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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.
With this breakthrough, Logitech truly enters the forefront of American innovation. We should all look to Logitech for inspiration.
sulli
RTFJ.
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
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.
I have an MX700 from Logitech. The beauty of this device is that it comes with a stylish cradle, that serves both as the wireless base station for the mouse, along with being a recharger unit as well.
I remember a few years back having an early Logitech wireless mouse/keyboard combo. Then, one late night while we were doing a change - the batteries died, and I had none spare. At that point I decided never to use a "wireless" keyboard or mouse till they came with a recharge unit. Thus, the MX700 was awesome for me.
I would be very suprised if this new model didn't use the same system.
Man watching 6 MSCE's around a sun box, looks alot like the opening scene's of 2001:space odyssey...
"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~
The only thing I do not like is the weird quark all optical mice have.
.
:)
Ahem.
I think you meant strange quark
Sorry, correcting incorrect assumptions about physics is a strange quirk. of mine.
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
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.
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.
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.
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).
or a tilt switch. just because the mouse is high-tech doesn't mean you need to make it as complex as possible.
Austin is more fun than Dallas.
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.
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."
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. -
I might also want a mirrored table in the first place.
damn cocaine addict!
...spike
Ewwwwww, coconut...
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
or a tilt switch.
Yes! Dangerous eye melting lasers combined with mercury! I like your style.
Now let's just make it small enough to be a choking hazard.
My first optical mouse was an MS Intellimouse Explorer (the original, freaking huge one). I use that on my laptop, but got a wireless Logitech MX700 for my desktop.
Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed in the Logitech because of exactly what you're talking about. My Intellimouse Explorer has no problem tracking on any surface or any fine control. The Logitech is a pain to use with graphics apps.
I've always been a fan of MS's mic, but decided to try out Logitech because MS hadn't released a wireless optical yet. I wish I hadn't in retrospect. And this comes from a very anti-MS attitude regarding software.
-N
I've nothing to say here...
Lasers are absolutely not inherently more dangerous than any other form of light. The danger comes from the amplitude of light that enters your eye, which is a function of the power of the source, the distance, and the focusing. So assuming they focus the laser as diffusely as they focus the red light from current optical mice, it's no more dangerous.
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.
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...
Lasers are absolutely not inherently more dangerous than any other form of light. The danger comes from the amplitude of light that enters your eye, which is a function of the power of the source, the distance, and the focusing. So assuming they focus the laser as diffusely as they focus the red light from current optical mice, it's no more dangerous.
1. In that case, why use a laser at all? Why not use an ultrabright red LED? To have any benefit in using a laser at all, they must be making use of interference effects, which means they need a coherent light source. Which meas that no, they won't diffusely focus the light at all.
2. The danger comes from the fact that laser light is planar, and because of this not only will your eye will attempt to focus it, and will open the pupil wider in response to it at the same time, for maximum retinal damage.
Coming soon - pyrogyra
$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.