Are there wireless versions?
I think I may be far too attached to my MX1000 to go back to wired mice…
I just recently switched to a wireless Logitech G7 and it is absolutely the best mouse I’ve ever used. I’ve always been wary about wireless lag, but this mouse is absolutely incredible and I can’t notice any lag whatsoever.
It also uses two rechargeable battery packs so you’re not constantly buying batteries, which is really nice. It comes with two packs and one sits in the wireless receiver and charges while you use the other. When the batteries are running low, I can swap out the fresh pack in about 3 seconds flat.
Tablet is a really nice mouse replacement. I’ve used one of them as well and it’s amazing how natural it felt to just point and tap things with the pen. Two problems, though: how does it work with a three-monitor combination like Jeff has? I don’t think very well, because you’d need a very wide tablet. The second thing is that if your tablet is of A4 size, it can be annoying to reach around it to type on the keyboard.
There have been some changes in my mouse preferences over the last 8 months.
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middle (wheel) click is becoming very important. The way you can middle click to close windows / tabs is an emerging standard I like a lot-- and I use it all the time now. Most PC games actually assign something significant to the middle button now. It’s presumed the middle button is there, and will be used.
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The forward button is slightly more important. It’s still uncommon, but I missed this button terribly on the original Logitech G5. Logitech released a later version of the G5 that re-included the forward button.
It’s like the mouse was designed by the people who made the original Xbox controller!
I was thinking the same thing. It is a large mouse, for sure.
actually provide inertial scrolling
The mouse wheel hardware itself is great-- yes, it is truly frictionless in that mode. The problem is that Windows can’t quite deal with this mode. Even setting the mouse scroll to the minimum, 1 line at a time, the software can’t quite make this feel natural.
I think they both look ugly 
Razor mice are still my favorites for gaming.
Horizontal scrolling is extremely useful for visual designers, who consistently work with images or documents that do not fit 100% in their screen resolution.
I use it all the time with my Mighty Mouse (using a mini-trackball, as mentioned in a previous comment) at home if I have multi-page booklet-style documents I’m working with in InDesign or if I am zoomed into a document in Photoshop. It can also be somewhat useful in browser windows that have are not maximized.
Hi Jeff, cool entry you have.
However, there is something strange with mouse ballistics, that is: even when you uncheck the “enhance mouse pointer precision”, there still is no linear relationship to mouse movement and pointer speed. This can be shown by two things: start on a vertical line somewhere on the left of your screen, move your mouse to the right fast (but don’t hit the right edge), then go back to the left the same distance on your desk and see whether your pointer ends up on the same place. With my logitech no-name mouse it doesn’t. With my Wacom tablet it does for the pen, and too for the mouse when I set it in absolute mode (in linux / X, forgot what the name for the mode is in windows) - when in relative mode (which the mouse normally is in) it behaves as the logitech does.
A less scientific test for this is trying to write your autograph - The bank still won’t accept it as yours with a mouse set to absolute, but it is recognizable as autograph, which it isn’t with a “normal” mouse even with the pointer precision off.
And about the scroll wheel: I’m no gamer at all, so I use logitech OEM mice*. They have a nifty feature, when you open them up and remove the spring, the mouse wheel is almost frictionless. You can then on long webpages just give the wheel a whack and it’ll keep scrolling until you stop it, while not giving any problems with precision scrolling. Since I’ve discovered this I’ve performed this operation on all my mice (except the Wacom), but not all mice (no-names, microsofts) will work: some will “flicker” up and down when they are exactly inbetween two stops.
And about cleaning keyboards: I about yearly remove all the keys and put them in a bra-net (get a girlfriend if you don’t know what it is) and just put it in the washer, including detergent (nonperfumed). Pop 'm back up (good blind typing practice) and your keys are as good as new.
Just two nostalgia questions:
1: Who still uses mouse mats? I just saw one today (unused) when I realised it must’ve been years ago I saw one. However, I don’t miss cleaning mouse balls and especially the contact wheels.
2: Any linux users still remember the difference between color and black/white mice? There was a time when the logitech OEM mice of the same model came with the Logitech logo either in color or in b/w print, and only one would work. I actiually did go to the store to ask for a color (or B/w) mouse, but fortunally they didn’t laugh at me (not in my face, at least).
Tijmen
Two replies to comments:
- In linux it’s pretty standard that “select” is copy, and “middle click” is paste. In fact, usually it’s a separate paste buffer from ctrl-c/v/x (or ctrl-ins/shift-ins if you prefer) so you have two paste buffers
- Also in linux, horizontal scrolling is done by scrolling (vertically) on the horizontal scrollbar
And one for myself:
- What I REALLY miss in the wacom PEN is the scrolling function and actually the reason I still use the mouse. Is there any pen that has a scroller that’s not button-based? This can be a synaptics device (Ipod scrollwheel but linear), a real scrollwheel or a 1-D analog joystick button (that increases scroll speed when you hold it further)???
