Logitech's Upscale Mouse

Though MX700 may sound like the name of some exotic testosterone-driven sports car, it's not: It belongs to Logitech's Lamborghini of a cordless optical mouse--a precision instrument that's the first to offer rechargeable batteries.

The only thing missing from the shipping unit I tested was that new car smell--and a left-handed grip. The right-handed mouse is loaded with hot-rod features. Aside from one minor glitch (more on that later), it provided an exceptionally smooth ride.

The MX700 comes with a rapid-charge base station in which you dock the mouse when you're not using it. Logitech says a 10-minute charge keeps the mouse going all day, and 6 to 7 hours of recharging gets you 10 days of service. But that's optimistic--in my experience, a night's charge netted 5 days of run time.

The base station eliminates the need to replace standard batteries every three months; however, the MX700's true strength lies in its performance. The fast RF wireless control worked well at up to 30 feet away from the base station (no line-of-sight positioning required). Besides the regular two left/right buttons and a scroll wheel on top, Logitech provides three sets of user-customizable buttons. Two buttons offer a unique system for continuous scrolling; two thumb-control buttons let you move forward or back through Web pages; and finally, the Quick Switch Program Selector lets you cycle through active programs and documents.

All these functions make on-screen navigation quick and easy. The optical engine tracks at 4.7 megapixels per second--about three times as fast as most optical mice--affording smooth and precise cursor control, which can be particularly useful for graphics creation and game play.

The one glitch I experienced arose when I installed the Logitech MouseWare software on a PC that had an earlier version of the program. A conflict caused my PC to crash severely (Logitech is looking into the problem). To be safe, remove previous software before installing this new version.

Like most luxury items, the MX700 doesn't come cheap. At $80, it may be the most expensive mouse on the market. But as with a fine Italian sports car, you get what you pay for; if you require an exceptionally precise input device, this mouse is for you.

SUMMARY

Logitech MX700 Cordless Optical Mouse Top-of-the-line wireless optical mouse offers great performance and features; unfortunately it's for right-handed users only. List: $80