The hook for Logitech's newest mice are the improvements in accuracy they offer and some funky style choices.
Logitech MouseMan Traveler
When you have a stylish and expensive notebook with grunt, it wouldn't do to have any old beige lump for an external mouse--it'd be like matching Armani pants with a pair of gumboots.
Logitech's MouseMan Traveler solves this problem, partly through very handsome esthetics, and partly by using new optical technology.
Clad in a gray-green, brushed aluminum shell, the lightweight mouse is tethered to an equally thin, light cord. It comes with a one-metre extension cable, vinyl carrying case and a USB-to-PS/2 adapter.
In use, the device feels rather small in the hand; but then it was designed for portability. And unlike other mice where weight is added for an impression of stability, the Traveler is feather-light at 70 grams. Its distinct lack of shaping means it is suitable for right or left handed users.
The clickable scroll button has a very smooth, accurate, "notchy" feel. The right and left mouse buttons, too, have positive tactile click actions.
Logitech claims a new, 800 dots-per-inch sampling rate for the optical sensor. In other words, the sensor takes 800 snapshots for second of the mousing surface, compared with around 200 dpi for PS/2 mice or 400 dpi for first-generation optical mice.
We didn't quite sense a huge increase in accuracy compared with older optical mice, but in testing, the mouse tracked accurately on surfaces such as bare tabletops, dark and light-colored mouse pads, and even laps.
At AU$129.95, the MouseMan Traveler is not quite a spur-of-the-moment purchase. But if your company is already buying you a thin-and-light notebook in excess of AU$7,000, it's a sting they will hardly feel, so tack it on the invoice as a required accessory. Your image is surely worth that much.
Logitech MouseMan Dual Optical
If your tastes in mice run more to accuracy than just pure all-out style, you'd need a different approach. The traditional way to raise precision for visual hardware has been to raise the sensor accuracy. How do you do this with an optical mouse? Make the mouse with two optical sensors. Of course.
Logitech has taken this double-the-fun route with the MouseMan Dual Optical, which has the dual sensors placed at 45 degrees to each other. With two sensors, goes the logic, you get twice the accuracy. What's more, these are new, higher-accuracy 800 dots-per-inch sensors.
Logitech doesn't go into details, but the results of each sensor are probably combined and the aggregate 800 dpi result is used to pin-point cursor position.
Maybe so. But with current optical mice already rather accurate, we didn't notice a huge jump in precision. However, niggling artifacts of optical technology, such as cursor jitter when the mouse is at rest (seen in the older MouseMan Optical) has been fixed in the Dual Optical. The cursor is steady as a rock at rest and tracks fluidly and predictably when in motion.
In fast-twitch games such as Quake 3, the Dual Optical proved to be highly accurate, both in kill-'em-all melees and in precision sniping. However, if you're a "flick" artist--someone who relies on the mouse-ball inertia-spin to send cursors flying across the screen--the Dual Optical won't help you.
The Dual Optical is shaped for right handed users only. It is massive for a mouse, both in width and in the palm "hump". Small hands may find it a little awkward to use; it won't fit into the pocket made by cupped hands that a smaller mouse would.
That aside, the mouse bore all the hallmarks of Logitech quality. The scroll wheel fitted snugly into its axle and clicked satisfyingly when turned. The mouse buttons, too, had a positive feel. There is a special thumb button. Like all the buttons on the mouse, it can be configured to perform a user-defined action, such as launching applications through the bundled Mouseware control panel. The software also lets you configure mouse options such as cursor styles, cursor acceleration and axis deviation.
As a mouse, the Dual Optical performed flawlessly, though its price of AU$99.95 may strike many as expensive, especially when compared to the older Logitech Wheel Mouse Optical, which costs AU$20 less. Design pros who need great cursor accuracy will, however, find a lot to like here.
Logitech MouseMan Traveler and MouseMan Dual Optical
Company: Logitech
Price: Mouseman Traveler AU$129.95, MouseMan Dual Optical AU$99.95
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: (02) 9972 3711
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