Introduction:

   Laptops/Notebooks computers have never been so popular. With the decreasing costs of hardware, the popularity of these portable computers has been steadily rising over the traditional desktop computer. If you don't care for gaming, you can easily get a ~$1000 laptop computer that'll do all you want to do, and take up a fraction of the space of a desktop computer. For many people, this is enough. Other times, a desktop computer is not possible because of mobility demands.

While most people can adjust to the laptop's keyboard, many do not like the usual touchpad that comes with it. Thus, one is forced to use a mouse with it. But traditional corded mice don't work well with laptops, as they add more clutter where it most certainly is not needed. Because of that, manufacturers have started making smaller cordless mice designed for portable use.

Logitech is no stranger to this market, and late last year they released the VX Revolution, the laptop version of their Revolution series of mice, which, besides being cordless, features the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel. Along with other features, this mouse is definitely intended to be the "ultimate" among laptop mice. Does it live up to its "Revolution" namesake?

Specifications:

   The VX Revolution is a cordless laser mouse intended for use with a laptop. Because of this, it features a small, stowaway USB receiver for communication over the 2.4 GHz frequency range. While other mice feature this, the VX Revolution's is the smallest I have ever seen - there's no chance that this receiver will block adjacent USB ports. In line with this is the fact that the mouse only uses a single AA battery, which is provided.

• Full Specifications

While the receiver is small, the mouse is not, at least when compared to other laptop mice. In fact, it's almost close to regular size - this is something I've been wanting in a laptop mouse for a while. After all, how much space can you save by making a mouse too small? Furthermore, it's pretty much necessary that the VX Revolution was regular-sized, due to the number of buttons/controls on it.

The most touted feature of the VX Revolution is the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel. This new scroll wheel had two modes, either free-spin or the regular click-to-click. In free-spin mode, the wheel spins with virtually no resistance, allowing you to quickly scroll through pages without having to continuously move your fingers. The regular mode provides the standard tactile feedback as you scroll. Unlike the MX Revolution, the desktop version of the Revolution mice, the wheel mode must be set manually via a switch on the bottom of the mouse. (The MX Revolution is a bit more advanced, allowing control via software)

Other notable/new features are the zoom slider, the forward/backward thumb buttons and the touch-to-search button. These allow a level of control from your mousing hand not seen on other mice. Unfortunately, because the mouse is tailored for right-handed usage, lefties are out of luck.

The VX Revolution.

What's included.

Mini-receiver stores inside.

The VX Revolution package consists of the mouse itself, the receiver, an AA battery and a CD/install guide. The overall shape of the mouse very similar to previous Logitech mice, such as the MX1000. The sides are contoured to fit your hand, with particular attention to the thumb-side rest. The end result is that the VX Revolution is very comfortable to hold. Additionally, the sides are covered in rubberized grips with a nice texture. The mouse is also thicker than most, providing more support to your hand than most laptop mice. In fact, the VX Revolution could be at home with most desktop systems, since its size is comparable to most desktop mice. A 3-year warranty rounds out the package.

As mentioned before, the receiver is quite small and stores away in the mouse when not in use. A button on the bottom of the mouse ejects the receiver when you want to use it. See here for a video of this in action. Overall, this is a pretty elegant solution, as it reduces the chance that you'll misplace the receiver.

However, some people would like to do away with the receiver altogether by making the mouse use Bluetooth instead. This is a valid complaint, and one wonders why there aren't more flagship Bluetooth mice from the big manufacturers such as Logitech. With a laptop featuring a Bluetooth receiver, you could simply take out your mouse, turn it on, and things would work. There would be no need to plug in another receiver. Logitech does make a Bluetooth notebook mouse, the V270, but compared to the VX Revolution, it's quite Spartan. My guess is that Logitech decided that they wanted to support the most number of systems with this mouse. Every system has USB, but not every one has Bluetooth.

Mini-receiver hidden away.

Receiver size comparison.

Top view.

Being the flagship mouse, the VX Revolution has quite a number of features. In addition to the newly designed wheel, the mouse also features forward/backward thumb buttons. These are very useful for web browsing once you become used to them, as they really speed up things. Additionally, there is a zoom slider just above these buttons that does just what its name implies. It's useful for zooming in/out of documents and images editing programs. Lastly, there is a search button just below the wheel. You can highlight/select any word in any program, and then click this button to perform an Internet search of the word. You can select which search engine you want to use. This can be very useful when reading documents, as you can easily find the meaning of words that you don't know.

Thumb rest and buttons.

Zoom slider.

Wheel and search button.

In total, there are 10 configurable functions of this mouse, if you could the wheel and its tilt functions. All of them are configurable within SetPoint, Logitech's control software, and most of the extra ones require SetPoint to work.

In addition to a contoured grip, the sides also have a nice rubber texture to them, improving control and comfort. This is a really nice feature that Logitech has included on all of their top-end mice, and I really would hate to be without it. The shape of the mouse is also near-perfect, as it fits your hand naturally.

Non-thumb side.

Contoured grip.

Tilt wheel.

So, with all the hype about the new wheel, how does it work? Pretty well, actually. In the standard, ratchet-resistance mode, the wheel operates as normal, with tactile clicks every time you scroll it. By setting it to resistance-free mode, the wheel "unlocks", and can spin for several seconds with just a single flick. To accomplish this, the wheel is made of metal, and has a nice textured grip. As an added bonus, this makes the wheel a little larger than normal, which makes it easier to use. The wheel also features side-to-side or tilt scrolling.

One major difference with the MX Revolution is that the VX does not feature the "SmartShift" technology that the MX does. This means that while the MX Revolution can automatically adjust the wheel's resistance setting based on software settings, the VX cannot. You must choose between the two modes manually via the switch on the bottom.

Bottom and receiver.

Uses 1 AA battery.

Laser and wheel mode switch.

The bottom of the mouse shows five large feet to ensure smooth movement. There's also the switch for the wheel resistance, as well as an on/off button and the eject button for the receiver to remove it when it's stored away. The single AA battery is also inserted at the bottom. Logitech claims about 120 days of usage from a single AA battery, and this was inline with what was observed during testing. The mouse automatically turns off once you store away the receiver inside, so the on/off button is only for manually turning it off.

Laser and wheel mode switch.

Size comparison.

Compared with other laptop mice, the VX Revolution is perhaps somewhat bigger. The mice pictures above, from left to right, are the MX1000, the VX Revolution and the V200. As you can see, it's roughly the same size as the V200 (which isn't a particularly small mouse), but much smaller than the desktop MX1000. Thus, the VX Revolution shouldn't be a problem to carry along with your laptop.

More importantly, since the VX only uses a single AA battery, it's lighter than the V200, which uses 2 AA batteries. However, the difference was small, due to some of the difference being made up by the extra weight of the new mouse wheel.