Features of the Logitech MX Revolution Wireless Mouse
Free-Wheeling
Logitech reinvented the wheel with the MX Revolution, literally. They gave their new mouse the biggest improvement in scroll wheel functionality since the addition of the scroll wheel itself to the mouse. Logitech's scroll wheel on the MX Revolution mouse has two modes, one is a standard click mode like other mice. However, the second mode is a free-wheeling mode that makes it a breeze to scroll through long pages and documents without having to repeatedly turn the scroll wheel.
With one flick of your finger the MX Revolution scroll wheel can turn for up to seven seconds. Logitech also recognized that there are time when a free-wheeling style won't be the way to go. To address this they made it easy to change from free-wheel to click mode by pressing the mouse wheel down. They also made the MX Revolution smart enough to apply the best mouse wheel function for the task at hand. The MX revolution will choose between the two modes to give you the ideal setting.
Quick-flip
The Logitech MX Revolution Wireless Mouse also has a quick-flip button that you can use to change back and forth through documents and open web browsers on screen. Think of this feature as ALT TAB kicked up a notch. You simply press the wheel forward or backward and you get a pop up window that allows you to change documents at a click.
One-Touch Search
One of my favorite features is the one-touch search. As you type a document or browse the web if you find words that you want to find the definition on, you can simply highlight the word and click the search button under the main scroll wheel. This pops up a dialog box asking you where you want to search, Google, Yahoo! Or Yahoo! Live Words. Once you make your choice you can get definitions and web pages about the term you highlight.
Battery
The battery is a Li-Ion rechargeable and features a built in charge indicator to let you know how much battery life is left. If you go into the software you can also see the days estimated before the batteries are dead.
Full Speed Wireless USB
Connectivity for the mouse is full speed wireless USB. With wireless USB you get the same speed and performance as you do from a wired mouse.
SetPoint Software
Users of Logitech products will likely be familiar with the SetPoint software that powers virtually all of Logitech's peripherals. Using the SetPoint software you can choose what functions to map the buttons to on the MX Revolution.
Package Contents
- Logitech® MX™ Revolution Cordless
- Laser Mouse
- Recharging station
- AC power cord
- USB micro-receiver
- Logitech® SetPoint™ software CD
- User's guide
- 3-year limited warranty
Logitech MX Revolution Wireless Mouse in Use
Installation
Installing the Logitech MX Revolution Wireless Mouse was easy. The mouse required an overnight charge to charge the battery all the way up. After that you simply install the SetPoint software and plug in the wireless USB receiver and you are ready to go. The mouse was recognized without issues on my test machine.
Free-Wheeling Fun
Wow, what a huge difference in scrolling through long web pages does this MX Revolution make. I used to hate to scroll through long pages, after a while my finger would start to hurt. In free-wheel mode I could simply flick the wheel and let the page scroll automatically. The faster I flick the wheel, the faster the pages scroll. I found that with the right amount of force I could get the page to scroll automatically at a speed where I could still scan the page.
Changing Pages
The document quick-flip was great to use, and if you are like me and tend to have 5 or more browser windows open at any one time, you will love this function. Simply press the wheel forward or back and the quick flip dialog opens and allows you to change documents with a few mouse clicks.
Another feature that I really liked to use was the search button. I could highlight any word that might be unfamiliar on the page and press the search button. Web pages and definitions were put right at my fingertip, without opening over my current browser window.
My one gripe with the MX Revolution was that I caught it sleeping a few times. Stop long to enjoy the scroll wheel and the mouse goes to sleep causing lag before it picks up again.
