Logitech MouseMan Traveler Review
Date : Sunday, 14 Sept 2003
By : Stygian
Provided By : Logitech

Introduction

Laptops or Notebooks are certainly becoming more and more commonplace as time goes on. More than just an item for the traveling business/executive-type, many laptops have transformed into near-desktop (some would argue, full desktop) replacements for a wide variety of people, from students to office workers. Indeed, for many, a laptop is not merely a secondary system, but is the main computer system of use; take me, for example: during my summer job this year, the computer I have to work at for eight hours a day is a laptop. While laptops make it easy to carry your work around, and make working from home a real possibility, for all their portability, they suffer from relatively poor input devices inherant to their size. While one may get used to the different-feeling keyboard of laptops, since for the most part the arrangement is relatively similar, it can be very difficult to get used to the pointing devices of laptops, whether it be a trackpoint, trackpad, or a combination of both. Even moving beyond these mechanisms, the buttons of laptop pointing devices just don't "feel" right, as you can't hit them like you would the buttons of a mouse. True, you could bring a regular mouse along, but that can often be cumbersome as mice were designed for use with a desktop system, and their cords are often 6ft or longer in length - and bundling up all that wire when it comes time to carry around your laptop can often be annoying.

What was needed, for some, was a mouse designed to be used with a laptop, and Logitech seems to have seen things in a similar manner, with the design of their MouseMan Traveler, a small, optical mouse meant to be used with portables. From just looking at the size and specifications, you know this mouse will be easy to carry around. But, does it offer the same performance and accuracy as its larger brothers?

Specifications

As you can see, there is nothing really glamourous about the specifications of the MouseMan Traveler; it doesn't have the latest MX Optical technology, nor is it cordless or adorned with the newest features to come out of the Logitech mouse labs. (In fact, this mouse has been part of Logitech's lineup since late 2001 - almost two years ago!) Instead, the MouseMan Traveler has one thing going for it, and that is its size: It's smaller than any mouse I've used, and has other features that make it easy to port.

The mouse itself has pretty much the standard features of any mouse you'd find today; three buttons, one of which is combined with the scroll wheel ought to serve most people well for their computing needs, and the ambidextrous design is a welcome quality. The 800-dpi sensor, much touted when it debuted in Logitech mice, is a standard in optical mice nowadays, I'd guess, and since you'll most likely be carrying around this mouse a lot, having an optical design makes practical sense, as you won't have to clean the mouse as often you would if it were mechanical. And, as you can see from the specs, a small carrying case is included to help you neatly carry the MouseMan Traveler around; the mouse and case to hold it will nicely fit inside a laptop carrying case or bag. This small addition helps show that Logitech was trying to gear the Traveler towards a portable role, rather than just doing a cheap port of a desktop mouse into a smaller-sized package.

There are also three different colours of this mouse, silver, purple and blue, and all of them have the "brushed aluminum" look, thanks to the Traveler's exterior. I *think* I got the purple variant, but I can't be sure as although mine isn't a pure silver colour, it isn't as deep hued as the purple Traveler on Logitech's site. Perhaps the marketing picture people just over did the product shot of the purple one. You can see all three versions here, at Logitech's site.

The MouseMan Traveler comes in a relatively small package, with a clear plastic shell surrounding most of the mouse, allowing you to see it, and get a good idea of its size. This departure from the normal Logitech packaging indicates a full-blown effort, at least by the marketing crew, to portray the Traveler as a certain kind of mouse with a specific use. The back of the packaging shows a picture of the included carrying case and also the underside of the mouse, to prove to you that it's optical. Once everything's out of the box, you can see the full contents: The MouseMan Traveler itself, a three-foot extension cord (as the Traveler's cord is short to accommodate laptop and notebook users), the carrying case, manual/quick start guide and an installation CD. The installation CD is the small kind - the ones that are 80mm in diameter; with the MouseWare software taking up so little room it was no problem to go to this smaller format, and the smaller CD probably fits better inside the box, and also fits in with the "small and portable" theme of the Traveler mouse. If your optical drive cannot read 80mm CDs, don't worry, as you can always download the latest version of MouseWare, Logitech's software for their mice, here.


