[HEADING=1]Logitech M950 Wireless Performance Mouse Review[/HEADING]
The mouse has, for many years, been one of the primary attractions of a PC. It allows a person to seamlessly interact with a computer, making computing accessible to anyone and everyone. The evolution of the mouse is easily tracked by sorting through the parts bin out the back of any old IT shop[footnote]A well documented source of mouse historians.[/footnote]. Trackballs gave way to optical, optical gave way to laser. Cords disappeared in lieu of batteries, now rechargeables lead the way.
In other words, mice are no longer nondescript blobs bought on a whim; they are carefully shaped to be comfortable and packed with the latest laser and battery technologies. The M950 is the latest step in this evolution.
Unpacking and Installation
Taking the M950 out of the box is a bit of a big deal. You open up the cardboard flap to see your mouse displayed beautifully under a clear plastic coating. The urge is to grab it out there and then, but you are made to wait. Opening the side of the box, the first thing that falls out is a nicely textured black Logitech branded bag, full of goodies. In a world of cable ties and disposable plastic, this bag is a very nice human touch. Discarding this, you get quick access to the star of the show, the M950.
Installation is easy. Plug in the tiny unifying receiver to any free USB slot, pull the tab out of the battery compartment on the bottom of the mouse, and you're all set. For the more advanced features, the Logitech software is easy to install as well.
Presentation
The looks of the M950 are challenging. It doesn't strike me as an immediately elegant design. Despite the chrome and the tactile surfaces, it is not a mouse you'd buy on the basis of looks. The button I most like is the switch window button. Ie. The one you can't really see. When taking pictures of the M950, I found that there were only one or two angles in which it didn't look either snub-nosed or (for want of a better word) lumpy[footnote]Not to say that the M950 is downright ugly, its just not the most handsome piece of kit on the market today. [/footnote].
Using it, you can almost forgive the looks. The curvature of the top and the wing-like thumb grip are comfortable, the essential (right, left and scroll) buttons are placed intuitively and are a pleasure to use. The lack of a cord is a bonus.
Performance and Battery Life
The main attraction of this mouse is the way if performs in different environments. It comes with a wall socket charger, which is extremely useful when on the go and can be used on literally any surface I could think of. I even got it to work on one of my windows.
The adjustable scroll wheel and the various extra buttons are good ideas, but over the course of a week and a half I didn't really make all that much use of them. Whether that is just me or if they are slightly unnecessary is unclear. I can see better potential for them for users that use the mouse more than the keyboard, but I'm more of an alt-tabber than a click-special -mouse-button...er.
During conventional mouse use, such as browsing etc, I quickly got used to the mouse and found it to be very accurate and consistent on all surfaces. It also performed well (I didn't notice a difference between it and my Razer gaming mouse) in various games.
And now to the big one; battery life. I have used a corded mouse up until now because I loathe it running out and having no more batteries to fill it back up with. The M950 so far shows very promising signs. Straight out of the box it has worked for over a week (it's on its 3rd day of "critical battery"). This may not seem very good but I'll underline the words for you. Straight out of the box. Nothing rechargeable works out of the box!
Conclusion
Over the week and a half that I have used the M950, it has performed admirably. Its challenging looks and perhaps overdesigned buttons do little to diminish this very high quality product.
Pros
- Ease of installation
- Comfortable design
- Amazingly versatile tracking
- Good battery life out of the box
- Wall charger
- Can be used while recharging
Cons
- Challenging looks
- Perhaps too many buttons and functions
- Will unfortunately need recharging (eventually)
Recommendation
If you like to use your laptop on the go and/or travel with it, this is a great mouse for you. It will work on any surface and will not let you down battery wise in a pinch as long as you follow the warnings that the software gives you.
If you are a gamer, or what they call a "power user" this mouse will not let you down, except in that online match when you really can't afford to run out of battery. In other words, it's a great mouse, but Logitech (or anyone else for that matter) has not yet managed to make a self charging mouse[footnote]Nuclear people, it's the way of the future![/footnote].
This is my first review guys, so any positive or negative feedback (constructive is the preferred currency) is very welcome.
