I guess the interesting part of the article must have been cut out by the web server or something.
The little text I can see talks about a optical-wireless-rechargeable mouse I can purchase in a local store near my house for at least half an year.
Or is this little country called Portugal more advanced than the US when it comes to mice?
By the way here goes the only link I've found about this mouse.
And you could use the energy that comes with the turn of the Mousewheel. I bet most of my burned fat goes in the use of this...
When Optical mice came out me and my friends referd to them as female mice. ...no ball(s)
...tail was cut off..
With cordless mice we called them Neutered Mice.
Now we have neutered female mice ya gotta recharge thier batteries before ya can play with them. We do not have anything to call them.
Anyone have a susgestion?
-THIS SPACE FOR RENT!
When it comes to a mouse, I want something that I can get attached to and keep for a very long time. Unfortunately, mouse manufacturers are a lot like cordless phone manufacturers: models are constantly discontinued and new ones come out. I have two Logitech TrackMan Marble FX trackballs, one at home and one at work, that I love.
Unfortunately, Logitech stopped making them a while ago and, while they do have trackballs still, I don't like any of them as much as my current one. I'd be afraid that one day my rechargable battery would stop holding a good charge and, due to engineering idiocy on the part of the manufacturer, they would not allow you to replace the battery (in the hopes of getting you to buy another one).
A lot of products use non-replacable rechargable batteries. If this mouse uses them, I'd probably not buy one. Of course, since I can't read the article, I don't know if the article even addresses this point. If Logitech does allow replacement, then good for them (and us!).
Get it?.... Such devices are common, I have owned one for a year. A processor is understandable... but I guess free advert for mice is a bit off the head.
Reminds me of slashdot omellete... I certainly dont like mice in my omeletteMy Aurora : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o91ZsGwJYyg
FB : https://www.facebook.com/TanveersPhotography
If you want to go one better, try this, a gyro mouse (Gyration UltraPro). You control the mouse in the air. Not only do you get rid of the cable, you get rid of the desk as well! I've used the non-optical version, and it's very intuitive - it automatically switches back to desk-mode when you put it down again. It's ideal for armchair or presentation use. It's just the price tag that may let it down a bit.
insignificant sig
I welded a chain to my cordless mouse, so I can find it back between the mess on my desk. I was wondering whether Logitech or Microsoft would want to pay me royalties for this invention.
I must add my name to those asking "Who the hell cares?"
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...that sells for about $30-$35 on CompUSA. I got one and it is a piece of crap (DOA, Mickey Mouse buttons, terrible cradle design...). The wife later bought herself a MS wireless optical blue which was a lot better (read: did not die after 2 days) than the Maxell. Later she got a MS Office keyboard bundle at Costco (it was so cheap that the mouse was literally free) that came with a MS Wireless optical Explorer, which is what I use now. Great mouse and it does not eat up batteries.
Pedro
----
The Insomniac Coder
We've all read stories with cliches. Long, repeated phrases that you've heard a thousand times, and communicate nothing? Needlessly wordy paragraphs, commas, poorly chosen adverbs, excessive verbiage? I guess you could say that this article is crappily written. I suppose you could say that this gentleman needs an editor. Eventually, I will get to the point and say that this guy needs to get acquainted with the "cut" function of his word processor. Believe it or not, entire classes currently exist on how not to write like this!
gag
// I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
The Logitech MX700 just raised the bar of expectation on precision and control. With its powerful MX optical engine, the MX700 instantly responds to even your fastest movements. The rechargeable Fast RF cordless technology gives the responsiveness of a corded connection, but without the cord. Our two Cruise Control buttons provide continuous scrolling through long documents or websites. And the rapid charge base station acts as a receiver and a charger in one. You made the demand so we built the device.
Your dream is
/articles.asp, line 137 ??
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e4d'
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Too many client tasks.
Jeeez. Get a life!!!
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Wow,
Amazing. Here in London The only stuff Lidl sells is cheap and nasty food. Real budget meals.
The only mice i've seen there are running across the floor.
Or mugging the cockroaches.
It;s the same Lidl tho'
OK, so you can mod me down for being off-topic...
You can't imagine how good I feel now.