The MouseMan Traveler.
Back.
Contents.
USB-PS/2 adapter.

As with all Logitech mice I've seen, the MouseMan Traveler comes with a USB to PS/2 adapter, and thus, it'll work on most any laptop out there, from old to new. The adapter also gives you the option if you have both USB and PS/2 ports; personally, I prefer to use the PS/2 port if it's there - after all, what else is going to use it? The Traveler's cord is thinner than most mice cords, and also shorter than most, at only a bit less than 90cm or 35" in length. These qualities make the cord easier to bundle up when transporting the mouse, and also make the mouse easier to work with as you don't have a lot of bulky wire tangling up amongst itself. However, the thinner cord is undoubtedly less durable than a regular mouse cord, so you'll want to be careful not to snag it on anything; though because it isn't too long, this is less of a concern. In case the built-on cord isn't long enough, or you want to use the Traveler with a desktop system, a 3-foot extension cord is included; with this attached, the Traveler's cord length will be equal to that of most mice. The cord of the extension is also thin, so you'll still have to be careful with how you treat it. The USB to PS/2 adapter can still be used if you elect to use the extension.


Traveler comes with an extension cord.
Extension cord is 3-feet long.
Carrying case.
Top is held in place by velcro.

The faux-leather carrying case isn't much bigger than the Traveler itself. In addition to the main pouch, which is held shut by a velcro strap, there is a small pocket off to the right side to hold perhaps the PS/2 adapter or the extension cord. Within the main compartment, at the top, is also a small button strap that can be used to hold the bundled cord of the Traveler mouse in place, so the cord won't be dangling outside of the carrying case. Overall, when the Traveler is all bundled up inside the case, it's a very tight fit, but this allows the mouse to be easily transported; the whole thing ought to fit inside a laptop carrying case with ease. For some reason, I just thought that the carrying case should've had a clip of some sort on it - cases that look like this normally do have a clip.


Button strap for holding cord in place.
Side pocket.
Case isn't very large.
There's no clip on the carrying case.

Overall, the MouseMan Traveler is smaller than a deck of playing cards, and not much more thick than the same deck at its widest point. Compared to the MX700, the mouse is not only shorter in length, but substantially less tall and bulky. With such a small footprint, and such a thin design, unless you are an infant (no offense to children), you won't be able to rest your entire hand or even most of your hand on the mouse, as you would with a normal mouse. Instead, you'll find yourself gripping the sides of the mouse with your thumb and ring/pinky fingers, with your index and middle fingers arched over the top of the mouse and their tips resting on the left and right buttons, respectively. While this won't be as comfortable as using, say, the MX700, it doesn't feel bad, and certainly feels better (and is more accurate) than using the pointing devices integrated into laptops. Logitech did the best they could with a device of this size.


Mouse is smaller than a deck of cards.
Mouse has a very slim profile.
Brushed aluminum exterior.
Shell and buttons are one piece - similar to the MX700's exterior design.

The exterior of the mouse is made of a single piece of anodized, brushed aluminum, which helps to form a very nice looking and durable design. The Logitech logo is merely adhered to this surface, and seems like it will wear off in time to come; if Logitech wanted their logo to last, they should've etched it into position. The aluminum shell extends to the front to cover both the left and right button areas, so the buttons aren't made of separate pieces of material. This design not only looks better, but helps cut down on dirt that may have built up in the gaps that would've formed between the two pieces of plastic.


The wheel is very narrow.
The side grips extend all the way around the mouse.
Mouse isn't very tall at all.
Side grips feel very nice.