The mouse has, for many years, been one of the primary attractions of a PC. It allows a person to seamlessly interact with a computer, making computing accessible to anyone and everyone. The evolution of the mouse is easily tracked by sorting through the parts bin out the back of any old IT shop[footnote]A well documented source of mouse historians.[/footnote]. Trackballs gave way to optical, optical gave way to laser. Cords disappeared in lieu of batteries, now rechargeables lead the way.
In other words, mice are no longer nondescript blobs bought on a whim; they are carefully shaped to be comfortable and packed with the latest laser and battery technologies. The M950 is the latest step in this evolution.
Unpacking and Installation
Taking the M950 out of the box is a bit of a big deal. You open up the cardboard flap to see your mouse displayed beautifully under a clear plastic coating. The urge is to grab it out there and then, but you are made to wait. Opening the side of the box, the first thing that falls out is a nicely textured black Logitech branded bag, full of goodies. In a world of cable ties and disposable plastic, this bag is a very nice human touch. Discarding this, you get quick access to the star of the show, the M950.
Installation is easy. Plug in the tiny unifying receiver to any free USB slot, pull the tab out of the battery compartment on the bottom of the mouse, and you're all set. For the more advanced features, the Logitech software is easy to install as well.
Presentation
The looks of the M950 are challenging. It doesn't strike me as an immediately elegant design. Despite the chrome and the tactile surfaces, it is not a mouse you'd buy on the basis of looks. The button I most like is the switch window button. Ie. The one you can't really see. When taking pictures of the M950, I found that there were only one or two angles in which it didn't look either snub-nosed or (for want of a better word) lumpy[footnote]Not to say that the M950 is downright ugly, its just not the most handsome piece of kit on the market today. [/footnote].
Using it, you can almost forgive the looks. The curvature of the top and the wing-like thumb grip are comfortable, the essential (right, left and scroll) buttons are placed intuitively and are a pleasure to use. The lack of a cord is a bonus.
Performance and Battery Life
The main attraction of this mouse is the way if performs in different environments. It comes with a wall socket charger, which is extremely useful when on the go and can be used on literally any surface I could think of. I even got it to work on one of my windows.
The adjustable scroll wheel and the various extra buttons are good ideas, but over the course of a week and a half I didn't really make all that much use of them. Whether that is just me or if they are slightly unnecessary is unclear. I can see better potential for them for users that use the mouse more than the keyboard, but I'm more of an alt-tabber than a click-special -mouse-button...er.
During conventional mouse use, such as browsing etc, I quickly got used to the mouse and found it to be very accurate and consistent on all surfaces. It also performed well (I didn't notice a difference between it and my Razer gaming mouse) in various games.
And now to the big one; battery life. I have used a corded mouse up until now because I loathe it running out and having no more batteries to fill it back up with. The M950 so far shows very promising signs. Straight out of the box it has worked for over a week (it's on its 3rd day of "critical battery"). This may not seem very good but I'll underline the words for you. Straight out of the box. Nothing rechargeable works out of the box!
Conclusion
Over the week and a half that I have used the M950, it has performed admirably. Its challenging looks and perhaps overdesigned buttons do little to diminish this very high quality product.
Pros
- Ease of installation
- Comfortable design
- Amazingly versatile tracking
- Good battery life out of the box
- Wall charger
- Can be used while recharging
Cons
- Challenging looks
- Perhaps too many buttons and functions
- Will unfortunately need recharging (eventually)
Recommendation
If you like to use your laptop on the go and/or travel with it, this is a great mouse for you. It will work on any surface and will not let you down battery wise in a pinch as long as you follow the warnings that the software gives you.
If you are a gamer, or what they call a "power user" this mouse will not let you down, except in that online match when you really can't afford to run out of battery. In other words, it's a great mouse, but Logitech (or anyone else for that matter) has not yet managed to make a self charging mouse[footnote]Nuclear people, it's the way of the future![/footnote].
This is my first review guys, so any positive or negative feedback (constructive is the preferred currency) is very welcome.
