Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse - Laser - USBCarbon Neutral Certified by SCS Global Services

This mouse is excellent, and there is heavy debate about whether it's better than its successor, the Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX for PC and Mac. I've been very happy with both. The MX Performance mouse is quite a bit cheaper, but if you really want the MX Revolution mouse and don't want to spend $200+ on a mouse then I recommend looking at the Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution Bluetooth Mouse and Keyboard.As far as I can tell the only difference between the two MX Revolution mice is that the mouse that comes in the MX5500 mouse+keyboard set uses the Bluetooth radio frequency standard and the MX Revolution mouse that is being sold separately here uses radio frequency for wireless communication but doesn't use the Bluetooth standard. As a result of using Bluetooth the MX Revolution mouse in the MX5500 mouse+keyboard set has the standard 1/2 to 1 second Bluetooth lag when initially connecting up to the wireless transceiver (USB dongle that plugs into USB port on computer). The MX Revolution mouse sold here doesn't have that problem because it seems to connect up to its USB dongle during computer boot-up and then again when Windows Vista loads (based on the battery status indicator lighting up twice during computer boot-up and when Vista loads, respectively, even though I haven't moved or clicked any buttons on the mouse), which means there is no initial connection lag (which seems minor, but I power up and down my computer quite often, so I'm a huge fan of getting rid of initial connection lags for wireless mice and keyboards). The MX5500 mouse+keyboard set is about $100 less than the mouse being sold here (with no obligation to actually use the keyboard), so I guess it comes down to how you feel about Bluetooth and a 1/2 to 1 second initial connection lag.MX Revolution (non-Bluetooth) vs. MX Performance:Scroll Wheel:The MX Revolution mouse includes a context-specific and dynamically changing traditional/free-spin scroll wheel, where the free-spin engages/disengages based on the active program or web page and also engages when the user spins the wheel rapidly (the SetPoint software offers quite a bit of customization for the traditional/free-spin settings). The MX Revolution further includes a second scroll wheel on the thumb side of the mouse that can be clicked in order to display all open windows in a 3D angled perspective (see a more detailed explanation of this below), where a user can scroll through the open windows using either scroll wheel. The thumb side scroll wheel also works during regular operation (i.e., when not displaying a 3D angled perspective of the set of open windows) for incremental scrolling through programs and web pages and traditional scrolling, which can be initiated by the user holding the scroll wheel in the forward or backward position (the side scroll wheel doesn't actually spin, it just rocks forward and backward and goes back to a centered position when no force is applied by a user).On the other hand, the MX Performance mouse only includes one scroll wheel and it doesn't have dynamically changing traditional or free-spin functionality, but the user can manually switch the scroll wheel from traditional scroll wheel functionality to free-spin with a push of a button (the button is located directly next to the scroll wheel), which is nice because I like to leave it on free-spin most of the time and only switch to traditional scroll wheel behavior when I need a bit more precision with my scrolling.Toggle/Jump among open windows:The MX Revolution includes a side scroll wheel that lets you flip among open windows when you click the scroll wheel and then rock it forward or backward (same behavior as "Ctrl"+"Windows key"+"tab" or the "Switch between windows" button on the taskbar in Windows Vista ("Ctrl"+"Alt"+"tab" is the original Windows version of toggling among windows...but I digress)).The MX Performance includes a lower thumb button with similar functionality, but it presents all open windows simultaneously in a tiled format, where a tiled window enlarges slightly upon mouse-over and can be selected by clicking on it. Not quite as visually elegant as the 3D angled perspective view of all open windows, but possibly faster to find a desired window, especially with a large number of open windows (and you can still display the 3D angled perspective of all open windows using the built-in functionality in Windows Vista and then scroll through the windows using the scroll wheel).Size and Shape:The MX Revolution is a bit smaller than the MX Performance, but my hand rests easily on both, neither feel too small or too large, and neither cause discomfort or fatigue issues with extended use. Both mice are molded nicely to comfortably rest your hand on, but if you're a lefty who doesn't use your right hand to operate a mouse then you're out of luck, because both are only designed for right handed operation. Both mice also include low resistance pads on the bottom for low resistance gliding across desks, mouse pads, etc.Wireless communication:The MX Revolution uses radio frequency communication (Logitech didn't give it a name as far as I can tell) and doesn't have any lag when initially using the mouse after computer boot-up.The MX Performance uses Logitech's Unifying receiver for radio frequency communication, which also doesn't have any lag but the MX Performance mouse goes into a deep sleep after a prolonged period of inactivity, and it takes about one second to wake the mouse up from the deep sleep (the battery indicator lights light up when the mouse wakes back up, and the mouse cursor instantly moves when the indicator lights light up, which leads me to believe that the communication doesn't have any lag, but the MX Performance coming out of deep sleep has about a second of lag). As far as I can tell the MX Performance goes into a 'light sleep' after three to five minutes (or possibly less) of inactivity, and doesn't have any lag when coming out of this 'light sleep'. The MX Performance only goes into a deep sleep after a much longer period of inactivity, I'm not sure how long it takes to drop into deep sleep mode, but I'm guessing it's in the range of one to 10 hours, because I've only dealt with it when I turn on the computer in the morning.The deep sleep functionality is a double-edged sword because it enables the MX Performance to aggressively conserve battery power, which means it lasts longer between charges than the MX Revolution, which