I know what you mean:
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e4d'
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Too many client tasks.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
From the article:
Okay, here we go again. I think I just found another good "dream thought" - blue LED!
This is either quite brilliantly subtle satire, or the most pathetic article I have ever seen linked from
... ah, well
yes, we have no bananas
I like the optical mice. I like the idea of cordless devices, especially rechargeable ones. However, I'm the first to admit that my Palm m505 is dead a couple times a month because I forget to charge it. I'm willing to live with that because its default location is my wallet, not my desk.
Frankly, I'm going to get sick of that occurring with a computer mouse, whose immediate and successful operation is considered [bold]absolutely necessary[/bold] when compared to my PDA. The blame for a dead battery is immaterial.
The trade-off for a cordless device that never strays more than 6" from its primary location is one I rank as extremely unappealing.
Some people are _so_ easily pleased
I won't be happy until I have a cordless optical mouse that drives itself back to the charger when it's not in use, that reads SmartMedia/CF/Microdrive/SD/MMC/MemoryStick, identifies me by my palmprints, tazers anyone else, works with linux, picks up radio, plays mp3, etc etc
Now if only Logitech would release the Cordless Dual Optical iFeel Mouse...
Yaaaawwwnn..... Seen that before. Never seen a left-handed one though! (And non-handed doesn't count - they're even worse than right-handed ones...) Anyone know where I can get a left-handed cordless optical mouse?
On a side-note, best mouse I ever had was a Logic3 pen mouse. That thing rocked. I could sit with my feet on the desk, arms folded, doing CAD by scribbling on my shoulder. Funny thing is, I used that in my right hand.
I'll just stick with this one as it's the best there is IMO.
I use trackballs. My all-time favourite is the Logitech Marble+ optical thumb-trackball - much more precise movement than I can achieve with a mouse (very light ball, very little inertia compared to a mouse), no mouse lift/replace hassles when moving large distances, etc. Gives me an edge in games over mouse users too - while they move with perceptible jerks every once in a while due to lift/replace, I smoothly glide around them.
Recently, I tried to purchase a spare one, just in case. I have NO INTEREST AT ALL in a wireless model! I don't want to have to change batteries or recharge it, and it's a TRACKBALL, you don't move it bodily across a surface, so the wire is irrelevant, not restricting movement, unless you want to site far away from the computer - which I don't want to do.
But it's now next to impossible to get anything other than the wireless Logitech Marble variant. Arrgh!
I saw the MX700 and liked the design, but really wanted a corded mouse (I still don't trust cordless devices for games, and I don't want my mouse movements broadcast over an insecure network).
So I got the MX500 version: same design, but corded. I think Logitech goes though good and bad design cycles: this seems to be a good one. The mouse is solid and feels good. The buttons are a little goofy, but I can live with it.
When I got home and shown the wife, she declared that I'm a mouse whore: I didn't need a new mouse (our machines all have Logitech Mouseman Opticals back from their last design type, and all mice are still working flawlessly).
The only thing I miss is that our other mice all have the cool blue light shining out the Logitech logo. The new mice don't have that.
...please stop posting crap.
I don't know what the big deal is because I CAN'T READ THE ARTICLE!!! However, my current Optical 5 button wheel USB/PS2 mouse is fully rechargeable and has a docking station and retailed at $25 at CompUSA....
...what's even worse is that /. editors think this somehow merits our interest.
I have a Logitech cordless desktop optical.
Last year I lived in a dorm, and often when I was out (and my computer was on...), I found lots of text in my windows, and the mouse pointer moving around whenever I got back.
So the receiver apparently switched frequencies and picked up someone elses signals.
This would imply that maybe one or more of my neighbours picked up whenever i wrote, say:
So, does anybody know is Logitech has done anything about this? It can't be that hard to implement some simple encryption or something...
I have been using a wireless, optical mouse by A4 tech that doesn't use a charging station - there is a usb cord that can plug directly into the mouse - overall it works well. The batteries that came with the mouse suck - nimh batteries that barely hold a charge - but the mouse only cost about $25 (check Pricewatch.com after shipping it comes out to about $32. (all prices listed in US currency). There aren't any extra buttons on the A4 mouse but I do like having the cordless and optical technologies combined into the one mouse and don't really miss any extra buttons. This mouse has the left, right, and center wheel which is sufficient for my usage.
unless you uninstall the included mouseware software. So you have to use the generic Windows drivers, which is fine except you lose the functionality of the "quick program switcher" button - all other buttons still work.
