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Thursday 9 September 2004

Logitech's first stinker [Lurks]

The MX1000, I got one and I've been playing with it. I wanted so much to like it, so much. How could Logitech do wrong? They make the MX510, after all, the finest mouse on the planet. Well they did get it wrong and not niggly stuff either.

First off, the laser thing. It works. Also, my pointer is moving further than the MX510 with the same mouse movement settings although bizarrely - that's all the way ramped to the top. Seems to indicate a greater resolution. I get the same thing with a Razer Viper I use at work, mouse pointer moves loads further. It works on shiny white desk at work (which defeats every optical I've tried) and my shiny black desk at home (which opticals work on sort of ok with the occasional skipping). So as advertised, the laser sensor is the win.

So why does it suck? Well, it's wireless for a start. Being Logitech wireless, it's got two beefy NiMH batteries in it although bizarrely there's no hatch on the MX1000, unlike the previous Logitech stuff like the MX700, so you can't change them or insert alkalines if they run out. Perhaps for that reason it has a three-segment LED indicator showing battery state. Just as well because you're shagged if the battery runs out. Those batteries means it weighs 170gr compared to the 110gr of an MX510. The MX510 is, in my opinion, perfect. This is too heavy.

Then there's the wireless cradle thing, obviously you're going to need an extra power point but hey those grow on trees around your computer equipment don't they? Err... OK these criticisms are just of Logitech's wireless approach full stop. If you like the MX700, you can disregard those. Lag wise, I find it faultless thanks to Logitech's fast RF goodness.

The list of other things wrong must surely be topped by the fact it's not even flat. It's out and out mad wrong. If you wiggle your hand, the front right and back left feet hit the table alternately. Now either my mouse has warped somehow (not bloody likely) or it's a defect. That's attrocious! It's got so many buttons and stuff now it's ridiculous. They've added the pointless tilting wheel from Microsoft and then also done a Microsoft and removed any sense of tactile clicks when you move the wheel. So it's ace for scrolling and shagged for precision weapon changes. Your thumb also fits into a sharper more sculpted groove than the MX510. It's quite snug and, I found in the short time I've been using it, sweaty. Yuck.

The software on CD is bloated beyond belief. It wants you to install RealArcade. Even if you uncheck that, a pop up tries to get you to install it. Then the software tries to get you to install crap which sets up a proprietary phone home applet which gives you Logitech marketing messages. Yay! Pass. SetPoint doesn't actually appear to do much at all (besides tell you what the buttons do), but is it a 22MB install. The only remotely useful feature I found was the task switching stuff which has grown yet another button in between the up and down arrow buttons that exist on the MX510. This would be nifty if the software worked right. It worked for a bit and then suddenly just flickered up a box every time it was pressed after that and so I uninstalled the software and just used Windows drivers thereafter.

I do suspect that MX700 users might come away liking it but I'm damn sure some of these things will annoy them. And when they attached the name MX1000 to it, with the entire pedigree behind it, one really expected a hell of a lot more than this.

What we need is an MX520 with the laser sensor. That would be the World's best mouse. Bah. Anyhow, I don't trust short term reviews so I'm going to use it for a week and come back to it but so far, World's best mouse is the MX510 and the second best mouse is the Razer Viper.

9 comments:

  1. But, but, its LASER!

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  2. Yep, I was tempted by one of these from Santa, but Lurks is dead on about the wheel, it would be "teh suck" for gaming. A real real shame as the other issues Lurks raised didn't bother me as much. Such a dissapointment, "frikkin lazer beams!"The MX510 was the best out of all I demoed.

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  3. Yep, still think MX510 is the best. Although I use a Razer Viper at present because I like the resolution and the fact it weighs virtually nothing. I use a large desktop with a low amount of mouse acceleration so the resolution suits me for that and I find it nice in games although I can't quite put my finger on why. There's a new Razer Diamondback out now which is an improved model of the one I have - it'd be interesting to see that.

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  4. The Austin Powers theme contines here...Diamondback "Mag-ma"

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  5. Man, CS owned your ass ;)

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  6. The batteries are Lithium-Ion, by the way, not NiMH. Last a hell of a lot longer than the MX700's before a recharge is needed.

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  7. Interesting, I specificially mentioned this to the CEO of Logitech, Guerrino De Luca, when I was at a press event in London. He said they were NiMH because LI would be too expensive. Interest piqued, I just busted my shitty MX1000 sample open and did indeed find a 1700mAH 3.7V battery pack. Cool, I can use that so I have got something useful from this thing. :-) It's worth noting that this capacity isn't really much more than you get from AAs but it is lighter. I noted that the electronics module and the top part of the case seem to be fairly heavy and it's that which is tipping the scales. Roll on an MX1100, they might have all this sorted out by then.

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  8. I know it's the inquirer, but this would fill a gap. Just got an MX510 too, bah.

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  9. Ooo, I'll look into this. Obviously it's nothing to do with me or anything but that does sound awfully like exactly what I asked De Luca for. "Can we not have a next-generation wired MX510 based on laser?"
    I'm sure you'll make good use of the MX510 anyway. I know my spare I tend to use all over the show. It's a brilliant mouse.

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