Despite the small and unusual design of the mouse, and the fact that the exterior extends over the buttons and is made of metal, the buttons have almost the same feel as other mice. There is very little play in the buttons, as with all Logitech mice, and the buttons have perhaps a little bit more resistance than your average mouse button - however, it's not so much that it's bothersome. The wheel, on the other hand, has more play to it, but still feels firm and responsive when clicked. However, the biggest problem I had with the wheel was the fact that it was so narrow, as it's less than half the width of a regular mouse wheel. It almost feels like an edge when your press your finger into it, and this is annoying, especially considering that Logitech could have put a wider wheel on the Traveler without causing layout problems. I think, in this case, they went a little too far in trying to make everything look small - but perhaps I'm mistaken. Despite this, the wheel rotates very easily, as its surface is a grip-like texture - but it doesn't rotate so easily that you find yourself rotating it by accident when clicking the wheel as a button. Additionally, the wheel, when rotated, provides a nice ratcheting feedback that isn't loud.

The sides of the mouse are covered in a soft-feeling rubber-like texture that feels nice to hold. Despite the fact that the overall shape of the mouse is box-like and rectangular, it doesn't feel bad to use it, as you're not putting your hand around the mouse, as mentioned before. Rather, with just your thumb and ring finger holding onto the sides, it doesn't feel bad at all, thanks in part to the nice side textures. The texture is similar to that found on the MX500/MX700 mice, and perhaps a little likes the side grips on the other Logitech MouseMan mice.


Buttons have the usual Logitech feel.
Overall, the mouse has a very boxy shape to it.
Three teflon feet.
Ah, the optical glow; the Traveler uses 100mA@5VDC.

The bottom shows the three teflon feet that keep this mouse gliding nicely on most surfaces. You can also see the exterior of the 800-dpi sensor here, and from the specs, this mouse uses 100mA@5VDC, about average for an optical mouse. Curiously, the bottom label identifies the mouse as a "MouseMan Mobile"; this is what the mouse is sold as in Japan and maybe Asia, I believe. Over here, it gets the name of MouseMan Traveler. Reasoning behind this nomenclatural idiosyncrasy? Who am I to say, for I'm no marketing graduate, and certainly not an expert in Asian/North American cultural differences, but personally, I'd prefer MouseMan Mobile, as traveling has a different meaning for me.


Button strap for holding wires.
All bundled up; no extension or adapter.
With everything, included extension and adapter, it's a tight fit.

With the mouse packaged up in its holder, you get a better idea of the carrying case. You can better see the button strap holding the wires in place, and see how quaint the hold thing looks when bundled up. If you choose to bring the extension cord along (which you shouldn't need if you're using the Traveler with a laptop), and the PS/2 adapter as well, the carrying case will be pretty tighly packed - it'll also requires some neat cord bundling in order to fit everything in nicely.

Installation

As with all Logitech mice, the MouseWare software has been included, which, when installed, allows you to configure several options on your mouse, including setting different options for the buttons. However, with the MouseMan Traveler only having three buttons, you shouldn't need MouseWare to get full functionality out of the mouse; in this case you can just plug it into either a USB or PS/2 port, and it'll have full support from Windows. (At least Windows 2000 and Windows XP.) With the default mouse control panel in Win2K or WinXP offering decent options, this is probably the best route as it offers the least amount of hassle.


MouseWare installation.
I didn't notice a difference between USB and PS/2.
Right hand/left hand.
Other options.

In case you do decide to use MouseWare, you may be prompted with a message about using the USB port if you've connected to the PS/2 port with the Traveler; I didn't notice any accuracy or precision difference between the USB and PS/2 ports, provided the PS/2 port's polling rate was set to a sufficiently high number. I'd recommend using the PS/2 port anyways, as then you won't be tying up a USB port that may need to be used for something else. However, inserting a USB connector is usually a bit easier than inserting a PS/2 one, so whatever works for you.