This is my experience at least under Win XP pro and trying it in UT2003 and DeusEx.
I have to agree with the article author. For ages, I've been wanting a new mouse with *lots* of buttons to bind to interesting window manager functions (for example, I have my current fourth button bound to drag windows, which is a bit timesaver...I can also use it to bring windows to the front without "passing through" the click to the application...but I don't have to disable passthrough clicks, so I can still work when I'm copying and pasting from one window to another). The problem is that Logitech firmly refused to put out any new mice...just these little awful rounded four button mice. I loved their original "wedge" shapes, and I refused to buy an MS mouse (plus, the MS mouse button layout is really annoying...if you've used one, you know what I mean).
Then they come out with this thing. If I want a wireless optical many button mouse, I can get one. If I *don't* want the wireless bit (I, like some other people, am not a huge fan of wireless devices.), I can drop one model down and get the same mouse sans wireless bit.
These mice are *rechargeable* with a cradle, and no batteries, so if you're a fan of wireless mice, you can't get much better.
May we never see th
"Update: the scrolling lag is caused by the MouseWare. Until a newer version of MouseWare comes out, you can temporarily use the mouse without the MouseWare or with Microsoft IntelliPoint, which works perfectly with the MX700; the only drawback is that you will not be able to use the app switch button. "
Don't count on it. This scrollwheel bug has been in mousewhare forever, I've even sent them a detailed bug report, all I got was a standard letter back telling me to "use the newest MouseWare software version". They are never going to fix this bug.
I guess they are using a weird floating point algorithm to keep track of the scrollwheel, this ofcourse leads to rounding errors and this makes the scrollwheel not respond with some clicks, and skip 2 clicks at once with the next.
Which is very irritating if you use your scrollwheel during games. Want to switch to another weapon? Scroll, nothing, scroll, switches 2 weapon spots at the same time, die, D'oh.
The best way to fix the Logitech Scrollwheel bug is to install the MouseWare software, configure it the way you want, then stop the MouseWare process running in the background.
(Ctrl + Alt + Del then stop the EM_EXEC process).
With every reboot and reconfiguration of your mouse, EM_EXEC will be running again. To stop EM_EXEC at every reboot, delete the automatic startup entry in Windows Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\...\...\Run\
Done, have fun playing, laugh at the idiots of Logitech's software departement.
- -- Truth addict for life.
To those who say this isn't news: it is. It may not be the first cordless optical mouse that comes with a recharging station, but it is the first from Logitech.
To those who say this is a useless product: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Don't knock it until you try one of these mice. I don't think there are many people who would doubt the advantage of optical over mechanical mice. The wireless feature, however, is one of those "once you've had cordless, you won't go back" things. The recharging station is a nice feature, because without it, you're guaranteed to get annoyed for a couple of minutes at least once ever month or so when your mouse batteries run down. It also opens the possibility that Logitech has fixed a problem with their earlier versions of this mouse.
This article touches briefly on the sampling rate of this mouse, which was nice. When you go down and compare these optical, cordless mice at the store, you find that none of them have any hard specs about their sampling rates. I have one of the earlier Logitech cordless optical mice, and really liked it. However, it couldn't come close to the accuracy of a corded optical mouse. The optical sampling rate was low enough that the difference in accuracy was very noticable. This reduced sampling is done to improve the battery life. A low sampling rate is an issue that can make you hate your mouse.
With the inclusion of a recharging station, it is possible that Logitech modified the mouse to sample at a higher rate and use more energy, because battery life isn't as much of an issue any longer. The batteries are capable of driving the mouse over several days, even at high consumption rates, so as long as the user puts the mouse in the cradle overnight occasionally, the mouse can be less efficient and perform better. It is one of those myriad little user-friendliness things that can make or break a product's popularity.
Personally, I'm happy to see this mouse. Microsoft makes good ergonomic keyboards and crappy operating systems, but Logitech, IMHO, makes the best mice.
