NEW MOUSE PUTS LASER ON "STUN"
The friction mouse is dead. Long live the optical mouse. Ok so
you can still buy a friction mouse but why bother? A friction mouse
uses a little rubberized ball underneath it that rolls along the
desktop surface as you move the mouse. The rolling ball rubs up
against tiny little wheels that translate that movement into
tracking motion that in turn moves the mouse cursor in a
corresponding direction. It's an ancient technology that's sensitive
to foreign particles that get picked up by the ball such as dust and
dirt that build up over time and can gunk up the little wheels
causing the cursor to "stick" on the screen.
Today's optical mice have eliminated the ball and replaced it
with a light emitting diode (LED) that emits light. Sensors in the
mouse literally see the illuminated desktop surface and track the
motion of the mouse resulting in the same corresponding mouse
pointer movement. The optical mouse doesn't suffer from the same
sensitivity to dust and dirt so you won't experience the sticking
mouse pointer syndrome that was inherent in its predecessor.
Over time, various improvements have been made within the optical
technology. Those advances have primarily been in the way the
surface tracking occurs. Increasing the resolution and number of
times the position of the surface underneath the mouse is detected
have been the two main areas of enhancement. But now Logitech (www.logitech.com)
has come up with a new way of improving the optical mouse by using a
different kind of light source than the others. They're using a
laser.
 Logitech's
new MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse ($79.95) is claiming 20 times the
tracking power of other optical mice that use an LED as their light
source. Because the MX1000's low-power Class 1 laser can emit an
ultra-narrow bean of light, it's perfectly safe. Combine the laser
with the mouse's sensor that can capture up to 5.8 megapixels of
data every second, it is able to track on surfaces that would not be
possible with a conventional optical mouse. For example. Optical
mice can't really track on glossy surfaces or white surfaces. But
the MX1000 can track on lacquered tabletops, glazed ceramic tile,
untextured plastic, translucent plastic, most metal surfaces,
high-gloss white photo paper, laminate-covered countertops such as
Formica, dark wood grain, gradient multicolor surfaces and opaque
glass. The only surface it will not work on is clear glass but they
say they are working on that as well. By the way, LED optical mice
won't work on clear glass either.
In addition to the laser, the MX1000 sports most everything else
that's desirable in a mouse including cordless radio operation, 8
user-definable buttons which includes the scroll wheel button that
scrolls both vertically and horizontally. The MX1000 is powered by
the same lithium-Ion battery technology that's used in today's
top-end cell phones. Plus I really like the looks of the illuminated
four-level battery power indicator next to the thumb rest. The
MX1000 also comes with a rapid-charging base station in which you
can dock the mouse when it is not in use. Ten minutes of charging
provides enough power for one full day of use. Four hours fully
charges the mouse that can last up to 21 days for most users. No
more batteries to buy with this baby.
If you're ready to move up to the ultimate mouse, then the MX1000
with its compliment of features along with its unique laser tracking
system and high-tech looks is ready to stun. Connects via USB and
works with Windows or Macintosh OS X.
www.logitech.com |
