Blue mouse in the house - Reviews - Hardware - Peripherals

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Blue mouse in the house

September 16, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/hardware/peripherals/soa/Blue-mouse-in-the-house/0,139023417,120268238,00.htm

Logitech Cordless Presenter

When is a mouse not a mouse? When it's a Bluetooth pointer for Powerpoint junkies. We test Logitech's Bluetooth Cordless Presenter.

The Logitech is a dual-function wireless device that combines both mouse and presenter. This AU$499.95 cordless presenter is also a Bluetooth device that operates over a distance of 30 feet, making it an ideal presentation tool for those large boardroom meetings. With its steep price tag, this device will appeal to those tech-savvy business executives with very deep pockets.

The Logitech Bluetooth presenter is slightly larger than the average mouse. Its slender, banana-shaped body is long yet curvy, possibly an ergonomic trade-off for combining two different devices, and is decked with an assortment of buttons including an activation switch to turn on the device, a non-mechanical touch-sensitive scroller and a laser pointer. The presenter is operated is powered by a pair of AA batteries, which is included. A mini USB Bluetooth receiver, a USB cable and CD-ROM completes the total package.

Partial Bluetooth Capability
Although labeled as a plug and play device, the presenter will not work directly out of the box-a brief installation of the drivers from the included CD-ROM is required before a system will detect the wireless device. The Bluetooth receiver that comes with the presenter also detects Bluetooth input devices only--you will not be able to use it as a conduit for transferring files or detecting other Bluetooth products.

The Logitech Cordless presenter operates in two different modes: users can choose between presentation and mouse with a click of the switch located on the bottom of the mouse. Under presentation mode, the top buttons function as switches for users to toggle between their presentation slides. On the downside, the Cordless presenter allows users to operate only on one mode at a single time.

Performance-wise, the Cordless presenter performed reasonably well. We did experience intermittent disconnections from time to time, but cursor response time was generally good, without any noticeable lag even beyond 20 feet. The optical mouse also tracks stably and smoothly and we detected no jerky movements while using the unique touch-sensitive scroller to rummage through various documents in Windows Explorer. The Cordless presenter's optical sensor means that it needs to be placed on a hard surface when operating in mouse mode.

Logitech Cordless Presenter
Company: Logitech
Price: AU$499.95
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: (02) 9972 3711