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Logitech Gives A Mouse A Laser
Kaveh writes "Looks like Logitech has introduced a successor to its popular MX line of cordless mice. In addition to a more ergonomic design, lithium ion battery, tilt wheel (read horizontal scrolling), and battery indicating LEDs, this mouse introduces laser technology. According to the Logitech this allows the MX1000 to be 20x more precise than optical mice, not to mention work on any surface, including a mirror! Check out the 3DGPU forums for pics and more info."
With the Dr. Evil finger quotes: Cool, a mouse with a "LAAAASER!!"
I really was hoping for mice with frickin' lasers on their headers. Darn.
// file: mice.h
#include "frickin_lasers.h"
I've been waiting for this. On my table with a glass plate on top, I have to use a mouse pad for my optical mouse, but I don't need one for my regular mouse. This technology actually serves the purpose an optical mouse should.
how else am i able to blind my opponents
I might also want a mirrored table in the first place.
"Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is living in a state of sin." -- John von Neumann
I can *really* blind someone with my optical mouse.
With this breakthrough, Logitech truly enters the forefront of American innovation. We should all look to Logitech for inspiration.
sulli
RTFJ.
Precise, and wireless - this might be just the ticket.
WOW! I've been waiting for this day for quite some time now. I knew lasers would soon enough be used in mice due to the surfaces optical mice couldn't work on (ie, glass, mirror, etc). This is definetly just a little step into laser mice, but I'm sure eventually they'll start turning to green or even blue lasers for mice. The only problem I see here is when little Jonny picks up his mouse and looks into the laser ... Could there be ways to stop this from happening?
...but Logitech is Canadian. HQ is in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Dangerous! You know, the "I'll clean my mouse" routine... flip mouse toward face... arghhh! My eyes!
:) 2000$ saved, 50$ investment, Do It Yourself! Isn`t technology cool?
Of course, if you`re lucky AND already have bad vision, you could just laser-correct your problem, i guess
Eureka Science News - automatically updated
I've heard people griping about the short battery life on the wireless mice they already have. Won't a laser exacerbate the problem?
Main point: HIGH PERFORMANCE CORDLESS MOUSE WITH LASER TRACKING
:
PI DATE : JULY 2004
TECHNOLOGY : Fast RF cordless
SYS REQS : IBM or compatible PC,
Windows 98, 2000, Me or XP,
Available USB or PS2 port, CD-ROM drive
Macintosh system - Mac OS X+,
Available USB port, CD-ROM drive
FEATURES : * MX Laser Engine provides 20 x times the tracking power
of optical
* a built-in lithium-ion battery & rapid-charging base station
* Fast RF cordless delivers cordless performance that equals USB corded connection
* New thumb-button controls include universal page forward and back buttons and application switch to quickly move between open windows
* Illuminated 4-level batt indicator precisely monitors batt strength
* Wheel tilts for side-to-side scrolling, zoom with a click of the wheel
* Cruise Control rocker for speed scrolling up and down
* Deep-sculpted thumb support for incredible comfort, outside finger grips enhance control
PACKAGE CONTENT
* Logitech MX-1000 Laser cordless mouse
* Recharging base station,
* CD-ROM with SetPoint SW
* Installation guide,
* PS2 to USB adapter
Winner of The Second Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.
So it is more accurate. That is fine, but the optical mouse seems pretty accurate. The only thing I do not like is the weird quark all optical mice have. When you move the, mouse the cursor will go shooting off in the opposite direction. It is very annoying. It does not happen all the time, but it is still annoying.
Is this really useful? I mean, I have never had a problem with my mouse not having the resolution to click the "submit" button. Seriously though, I think mouse (and keyboard) makers have run into a similar problem as sound card makers: our mice/soundcards are already good enough. I personally have a Logitech mx500 and love it to death, but I do not see any way the pointing function could be improved. Oh well, its a frickin laser.
Coralised link.
"World's 1st Laser Mouse! (Optical is obsolete)"
Either way I'm hoping I can just swap this mouse in for my current MX700 in my logitech cordless keyboard/mouse set. That way I can use the same reciever that also connects the mouse. It is important to note that this mouse uses Fast RF technology like the MX700 and not Bluetooth like the MX900. Some gamers weren't happy with the performance of the Bluetooth model.
Give a mouse a shark, he'll want a pool.
Give a mouse a pool, he'll want an underground labratory to put them all in.
Give a mouse an underground lab, he'll want a laptop with wifi to take over the world.