doesn't have deep sleep functionality as far as I can tell. The other edge of the sword is the fact that from time to time you'll have to deal with a one second lag when waking up the MX Performance, which isn't an issue with the MX Revolution.Dongles:The MX Revolution USB transceiver dongle sticks about 1.5 inches out of the computer, which may be a concern if the dongle is in front of the computer or otherwise in an area where it can get bumped or kicked and bent or broken as a result.The MX Performance USB Unifying receiver dongle sticks about 0.25 inches out of the computer, which dramatically reduces (and possibly eliminates) the chance of the dongle getting damaged as a result of getting bumped or kicked. Another advantage of the Unifying receiver is that you can use a single receiver to connect up to six compatible devices, which is nice if you have a wireless keyboard that is also designed to work with a Unifying receiver.For completeness, the USB Bluetooth MX Revolution dongle that comes with the MX5500 mouse+keyboard set sticks about 1.75 inches out of the computer. Since it uses Bluetooth protocol you can connect multiple Bluetooth devices to the computer via the single Bluetooth dongle (for a while I had two Bluetooth mice and keyboard sets connected to the computer via the same Bluetooth dongle, but there's really no point in having two keyboards and two mice, I just wanted to see if it would work).Tracking Technology:The MX Revolution includes laser tracking technology for accurate tracking on almost all surfaces.The MX Performance mouse includes Darkfield laser tracking, which enables accurate tracking on even more surfaces than standard laser tracking, such as accurate tracking on glass.Charging:The MX Revolution includes a charging stand that you can drop the MX Revolution into, which is very convenient, even though you can't use the mouse while it's charging.The MX Performance includes a USB charging cable (similar to charging cables for cell phones) that you can plug into the front of the mouse, but it doesn't include a charging stand. The USB charging cable enables the mouse to be used when it's charging, but plugging the cable into the front of the mouse just isn't as quick and easy as dropping it into a charging stand.My overall impression is you can't really go wrong with any of the mice I mentioned. I have a strange pet peeve about initial connection lag, so I may end up sticking with the non-Bluetooth MX Revolution mouse unless I can figure out how to (if possible) disable the deep sleep functionality in the MX Performance mouse (now that the Logitech Unifying receiver wireless mice and keyboards don't have initial connection communication lag issues, hooray!), and I'll definitely be keeping both mice around just in case something happens to the MX Revolution (I can't afford a new MX Revolution at these prices!)

I hate mice. always have, since the early 1980's when I had some clunky mouse on my PC/XT for Windows 1.0. When I had to have a device that allowed me to do what a mouse does, I by far preferred the IBM Trackpoint, a little joystick that sits right on your keyboard between the G and H keys. Or a touchpad. Or a ball. There was no payback for moving my hand off my keyboard to the mouse.But this mouse has changed my mind. I've been playing a lot of World of Warcraft lately, and, while you can play that game without a mouse, the mouse works better. This mouse has software that allows you to send keystrokes from the mouse buttons. All of them. 11 of them:Left(1), center(3) (click the top wheel down) and right(2).Lean the top wheel left(4) and right(5).Top center behind the wheel(6).Left edge front(7) and back(8).Thumbwheel forward(9), back(10), and in(11).All the above and you can roll the mouse wheel forward and back. And the mouse moves and tracks accurately on any surface - no matter how uniform in color it appears to be.But that does not mess the mouse up for normal use - see, inside WoW, I use the thumbwheel for targeting - forward targets enemy, back targets friend, and clicking it sends an escape to break the targeting. If I'm using the mouse in some other application, no problem. The definitions change based on the program I use.So the button on the top gets me on and off my mount. The left side roller targets. The left side forward button bubbles me. The left side back button opens my backpacks or my map (if I hold alt). Leaning the top mousewheel left does a "tab" to roll around enemy targets and leaning it right does an assist (which allows me to assist a party member or heal whoever the mob is attacking). And I still have my left right and center mouse clicks as well as my mousewheel with their standard functions.I play WoW a lot - but any other application I use that much can get their fuctions improved - like if I was editing a lot, I could use the side buttons for cut and paste, or undo and redo or next find - anything that has a keystroke binding can be done off the mouse buttons.But there are some built in definitions - like the one that allows you to magnify or shrink web sites - or the one that many other people have talked about that allow you to flip through all the apps you have open.So why do I love this mouse? When I play WoW, I keep my right hand on the mouse. I can do a lot from that mouse - in combat, my left hand punches a few keys on a N52, and my right hand stays on the mouse - and that is all I need. A mouse with 4 buttons would not be enough, but 8 buttons over the standard three and wheel (11 buttons plus a mousewheel counting the thumbwheel as three buttons) is enough to do everything I normally need to do.Editing is the same why - some redefinition, and I can keep my hand on the mouse until I need to start typing text again. Browsing has always been a mouse activity, but you need to find click spots on your screen less often when you have this mouse.RIGHT HANDED with a VENGANCE. If you can't yse your mouse right handed, don't waste your time. If you have not gotten it, you really can't use this mouse left handed, not in the way that it was meant to be used.When Apple brought out the Mac, they made a big deal of only having one button on the mouse. Simpler, they said. Everything you need, they said.At one point, I was almost sold by the one button hype. But as I use this mouse, I realize that they were wronger than I had ever thought before. :-) The more buttons on the mouse the better - provided that the buttons are easy to hit and tell apart by touch. Logitech may have hit the limit here - but they have not surpassed that limit. This is a great mouse.