Ureview by: Giraffe Hunter
Ureview points: 2
Ureviewer since: February 2006
|
Reviewed On: Sunday March 19, 2006
Price paid: $80.00
| Rating: 10 | Recommends product: Yes
|
Preface:
While doing some bathroom reading, on new product reviews, MaximumPC introduced me to the MX™700 by waving that ever so attractive Kick Ass! Award and I was hooked. As I read on they stated this mouse was tested for hours and they could not get it to loose tracking once. They also stated although a wireless mouse it ROCKED as a gaming mouse. At first I decided it was going to be another letdown like the Dual Optical, but I was still intrigued.
The Purchase:
The following day I headed over to Best Buy and spotted her sitting on the shelf all alone. I picked her up and checked out the feel and quality, pressed every little button looking for a flaw in workmanship, but none could be found. I grabbed the mouse and walked over to a flat surface and got into position and began to experience what she had to offer. By now I was being watched by about 3 employees, but I didn’t care, for $80.00 I should be able to make sweet love to this mouse. (for testing purposes of course). After about 10 minutes of pressing, fondling, and gripping this incredible hunk of plastic and technology, I grabbed the box and headed to the counter where I was greeted by a very ambitious checkout girl. After repeatedly turning down the product protection plan I was out the door and on my way.
Unpacking & Setup:
The box was relatively easy to open, getting the AC Adapter out took some skill they somehow weaved the cord so you have to take apart the whole box to get it out. I pressed in the INCLUDED Nicad Batteries and spent a good minute searching the base for the location to plug in the AC Adapter, only to find it strategically located as part of the USB Connector 8| . Now the worst part… 1 hour of SHEER TORTURE staring at this mouse while it charged. The hypnotizing flash of the green charging light kept catching my eye and distracting me. But I knew I had to wait…
Installation:
I said goodbye to my Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse and prepared my mousing surface for it’s new tenant. I installed it on my PC running Windows XP SP1. It was cake, I just plugged the mouse in and let XP do the rest. I DID NOT install any Logitech software. I loose the function of their special button the Quick Switch Program Selector (lets you switch between active programs and documents easily), but I’m not a fan of the Logitech MouseWare, and really could care less. All the other buttons operate nicely:
- Normal right and left click
- Cruise Control™ scrolling system provides more efficient scrolling through long documents or web sites,
- Two thumb buttons let you quickly move forward or back between pages on the Internet.
I needed to slow down my mouse speed after installing this mouse, but other than that I was ready to go.
Windows Use:
The extra buttons are a plus. It’s nice to have a forward and back button so you can lazily switch between WebPages with minimal movement. The Cruise Control™ scroll buttons are a sweet idea too, no more constantly scrolling through WebPages, just press the button and it smoothly scrolls through pages.
I spent quite a bit of time whipping the mouse around my desk trying to get it to lose tracking, but she performed flawlessly. Now it’s time for the Gaming test. :ooo
Gaming
First thing I did was check to see if the buttons were programmable, usually with a mouse like this you have to bind the buttons to a keystroke so they are usable in a game, but most of these were ready to go. The Cruise Control™ scroll buttons act the same as scroll up and down, the larger thumb button shows up as MOUSE4, and unfortunately the Program switcher and the little thumb buttons are unusable unless you install MouseWare (but that’s just NOT going to happen). I also had to lower my mouse sensitivity.
Now for the fun part I hopped into a game, with a few of Quake3World’s finest and I have to say it was not a letdown. Tracking was excellent, no skips no spinning around, it tracked better than my wired mouse. Even with my quick wrist flicks when attempting rocket jumps, she performed without a hitch. Freedom from a wire was another major bonus, I always hated getting caught on the edge of my desk. The MX-700 fits my hand nicely, it’s not awkward like other big mice.
Closing Statement
CORDLESS it’s not just for office applications anymore. The new MX™ Optical Engine performs as promised, and the wireless operation will please any hardcore gamer. Lacking only the ability to be used by left handed people this mouse is destined for greatness.
Rating -> 9
Only because you need to install MouseWare to get that last button to operate, I can live without it, but I had big plans for the button. It was in the perfect location for G}{H’s trademark chat bind…
“Good eye Brian!!”
G}{H
10-15-2002
-------------------------------------------------------
Real World Evaluation :: One year later...
Well it's been over a year now and I have yet to even contemplate a new mousing buddy.
Charging and usage
She holds a charge for at least a week steady, with a few hours of use per day. I am still on the same batteries included with the mouse. If you are going to use this mouse 8-10 hours a day you obviously are only going to get about 2 days per 1 Hour charge. Yes, only 1 hour so you can get up shower, eat, scratch yourself then get right back to doing whatever you do behind your PC.
Cleaning
The only surface I have to occasionally clean is the buttons, but that's if I eat while using it and that NEVER happens in my office... well maybe once or twice, but that's only if I'm really busy I use a paper towel with some Windex on it to wipe it clean.
Rugged and tough
No bad buttons, they still operate nice and smooth just like the day I bought it. I figured with their odd design of one smooth piece on top it would wear quicker, but I was wrong. She's held up through many games of Quake III Arena, hours of Serious Sam, and the torture of Unreal Tournament with no battle scars. Oh and the occasional trip into the realm of Microsoft office as well.
cool features I did not know about
As with any geek you never EVER read the manual, so I'm not sure if this is in there. If you happen to put it in the cradle the wrong way and it is not charging the light for the optical sensor flashes and lights up the wall behind it with an eerie red glow. Even though it has a green flashing LED when charging, I rarely look to see if I tossed it in the charger properly, but when the room is glowing red I know I have to go in and adjust my little buddy.
Real World Rating > 9.5
This mouse owns hard, and the price has come down quite a bit now so if you don't own one already get moving, for a gaming mouse that's wireless this is the only one you should be considering.
| |
| Pros: Great precision in gaming, long battery life, even after 3 years of use it's still kicking. |
|
| Cons: Need to install Logitech Mouseware to take advantage of a few buttons. |
|
|
Ureviews RSS Feed
; "168168mw700ab_1_.jpg")