Give a mouse a laptop with wifi, he'll want a coffee table to set it on.
Give a mouse a table to set it on, he'll want an optical mouse that works with the glass.
Give a mouse the new Logitech.
???
Profit.
Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can't wear grey trousers.
opps
here's the clickable one
Mirror
Damn have to wait 2 minutes~
As long as the battery life is decent, I want one. Screw the Starck mouse... This sounds like it should be great for games.
Would there be much difference in power draw between an led and a laser? I realize they must have some pretty low power lasers (like in a discman); how powerful of a laser would you need to be able to track movement like this?
Choose yer poison: Prophets or Profits
Does it ever make you wonder 'what if computing advanced like mice do'? In some ways, they do, but I mean, we have wireless mice, wireless optical and laser mice, wireless optical laser geneboosted mice that have nine buttons with integrated phone features, and they're all totally transparent, incredibly essential cruxes of the modern computing experience.
can we get somebody from the mouse department over to the HD storage density department? Or the hardware installation department, because I still have to visit my grandfather every time he needs to install RAM. Perhaps, even, we should transfer the entire mouse department over to the user interface department, so they can explain to me why 'Exit' is for the love of god still after 20 years in the 'File' menu (Mac users, you're OK on this one). Those two, after all, have a lot to do with each other. Finally, they could stop over at the Windows dev group and explain to them that I should not have to notify Windows of my intention to disconnect my fully hotswappable device.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
And it's cool. Better than my optical mouse that got bumped down to my other computer? I don't really know. I'm still in that brief "getting used to a different mouse" phase so what I can tell you about it is limited.
The one it replaced was a Logitech basic cordless optical It did it's job well but I've been using my second computer more lately and the mouse on it was a POS so I needed another. In terms of accuracy I'm sure the laser mouse is better (Logitech wouldn't lie about that would they?) but I doubt that it's going to be something that 90% of us would notice.
Getting past the claims of improved accuracy that I can't really address it's a nice mouse. I'd have bought the Bluetooth model but this one was $20 cheaper and I liked the feel of it.
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
I actually read the article (I am new here) but didn't see anything mentioning what class of laser it uses. It does say that the manufacturer recommends not using it on mirrored surfaces. It's possible, though unlikely, for a class II laser (such as is found in a laser pointer) to cause eye damage. I've been in classrooms with optical mice invoerted and shining their light out at students. Is this something that we're going to have to worry about with a laser mouse? Of course, if it's a class I (such as is found in CD players) there's no concern at all. Does anybody have any information on this?
I would rather be killed by a terrorist than enslaved by my government.
uuhh...yes they do, and have for some time now...
i ls /CA/EN,CRID=3,CONTENTID=7110
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/deta
Just wanted to drop you a note to remind you that some of the people in the world who want a fancy-schmancy, full-featured mouse are LEFT HANDED!
I guess I'll just have to keep giving my money to the companies that want my business (i.e. make symmetrical mice with lots of bells and whistles).
You had a clue once, even making lefty versions of your mice back in the day. What happened?
Signed,
Someone who can play first person shooters using the actual arrow keys, not that "WASD" shit.
I have used some wireless mice in the past, and they always seem to have a slight delay between the time I move the mouse and the pointer on the screen actually moves. A 20X improvement in accuracy won't solve this problem, though, so will the difference really be noticeable? You will still be moving the mouse to a place where you expect the pointer to land a few moments later, then you will still probably have to correct the movement after the pointer catches up. I dunno...I'm not convinced. I guess I'll have to wait until a friend buys one and try it.
Just to be a dick, this isn't the first mouse that uses a laser. There were a few laser mice (pre "optical" mice) but they required a special pad so the advantages over a regular mouse were minimal (really just that you didn't have to clean them).
Here's a (currently) non-/.'ed image of the mouse:
http://img16.exs.cx/img16/8692/mx-1000.jpg
Another Forum Review on the Logitech MX1000
If all else fails, check Google
Who said Freedom was Fair?
Lasers actually don't take all that much power- they're highly efficient. Then again, the LED which they're replacing doesn't usually take too much power either. My guess is that it's not a significant change.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
with remaining eye.
"To those who are overly cautious, everything is impossible. "
You know, the thing about mice is that the technology advances in spurts. Optical was a big spurt, at least when the resolution started to improve. However, wireless was a big BACKWARDS spurt since the mice are now heavy as hell and gobble batteries at a ridiculous rate. I retired my wireless and went back to the wiry MX500 which is great.
