Logitech V250 Cordless Mouse and Number Pad (Logitech V250 Cordless Mouse and Number Pad)

Member Name: soundsexciting

Product:	Logitech V250 Cordless Mouse and Number Pad
Date:	11/08/06 (1057 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: no need to use the touchpad on a notebook

Disadvantages: cannot store USB wireless connector within the mouse

As an IT Business Consultant I get to do a fair amount of travel to different client sites. To allow me to function effectively my company has issued me with a top of the line laptop. Not the one I've reviewed in the past but a new one. I'll review that in a week or two once I've had a good chance to put it through its paces.

Unfortunately no matter how great the laptop, there are a couple of things I hate about laptops in general:- having to use the touch pad and having to enter numbers into a software application such as a spreadsheet.

All the laptops I've ever used have this touch pad below the set of keys on the keyboard where you trace your finger on the pad and this moves the mouse pointer about on the screen. To select an item on the screen you have to press a button usually located below the touch pad and this I find very tedious. You either have to lift your finger from the pad to press the button or you have to use your other hand. I find this tedious and it means that I can't be eating a sandwich or drinking a coffee whilst using the touch pad.

I also hate the fact that laptops don't have a separate set of key for the numeric keypad. Instead laptops generally use the existing character keys to give you a crude representation of a numeric keypad. Usually you have to press a special key near the shift/ctrl button and then press one of the existing keys to get a number up on the key. Alternatively you can use the row of numbered keys below the Function Keys. Again I find this tedious especially when I know that I can enter numbers rapidly on a standard keyboard.

The Logitech V250 addresses both these issues.
I bought one recently from Office World for £36. It was £6 more than a regular Logitech/Microsoft wireless mouse and I thought the extra £6 was worth it for this gadget because you get a numeric keypad as well.

Both the mouse and key pad work wirelessly. They don't use Bluetooth but they do use the same wireless frequency (2.4Ghz) as WiFi.

# Box Contents #

The box consists of the following:
A battery operated wireless mouse
A battery operated wireless numeric keypad
A USB Wireless mini-receiver
A cloth case for the mouse
A plastic case for the keypad
A CD with software drivers
4 Duracell AA batteries (2 for the mouse and 2 for the keypad)

# The Mouse #

The mouse is a small one that fits easily into your hand. For some it may be too small but I find that its adequate for the uses that I would put it to. I would not recommend it for gaming but it is ideal for 'proper' use. Its an optical mouse so it works on most surfaces except highly reflective ones and glass and it means that there’s no cleaning required because there are no moving parts like a ball where dust/fluff can get behind. It's not as responsive as the Logitech Laser mouse but it does perform just like the other optical mouses* that Logitech produce. It has the standard 2 buttons and a scroll wheel. The scroll wheel also functions as a 'middle button'.
At the bottom of the mouse is an off-button and this is useful for when the mouse is tucked away not being used during car/train/plan journeys. Logitech also supply a little cloth bag type thing for storing the mouse in but I can't see any point in that personally.

It communicates with your computer via a USB mini-receiver, which is plugged into a spare USB port on your laptop. I’m not sure what the range is but it's plenty. I can’t see the point in having a range so great that you can’t actually see the screen that you are supposed to be controlling with the mouse!

There’s not much more to say about it really. As a mouse it performs just as it should and the Logitech name means that quality is assured and it comes with a 5-year warranty.
For me personally it means that I can now get around software applications and browse the Internet as fast as I can on my desktop.

*Before anyone tries to correct me, I'm reliably informed that the plural of a computer mouse is 'mouses' and that the word 'mice' only applies to the furry kind.

# The Numeric Keypad #

The next bit of this package is the numeric keypad. This works in the same principle as the mouse in that the device sends a signal to the USB wireless receiver plugged into your USB port. Here the numbers pressed on the keypad appear in whatever application your PC happens to be running. Like the mouse, the keypad has an off switch for conserving your battery power. It has a button for putting the keypad into keypad mode but a second button turns it into a basic calculator. This function is really handy as it allows you to perform calculations without having to start up the Microsoft Calculator. The results of your calculations can also be sent to the application that is current on your screen. Some additional buttons allow you to adjust the sound levels on your PC speakers and also allow you to start Windows Media Player and then control the basic functions like start, stop, pause, fast forward, rewind. Again this is very handy and in this mode the keypad behaves like a remote control so you can control for example the DVD in your PC’s DVD drive from the comfort of your chair.

The keypad can be stored in a plastic holder by inserting it into the holder so that the keys are facing away from you. This prevents them from being accidentally pressed whilst in your laptop bag or briefcase.

# Installation #

Installation was a doddle. I have Windows XP and when I plugged in the USB mini receiver, Windows immediately recognised that I’d plugged in a wireless mouse and receiver and I was off using the two gadgets within seconds. However I decided to install the supplied software anyway just in case it offered additional functionality. Installing the software was again a doddle. You essentially just click on the ‘Next’ button at each prompt. Once installed, the Logitech software didn’t really allow me to do anything that I couldn’t already do with the mouse and keypad. I think its only there for those machines that have earlier versions of Windows installed.

I think the problems with the lack of a mouse and keypad are ones that many business users of laptops have. Especially when they come from a background of having used desktop PC’s. This product allows you to get your productivity back up to the level it would be if you used a standard keyboard and mouse such as you find on any desktop PC and I would recommend it to any business user.

Summary: great wireless mouse and keypad for the business user

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