Editors' Rating
| Installation & setup |  |
8.0 |
| Design |  |
9.0 |
| Features | |
9.0 |
| Value | |
8.0 |
Published: 01 Nov 2002
Until recently you had two options for upgrading your mouse. You could ditch the roller ball in favour of an optical mouse, or you could cut the cord and go with a cordless mouse. With Logitech’s Cordless MouseMan Optical, you can have the freedom of a cordless mouse along with the precision of an optical mouse. It truly is a beautiful marriage.
Battery life has long been the obstacle to this union, and Logitech teamed up with Agilent Technologies to produce a low power consumption sensor that Logitech claims will keep the MouseMan running for three months with two AA batteries (included). The sensor switches between four modes of power consumption to extend battery life, depending on how long the mouse is left idle. We experienced no latency going from the deepest sleep mode to full power.
The MouseWare software allows you to check the status of battery life -- the software is set up to give you an on-screen warning up when battery life gets low, and you can use it with rechargeable batteries.
The optical sensor takes 1,500 pictures a second and the shift in the position of these images translates into movement on your screen, which is nothing new with optical mice. What is new is the 800dpi resolution, which is double that of today's mice, giving you twice the accuracy. You may not notice much of a difference while browsing the Web, but it is readily apparent in graphics programs such as Adobe’s Photoshop.
The MouseMan's receiver can be connected to your system via either a PS/2 or USB port. Since it uses radio frequency (RF) technology instead of infrared, no line of sight is required for the MouseMan to function. You have about two metres of range to work with, so you can sit back and surf the Web with the MouseMan on your thigh.
The MouseMan has three programmable buttons and a scroll wheel. Rubber grips on the sides keep you fingers from slipping, and the thumb button has been moved down a bit from previous Logitech mice to avoid accidental clicking. The thumb button can be set up for a number of commands; we liked the default ‘Back’ command for surfing the Web.
Click the scroll wheel and you are presented with the WebWheel. It's a dial that pops up with the standard Web navigation buttons of stop, reload, back and favourites along with five programmable buttons to take you to five of your most commonly visited sites with a single click.
We will happily keep a supply of AA batteries on hand to be able to use the Cordless MouseMan Optical -- not only for its improved performance, but also to consign roller ball cleaning and mouse cord untangling to history.
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