Seriously, why can't I easily find a wireless bluetooth mouse? Why should I have a stupid little dongle hanging off my laptop when it has bluetooth built right in? Isn't this exactly the kind of thing it was designed for? I should just be able to put my laptop down on a table and start using the mouse that's sitting there.
___
Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum.
..about 3 weeks ago.
Optical, wireless, came with a recharging stand, had a "Medion" name printed on it but looks just like the logitec.
The article says the logitech comes with NiCd batteries, well, mine came with 2 AAA 700mAh NiMH batteries.
I love it!
I don't use the recharging stand though because it says in the instructions to leave it in there for 8 hours. Instead I put it in my microprocessor controlled NiMH charger which I actually bought for my digital camera.
Aldi is also a food store.
I was perusing your entry when my mind perceived the magic phrase "MS Wireless Optical Blue". "Sweet Sparc above!" I intoned. "Someone's made a mouse with a blue diode!" So off I sprint to Microsoft's website to get all the juicy details, and I find that it is a blue coloured mouse... ... with a red diode.
I feel so let down.
*breaks down and sobs*
The really impressive part about this mouse is that it communicates at more than 125 Hz, which is what USB tops out at. This means it can, theoretically, be used in fast FPS games. In gaming a wire can often impede accuracy, not to mention getting snagged on desk junk and the most inopportune moments.
Looks like they have already sold out of them....
:)
"We're sorry, this product is currently out of stock at the online Logitech store. Please try our store locator to find another retailer, or check back again for availability."
A great little bit of advertising.....
I've had my logitech cordless freedom optical keyboard/mouse combo for nearly a year now, with only 4 battery changes. I don't know where that review has been...
X| |0
:D
------
0|X|X
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|0|X
I win.
-ZenZagg
The Graphire Wacom2 graphics tablet includes a mouse with a scroll wheel that is cordless, maintenance free (no ball to clean, no batteries to charge or replace) and feels and works great.
The only potential drawback is that it only works when used on the included graphics tablet, but on my crowded desk that's no problem. I replaced my MS optical mouse a year or so ago and never looked back. The tablet is very thin and light and could rest on your knee, and it takes up hardly any room in a laptop bag.
At $100 or less, it's comparable in cost because there are no batteries to replace. And you don't need to remember to charge the dang thing every night. And they throw in a graphics tablet for free.
Hey! Here I am, sitting comfortably with my old non-wireless (wired?) Trackman Marble FX, and I don't even have a drivers license. Does that mean that I could just walk in to any traffic school and go: "Hey. Just give me my drivers licence! I have a Marble FX, and I'm good with it, so I don't need to take any of your stinkin' tests!" ?
Slagborr
Do we really want large magnetic fields on our desks? I think you'd have to keep the mouse base far from your monitor, or charge only with the monitor off. Yikes!
well, wouldnt it be more practical (and more on the "cordless spirit") to put the mouse on its cradle while the computer power's off?
Same as your palm... you recharge it while you sleep (you do sleep, don't you?)
No sig for the moment.
If someone wants to patent it, any of the competing mouse manufacturers can point to this discussion as "prior art"
No sig for the moment.
Due to the "Slashdot" effect, we are closed for the moment. makes me laugh
Maaan! If thats true, you really got to buy a stationary bike or maybe (gasp!) occasionaly take a walk _outside_ in the open air.
Remember the ancient Greek philosophers(*):
Healthy mind in a healthy body
(*) They were also sexist fag pricks, but thats another story...
No sig for the moment.
ROTFL!!!
I talk on my sleep, and my wife sometimes wakes me up laughing at my sleeping rants about life, the universe, computers, and everything...
No sig for the moment.
Wacom Tablet
Does this mouse work on Linux and if so where can I find the driver to program all the buttons?
As to the "cordless spirit", I thought it was intended to help increase productivity by reducing the number of wires on my desk. If I have to literally stop using my mouse for an hour (or more) while it charges, this is decidedly less convenient than pulling out a cable and being traditionally 'corded' for a while. Since the cable shares the voltage of my cell phone, it can double as a cell phone charger when I'm not using it for the mouse. When not in use, it can be coiled up in a corner, say beside my speaker or under my monitor, until the next time it's required.
BD Phone Home!
Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.
