Installation

As this is a USB-only mouse, there's little to describe in the way of installation, thanks to the hot-swap capability of these devices. You simply plug the mouse in, even if you're switching it with your current mouse, and it should work, provided you have an operating system like Win2K or WinXP. For me, WinXP detected the mouse correctly, and I was able to use it right away. Being USB-only, there are no settings to configure, such as the polling rate, since for USB mice the refresh rate is fixed at 125Hz. I guess this is the way things should be - truly plug and play, with no hassling installation. But I guess that's because this is a fairly simple device that OSes have been using for years and years, so it only makes sense that the process ought to be easy.

As mentioned before, Logitech opted not to include MouseWare on-disc with this mouse. If you want, the latest version (9.79 as of the time of this writing), can be downloaded here. As I've already covered Logitech's MouseWare numerous times in previous reviews, I won't bore you with the details as I don't think it's necessary to use it for this mouse. Basically, the additionally features it'll add for this mouse amount allowing you to configure the functionality of each button. While this can be very useful if the mouse has extra buttons, for a standard three-button wheel mouse the default functions of each button are good enough for me.

Testing

I've used this mouse a lot on my notebook at home; overall I have a good opinion of it. As always, I used it during my daily routine, which includes a lot of web browsing, regular desktop tasks, working with documents, and some gaming here and there, mostly with Civilization III and a bit of Call of Duty on my notebook. (Yes, I'm a bit behind on the newer games.)

During this time it took me a little while to get accustomed to the smaller size of this mouse. As I said before, the smaller size forces you to hold the mouse differently than other regular-sized mice. However, I soon became adjusted to it - and if you're like me and have the mouse sensitivity set to a fairly high level, this mouse works even better, in my opinion. Since the mouse is also pretty lightweight, it moves easily with little resistance. Make no mistake though - this mouse definitely does not feel as good as a regular sized one, and if you switch between such a mouse and this one during the day, you'll notice the difference. A full-sized mouse better supports your hand during usage than this one. This isn't to say that I found the mouse was painful to use - regular-sized mouse just feel better.

However, given the choice between a notebook's integrated pointing options and this mouse, I'd definitely choose this mouse any day... including on Monday, when I feel like doing nothing. And while it'd be crazy to suggest this mouse as a desktop mouse replacement, it works well for what it was designed for, and that is for ease of use on while on the road. The mouse buttons and wheel feel as normal Logitech parts should feel, in that they are firm and provide nice feedback when they are activated.

True to its word, the mouse wraps up nicely and stores easily for when you need mobile computing power. One little thing I noticed was that in order for you to be able to snap the connector into place, you must wrap the cord fairly tightly around the mouse. I would've liked it if Logitech had left just a wee bit more slack so that the cord didn't need to be so taut in order to snap the connector down to the mouse. Beyond this, the cord-wrapping feature is very good at keeping things neat while you're traveling, and you'll no longer have to fear the long and tangled mouse cord. The thin mouse cord also does cuts down on the cord interfering with your mouse movements.

As for performance, I never noticed any skipping or bad tracking that some older-generation mice suffered from. Unless you're using this mouse on shiny surfaces, you shouldn't have any problems. I did fire up Mouse Rate Checker, but I'd guess you all would know that the refresh rate would be around 125Hz.

Mouse rate checker test.

One thing I would like to note is that though the cord-wrapping feature works well, it could have been applied to a mouse of any size. In other words, Logitech could've designed a slightly larger mouse to have the same excellent cord-wrap system, (thus making the mouse just as easy to transport) and it would have also been more comfortable than this one. Although a regular mouse is proportionally quite a bit bigger than this mouse, it wouldn't take up *that* much more space in a carrying case, so it may have been worthwhile to consider a slightly larger mouse. However, I can understand that a smaller mouse might have had a better appeal, and in any event it does take up less room.

Conclusion

While the Notebook Optical Mouse Plus won't be replacing your desktop mouse, I can certainly see you never using your notebook's pointing devices any more because of this mouse. The cord wrapping system, its biggest selling point, really did work as advertised, and if you find yourself always having to mess with tangled up mouse cords when you bring your portable somewhere, this mouse will be a godsend to you. It improves on the earlier MouseMan Traveler by including a regular-sized mouse wheel, making it feel a little more normal. However, it'll never feel like a regular-sized mouse, and some of you may not be able to get used to that. For me, while I did not find the feeling of this mouse to be uncomfortable, it certainly was not up to the feel of a regular mouse. Despite this, I'll undoubtedly be packing this mouse any time I need to bring my notebook somewhere.

Pros

• Extremely portable

• Innovative Cord-wrap system works as advertised and keeps tangles from happening

• Small, so does not take up a lot of room

• Easier to use than a notebook's integrated pointing device

• Reasonably comfortable to use

• Short and thin cord doesn't interfere with mouse movement

• 3-year warranty

Cons

• Doesn't have the support of a full-sized mouse

• A slightly larger mouse could have been made that also incorporated the cord-wrapping feature

Thanks for taking the time to read this; and thanks to Logitech for making this review possible.