After MouseWare is installed, you are prompted with setting up some initial options for your mouse, such as whether it's meant to be used by your left hand or right hand, and what function you want assigned to the middle mouse button.


Summary of default configuration.
With only three buttons, everything's simple.
Button configuration.
Many options are available, including setting a keystroke.

Once that's done, you can configure each button's functionality. While I don't think you'd want to change the default assignment of the left and right mouse buttons, the remaining button can be set to a variety of functions, and even set to perform a keystroke. Of course, with only three buttons on this mouse, the usefulness of MouseWare decreases somewhat. Additionally, with the default PS/2 rates in Win2K and WinXP set to relatively high numbers (80Hz for Win2K and 100Hz in WinXP, IIRC) you probably won't need to increase the PS/2 rate using MouseWare; in any event you can change these values in Device Manager. With the latest version of MouseWare, v9.78, (used during these tests), there isn't much advantage to using MouseWare - I'd skip the installation of the software and just use Windows' drivers.


PS/2 rate can be adjusted, if connected using PS/2.
v9.78 used.

Testing

I've used this mouse for just over four weeks now, which includes time at work where they've 'given' me a laptop to work on. In addition to work, I've also used this mouse at home for regular using including web browsing, document manipulation and lots of gaming, mostly in Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, America's Army v1.9, GTA: Vice City and a little bit of Rise of Nations.

Though the Dell laptop at work had both a trackpoint and a trackpad, I just could not get adjusted to these pointing devices as I've gotten adjusted to a mouse. Thus, the Traveler was quite a bit of an upgrade compared to these pointing options! Though the mouse has a somewhat boxy shape that seems to defy ergonomics, it's not uncomfortable to use, as you don't rest your hand on the mouse, but rather move it by holding it by the sides between your thumb and ring/pinky finger. If, however, you like to rest your entire hand on a mouse during usage, the Traveler may not fly with you very nicely. The sides have a nice grip feeling to them, helping you in getting a good grip, though that's not really necessary as the mouse is very light and glides easily on most any surface.

The buttons were firm and had a nice response, though as I've mentioned before, my biggest gripe was with the scroll wheel, which is too thin; it could've been made a bit wider despite the Traveler's smaller size. Having said all of this, while the Traveler is better than a laptop's built in pointing devices, it doesn't stand up as well against a full-size mouse, especially during gaming. It's not really harder to move the mouse or use it, it's just that during lots of fast movements, the Traveler's small size and shape does become more apparent, in that it doesn't feel as nice as a full-size mouse, which would have support for the middle of your hand as it holds it. While the Traveler won't be replacing your current desktop mouse, it makes one heck of a laptop mouse, as the included carrying case makes it easy to bring around with you.


The MouseMan Traveler on the PS/2 port @200Hz, and on USB.

Lastly, just for fun, I tested the mouse using Mouse Rate Checker; the results are listed above in the pictures, and were as expected. I didn't notice any major problems with the Traveler's optical sensor, but I could get it to skip if I moved it really fast (like a jerk movement) on some surfaces, such as desktops that were somewhat shiny. I really had to jerk the mouse though, in an artificial sort of movement - I never noticed the mouse skipping during natural usage.

Conclusion

While the Traveler certainly cannot compete with the latest desktop mice offered by both Logitech and Microsoft, it will almost always be a better option than the pointing devices built in to your laptop. Using a mouse will always feel more natural for me, than using a trackpad/trackpoint. Having said that, the small design isn't too hard to use, but because the mouse is relatively flat, you'll find yourself moving this mouse with a fingertip grip, that doesn't feel too right; additionally, the thin-edge mouse wheel could have been designed better. Overall, the MouseMan Traveler was a HUGE improvement over the trackpad or trackpoint devices integrated into laptops. The small carrying pouch also makes it ideal/easy to take home at the end of the day, lest some office minion steal your precious, hard-earned mouse.

Pros

Cons

Thanks to Logitech for making this review possible!

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