I'll stick to cords for now, thank you.
Murphy was an optimist.
WTF! I don't understand why M$ and Logitech come out with great mice but don't think there's a market for lefties! I was gonna buy the Nostromo pad, but it's for right-handed ppl. I was gonna buy the M$ Optical 3.0, one again it's for right handed ppl. I wrote a couple emails to both Logitech and M$ about this issue and have yet to hear back. I guess I'm stuck with my lame M$ Optical now.
I am BLaRG!
Now all they need is iFeel. This would go on record as the most feature-bloated mouse ever. I'd probably buy one.
Ewige Blumenkraft.
Here in the office we had two people using their Cordless Freedom(TM) iTouch(TM). And it was really fun watching both get mad while loosing contact with their mousecursor ten times a day ;-)
cu,
Lispy
Ive just installed a mouse odometer and launched word, excel, outlook and powerpoint. ;-)
This alone took me 1,45meter.
I bet if i would fire up my favourite OS i could sit in front of a console and find my mouse empty at the end of the day...
cu,
Lispy
Memorex has been selling this for quite some time
. ph p?cid=60&pid=110&oid=115
p roduct_code=287039
http://www.memorex.com/products/product_display
Wireless, optical and with a rechargable base. $25 at CompUsa http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?
I used to work for Logitech Tech Support in the good ol' days and they bought Dexxa sometime in 1992(?). The internals were generally the same (same design, same firmware) and the designs came from Logitech, but the actual manufacturing, materials and packaging were all low cost.
They were branded differently, but Logitech support in Fremont had to handle Dexxa calls. An example of the kinds of problems we encountered is Dexxa used a cheap plastic for the mouse body that allowed light to shine in. This flooded the optical sensors inside the mouse and would cause it to stop working in bright light. The fix? Add a new manufacturing step that spraypainted the inside of the body.
Anyhoo- looks like Logitech still owns them. I can't find financial reports stating such, but Dexxa's Terms of Use mention: "Dexxa International. 6505 Kaiser Drive, Fremont, CA 94555". Which has been the same address for Logitech USA for nearly 15 years.
Sorry to go bubble bursting, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work...I don't want to have to work out just so I can move my mouse and optics tend to take lots of power. Have fun proving me wrong.
The Memorex RF6000:
found it here, here and here
The KB and mouse both share the same receiver, and together they cost as much as the logitech mouse. I haven't bought one yet, but I did try one out at my local CompUSA and was very impressed. The charger is pretty cool too, you just roll the mouse right up into it like parking a car....
The KB also has a bunch of nice programmable internet and mulitmedia buttons. I'd say this thing blows the logitech away both with features and price (now I just need to save up so I can get one)
Had this idea ages ago but never went anywhere, what with the laziness and all. I though, shit if they can do it with a cordless phone why not with a mouse. This is the first product like this I've seen.
Am I missing something? I got a cordless, optical, rechargable mouse at CompUSA over a year ago....For 15 bucks no less....I think I will check MySQL's bug database and see if there is a bug that confuses September 30,2002 with Jan 1, 2001. I thought of /. as a place to see the cutting edge gadgets? Or maybe it is the MySQL bug that confuses Sept 30 with April 1.
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
Really? How many hours do the batteries last?
If its less than 12 hours, then this is definetely unusable!
No sig for the moment.
Looks like that site is back up now. I've just read their article. Interesting. What is special about this mouse is that it comes with a "Rapid Charge Base Station". However, I'm not getting the MX700 - at least not before a new version of MouseWare comes out.
Having recently bought this mouse myself, I can say the charge definetly lasts more than 12 hours. I have had it sitting off the charger for over a day and a half now without charging. Also, the rechargable batteries are user servicable. It even appears you can swap them out with 2 standard AAs if needed.
The King and his advisor are overlooking the battle field:
King: "How goes the battle plan?"
Advisor: "See those little black specks running to the right?"
K: "Yes."
A: "Those are their guys. And all those little red specks running
to the left are our guys. Then when they collide we wait till
the dust clears."
K: "And?"
A: "If there are more red specks left than black specks, we win."
K: "But what about the ^#!!$% battle plan?"
A: "So far, it seems to be going according to specks."
- this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...