Two replies to comments:
- In linux it’s pretty standard that “select” is copy, and “middle click” is paste. In fact, usually it’s a separate paste buffer from ctrl-c/v/x (or ctrl-ins/shift-ins if you prefer) so you have two paste buffers
- Also in linux, horizontal scrolling is done by scrolling (vertically) on the horizontal scrollbar
And one for myself:
- What I REALLY miss in the wacom PEN is the scrolling function and actually the reason I still use the mouse. Is there any pen that has a scroller that’s not button-based? This can be a synaptics device (Ipod scrollwheel but linear), a real scrollwheel or a 1-D analog joystick button (that increases scroll speed when you hold it further)???
“It is possible to edit these curves via the SmoothMouseXCurve and SmoothMouseYCurve registry settings, but there’s absolutely no documentation I could find on these settings, so be careful.”
I realize I am being lazy - but did you dig into this at all? I have just this week been thinking about creating my own curve. I was trying out an MX Revolution (already looks hopelessly outdated in comparison to the G9) and finding I couldn’t match the “feel” of my MX 5/700 regardless of what acceleration level I chose. I’d read the MS article on pointer ballistics - but there was nothing anywhere within Google’s reach defining the details of SmoothMouse?Curve.
I’m still waiting for a mouse which has ctrl shift keys on it, for operation with the thumb. This would provide true one handed operation for a lot more applications.
Matt Lacey -
Just map the mouse buttons to the function keys? I’m sure there’s profiles for some mouse software.
I think I’ll stick with my Microsoft Habu Mouse / Logitech G15 Keyboard for a little while.
The Habu left-side buttons (with different positions) are still unbeatable for me.
Now we know why Jeff built his coding box like a gaming machine…
@Sean Patterson:
I set my mouse 4 button to Enter and mouse 5 button to Backspace, since my left hand is always around the Control-Z,X,C,V area. Enter is for those pesky MsgBox with the one OK buttons. Backspace is for Internet Explorer/Windows Explore “Back” function and normal editing.
Unforutnately, the other buttons on my mouse can’t seem to be redefined. Is this Intellipoint’s fault?
Mentioned by Tijmen Stam/IIVQ:
"Also in linux, horizontal scrolling is done by scrolling (vertically) on the horizontal scrollbar"
I could have sworn you can do the same thing in windows. Testing out in Windows Explorer reveals that there is the same functionality. However, if there’s a vertical scrollbar at the same time, then that takes precedence. Who decided that?
And about the scroll wheel
I will say that after using the finely tuned metal scroll wheels ( even in gear mode), it is very difficult to go back to the rubber ones. I feel like I’m scrolling through molasses.
I have just this week been thinking about creating my own curve
Some of the mouse driver software will let you make fine adjustments to the acceleration, but I have yet to see any software that allows you to set up an acceleration curve per se.
How did your testing fare using the MS and Logitech software along with the basic Windows settings?
I try very hard not to install additional mouse software, and stick with what’s in the base OS. It’s simpler that way. I find I almost never need the crazy additional features in the OEM mouse software drivers. However, as the settings for these mice are stored permanently in firmware, I did install the software once, used it set up the mouse to my preferences (DPI, LED color, things like that), then uninstalled it.
About Daniel’s comment about the Wiimote above.
I recently acquired the Logitech MX Air for my living room media PC (really for using regular desktop apps on the same system) and I love it!
It took my 5 minutes to get used to it, it supports using it in “regular” mouse mode with quite high accuracy, its pixel accuracy in “air” mode blows the Wiimote out of the water and it looks good.
See: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/3443cl=us,en
I love my Logitech MX Revolution.
Laser, Wireless, Rechargable with Cradle. Best mouse I’ve ever owned.
I used to hate Wireless mice, but since trying this once, its been awesome. So much I bought another one for work. So I own two. I notice no lag, but I also use them on a mouse pad, a large desktop size one.
I’ve had an Evoluent Vertical Mouse for over a year. Actually, I have three: I alternate between a right-handed one and a left-handed one at work and have another right-handed one for home. This is the best nest of mice I’ve ever had.
The right one was a bit difficult to get used to since I had to retrain myself to hold the mouse the new way. With my left hand, this was not needed. My CTS symptoms have all but disappeared.
In case you’re wondering, as I was, what the three types of feet are that come with the Sidewinder Mouse: Teflon (white), a Teflon mix (gray) and non-Teflon (black).
I blindly used the “slickest” feet which I thought were the white ones, but I was never quite sure. Looks like I chose correctly… this is from the “Things to try when reviewing the MS Sidewinder Mouse” document, here http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/d/8/6d849c30-a602-4825-bf6a-1db9a6353439/SideWinderRG_Things%20to%20Try.pdf