Looking at an overlooked PC component!
Written: Aug 15 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: I got it half price, 800dpi, cool buttons, comfortable!
Cons: Pricy!
The Bottom Line: Buy this mouse! It may not have reinvented the "mouse" but I'm sure some of it's innovative features will impress you.
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| bbabiuk's Full Review: Logitech MXâ„¢ 510 (931162-0403) Mouse |
I was feeling a little bit down one Sunday afternoon. I left work a little early that day with a co-worker's pc. I was going to upgrade it for him, and install some software. It came to me that I only had one mouse kicking around. And if I wanted to run both his PC and mine at the same time, I was going to have get another mouse or go through the trouble of constantly swapping mice back and forth. Enter retail therapy. I stopped into Future Shop on the way home, and was going to buy a cheap mouse. (After all, I already had a cheap optical mouse I had bought a few years back. It's only a mouse.) Then something happened. I saw the MX 510. I remember reading about it in Maximum PC magazine. I remember my co-worker spouting off about how good this mouse's predecessor the MX 500 was. It was on sale!!! Half Price! It looked lean and mean, and it was shiny blue! Out came the wallet, and home I went.
The truth is most of us look at mice as just something you use to point and click. I still sort of do to. But let me tell you, after using this mouse, all are not created equal.
First Impressions
My last mouse was a 4 year old optical mouse. It too was a Logitech, and it glowed in the dark. The MX 510 dosn't. Oh well, no biggie. I am told this mouse is really accurate. Well, I'm not an expert. But my old optical mouse used to kind of shiver, well, the pointer did. The MX 510 has a 800 dpi optical sensor. According to the package it captures 5.8 mega pixels every second. OK. It dosn't quiver like my old mouse. The mouse glides nicely. The MX wins this round. On the mouse itself you have the standard 2 mouse buttons, and a scroll wheel. Also, there are 2 programable buttons on the left side of the mouse. To someone who has used a standard cheap mouse all their computing life, they look silly, and out of place. To be honest, I still don't really use them. But I may someday. On top of the mouse however, this is a different story. On either side of the scroll wheel are buttons. The one above the scroll mouse is a "scroll button" and there is one below as well. I looked at these things and scoffed. Who is going to use these? I thought it was a gimmick. Guess what folks. When I am at work, using the PC, I miss those buttons. I find that I enjoy scrolling with both the wheel, but also to some degree with the buttons. Below the scroll wheel, and below one of those beloved scroll buttons is another button. Press it, and you get a popup window that allows you to change applications. I can't say I use that button that often. Despite some gimmicky buttons, the MX wins this round too!
The mouse really is big compared to my last mouse. But I have to think Logitech spent some time on this one. The mouse fits wonderfully in your right hand. Sorry lefties, I am told that it is aweful for you. There is a nice "thumb rest" on the side of the mouse. If you are a righty, MX wins again, otherwise call it a draw!
The MX comes with a cd (mouse drivers), and a ps2 adaptor. This is so that anyone still running a PC without a free USB port can use this gem.
Closing Thoughts
It is blue, it has 8 buttons, "cruise control", 800dpi, and is really comfortable for a righty like me. I'm not a gamer, but I am told this is quite the gamer's mouse. I don't understand how or why anyone games with a mouse, but perhaps I will someday. There are some innovative features, and some I would view as gimmicky! The bottom line is that this is a quality pointing device. If you need a new mouse, and if it is on sale, I highly recommend it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 29 CAD
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Epinions.com ID:
bbabiuk
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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Reviews written: 48
Trusted by: 5 members
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