Logitech VX Revolution

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http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/accessories/0,39100116,49283297,00.htm

Reviewed 5 September 2006

Reviewed by Andrew Gruen

The Logitech VX Revolution cordless laser mouse is a superior companion of the rodent persuasion. It combines the best of desktop mice (extremely comfortable contours, a plethora of buttons) and of laptop mice (a relatively small design that includes a storage space for its tiny wireless receiver) for the ultimate mousing experience on the go.

In fact, the VX Revolution is so comfortable and feature rich that we found ourselves using it as our primary desktop mouse. Of course, as with many 'ultimate' products it's expensive, but the VX Revolution also introduces cool new features in a category where we weren't expecting much innovation. If you're willing to pay the price for a best-of-class product, the VX Revolution will not disappoint.

Design
Weighing 119g and about the size of a large bar of soap, the VX Revolution is a bit bigger than most laptop mice but still smaller than a standard desktop one. Its size makes for an ergonomic design that's comfortable enough to use every day but still small enough to fit in your laptop bag. The size also allows for convenient storage of the wireless receiver. The 13mm by 44mm receiver fits entirely inside the mouse and is ejected with a small button on the bottom.

Features
The VX Revolution's star feature is Logitech's new 'nearly frictionless' scroll wheel, which lets you scroll through massive documents at extraordinary speeds. The wheel has two scrolling modes, controlled by a switch on the bottom of the mouse. In the first mode, it operates like any other wheel mouse, clicking as it is spun. In the second mode, there's no tactile feedback on the wheel -- give it a flick, and it just keeps spinning. We could cruise through about 70 pages of a PDF and about 2,000 email messages with just one spin.

We like that the mouse automatically turns off when the receiver is stowed, which saves power and ensures the mouse won't accidentally turn on when it's in your bag. The VX Revolution also features high-precision laser tracking that we found to be very responsive, as well as a handy LED battery meter so you know how much juice you have left and an on/off indicator light. Logitech claims the mouse will run for 120 days on a single AA battery.

Performance
Though you can use the VX Revolution without any setup -- just plug in the USB receiver to an available port and go -- installing Logitech's Set Point 3.0 software, available for both Windows and Mac, makes all of the mouse's seven buttons programmable. The mouse also had truly exceptional reception. In our anecdotal tests, we were able to control our test laptop from 24m away -- not that you'd ever need that range, but it's impressive nonetheless.

Edited by Michelle Thatcher
Additional editing by Kate Macefield