However it still requires an exotic mousepad (currently a large dinnermat from Habitat which my friend Rick discovered was the slickest and most trackable mousing surface ever invented). Continuing the culinary theme, my desk is an acid-etched glass dining table from Ikea (awsome desk, by the way -- and I use their kitchen cabinets as office storage) which would be a ROCKING mousepad if an optical mouse which actually track on it. But it won't.
So, is this a dodo or a turkey vulture (very successful in these parts)? Only time and money will tell.
I'm not wrong. You haven't thought about it hard enough.
INFORMATIVE!?
-Dizzle
"I most likely AM so interested in myself."
FUNNY!? /sorry, couldn't resist //watch this get modded informative
Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can't wear grey trousers.
Okay, what the hell is the deal with this "ergonomic" mice that have your hand all sideways and require you rest your entire palm on it, moving it with your arm? It's getting harder and harder to find good small mice that just fit under your fingers, allowing you to control them with your hand. In mice, "ergonomic" just means "really really big and sorta cool looking, but completely impractical."
Unlikely.
The mouse will return x/y coordinates as well as click events. Typically input devices do the processing of light/dark, rolling, touch, etc. internally and then just send the info that the operating system wants to know.
They make some nice mouse pads- I hate but bulky ones with the big gel-packs and crap, but I like the ones with a really nice surface like a velvet-like material I have on my main workstation.
They help the mouse move smoother; if you have a hard surface they get "sticky" and make it difficult to make precise movements. The pads get dirty really fast without a mouse pad. AND, you can really screw up the surface of your desk if you use the mouse without a pad.
Who wants a sticky mouse that grinds over dirt and wears out your desk? I'll take my nice comfortable mouse pad any day.
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
does anyone know of some place in Canada that will ship them? NewEgg, in their infinite wisdom, doesn't ship to Canada.
;)
BTW, all you Americans, NewEgg is sold out, looks like we slashdotted their stock
What happened to the Logitech 'natural' keyboards? I know they make the wireless ones, but what happend to the wired ones? I would love to buy one but they do not appear to make them anymore.
Glad I'm not the only one. I, like the other replier to your post, also use an older first-gen Microsoft Optical mouse. Small, easy. And I like mouse pads for multiple reasons so being able to use the thing on a mirror doesn't mean crap to me.
I'd like to have a mouse that had better tracking during moments of high movement (ie some games) but it works just fine.
And I don't want a cordless mouse dammit. Who wants to worry about having your mouse die on you? Or having the batteries eventually not take a charge? Some people are hell bent on removing the cords from everything but for some things like the mouse, it just adds complexity where none is needed nor wanted.
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
right now im STILL stuck with a MSFT intellimouse optical (the first unihand 5 button optical mouse released) im SO SICK OF THIS i understand the need for a comfy right handed mouse for right handed people and i dont expect them to set up a production line for lefties but a slightly lower end (ie non ergo for right hand) corded or cordless ver would be great i want a new mouse why do they ignore 25% of us!
Nope, that's a red LED that you're seeing.
Since the site is /.ed:
Picture One
Picture Two
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Nothing like Slashdot for gross misinformation. From Logitech's web site:
Founded
1981 -- Apples, Switzerland
(I found it pretty amusing when, years ago, I was using a mouse from "Apples" with an Apple IIe. It was a rather sucky mouse back then, mind you...)
Of course, these days its a large multinational company, so claiming it for any particular country is just pointless nationalism.
Mechanical mouse with rubber ball that gets gummed up with dust and crud: $19.00
Optical mouse that doesn't work well on many surfaces: $39.00
Laser mouse that works on any surface and spawns lots of "frickin laser" jokes: Priceless.
Lump lingered last in line for brains, and the ones she got were sorta rotten and insane.
The mouse drivers are fine, but the software is not. The drivers work as they are supposed to - they make the mouse work. However, it's the craptastic software that lets the drivers down.
.exe file.
The MX series are considered the best mice for twitch gaming like First Person Shooters, yet the majority of these gamers don't use the Logitech software because it doesn't play nice with many games. To avoid all this nastiness with the mouse software, they instead use the generic Windows XP PS2 mouse driver, and then lose the ability of the topmost, 'task switch' button.
There is a way to install the drivers without the software though:
1. Download the Logitech Mouseware.
2. Use WinZip to open up the install
3. Unzip to a temp directory
4. Goto Control Panel -> Mouse
5. Look for and install the mouse driver within the temp directory
It doesn't really offer any advantages over the generic PS2 mouse driver (the topmost button still doesn't work), but at least you can say that you're using the correct drivers!
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That's fine if you're making one or two of these. What about thousands? You know that the vast majority of them will go right in the trash when they break, right?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Wow, didn't knew that Slashdot moderation system was based on just asking for what you want.
That will be insightful for me then, thanks.
If you give a mouse a cookie...
I'd really like to buy this new mouse, but I'm having serious paint issues with my MX700, which I bought in a european store called BEEP.
For the record, I haven't had issues with any other previous mouses.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Your comment got me thinking....
:)
:)
My first IBM PC in the home was a 286/16, somewhere between '86 and '88 - I can't remember. It came with a Logitech 3 button mouse.
That mouse was with all my machines until around '96 or '97. A roommate's cat gave it a bath by knocking it in a soda cup. Sadly enough, I remember how angry I got over that.
Naturally, given the quality of the mouse I had, I figured I'd buy another logitech. That thing didn't last 2 weeks. At least I got my money back for that one.
2-3 years down the road, I was in the market for yet another mouse, so I figured I'd get another Logitech - that thing lasted about 3 months.
After going through tons of mice since around '96, I finally settled on something that I like: a shitty Microsoft Optical that cost me $20. Combine it with a nice $25 mouse pad and it plays better than or equal to your MX<insert number of the week here>. I have recieved several unsolicited comments about how smooth it works and how well it tracks.
MX1000 sounds very neat but I'll be sure to wait for the corded version - I've done my tour with wireless mice and now the only thing that bothers me about them is that my wife complains because I pawned the $120 mouse off to her to take the $20 mouse I have now.
What I don't get - when microsoft first started selling mice, you could look on the bottom of the mouse and it would say something to the effect of "manufacturered by logitech". If they can manage to make MS mice better than their own....sigh.
Mouse user notices small sticker close to laser and puts mouse up to face to read it..
(singe, crackle)
**Do not look at underside of mouse with remaining eye!**
Having to share a computer at an office full of people with grungy hands led me to do two things:
:)
1. Demand (and get) a Dvorak keyboard. That cut down the popularity of my station considerably.
2. Invent the disposable mouse pad.
"What is this wonderful device?", you might wonder. Well here's how to make one.
1. Take about 25 sheets of letter size paper and stack them neatly. It doesn't matter if they are laser-printed, but you probably don't want inkjet prints. You can do a lot more than 25 if you have a heavy-duty stapler handy, but this assumes you don't.
2. Staple them together as many times as necessary along one edge.
3. When the top page gets dirty, or when the shift changes, tear off the top page and throw it away. When you get down to the last 10 or so sheets, remove the staples, get another 15 sheets of paper, and re-staple. If you spill your drink on it, throw away the wet pages, or the whole thing if necessary.
Think I can get a patent on this?
The lazy can just get a notepad and flip the cover back (or tear it off), but doesn't that violate the whole "do it yourself" ethic?
Mal-2
How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
Apples is actually a village in the french speaking part of switzerland.
The headquater for europe afrika and estern counries is still here (about 8km east of apples in Romanel-sur-Morges)
If only the original Macintosh had come with a trackball 20 years ago, they might well be ubiquitous today and mice would be the niche product. Perhaps someday the masses will wake up and correct this mistake. (Yeah, right. . . Probably at the same time when we all switch to Dvorak keyboards.)
I have a Logitech Marble Mouse USB, the older one with only two buttons. It's more efficient than a mouse: fingertip control, less movement, less effort, and takes less desk space. I have it configured so I can hold down my control key and scroll with the trackball.
It works pretty well for me.
I'm going to metamod for the next few days in the hopes that I get one of these comments. You should too.
Dangermouse! Now armed with a laser!
--
Dude, calm down.
I remember I did something like this awhile ago. There was a comment that gave WAY too much information about that guy's life. The comment was meant to be funny, but in an attempt to be funny myself I modded him informative.
I was metamodded unfair. It sucked. I mean, the guy already had perfect karma (as do I, and I believe the guy replying to me). I was just having a little fun. Where's the harm?
Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can't wear grey trousers.
When I read this artical all I could think of was turning the mouse upside-down and firing the laser at somebody. McBain:THE GOGGLES THEY DO NOTHING ...
Tod: My EYEBALL
If you are going to give lasers to mice, don't be surprised when the cats decide to fight back.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.