VX Nano, a triumph for quality and value (Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Notebook Mouse for Business)

Member Name: philb2076

Product:	Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Notebook Mouse for Business
Date:	09/06/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great features, tiny receiver, very well made.

Disadvantages: Need to install software to fully utilise the features

I purchased the Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Notebook Mouse in January along with a new laptop. The price was a hefty £35, so I was hoping it would live up to Logitech's advertising on the box, which fortunately it has!

The Nano as the name suggests is quite small as it is marketed towards a notebook audience, but this however does not take away from the usability or feel of the unit in your hand. I have used it for up to 8 hours at a time without getting the usual wrist-ache from some cheaper mice.

Logitech have managed to find a really good weight balance, helped by the fact it only uses 2xAAA batteries, it manages to feel sturdy without being heavy. This coupled with outstanding build quality and very positive feel from the buttons adds up to an all round quality product.

Now on to the party tricks...

Firstly there is the minuscule receiver that is only just bigger than a USB socket. This was a massive selling point to me as I generally use my laptop in a variety of places (desk, bed and even lap) and the receiver can be left in without fear of damaging it. Should you ever need to take your mouse to another PC simply plug the reviver into a compartment in the mouse itself, store in the very nice padded carry case and away you go!

Next there are the mouse wheel functions, which are fantastic in my opinion. Most mouse wheels have a built in ratchet that causes the wheel to move in stages as you rotate it, with the Nano you get a choice of the standard ratcheted movement, or a state where the wheel becomes free spinning on bearings. Eventually you get past the stage where you try to spin it as fast as you can, and realise that this is actually a really good feature you never thought you would use. I use it all the time, for scrolling through long word documents, spreadsheets, music collections etc... It really is something you have to try before you are convinced. The one function this does disable however is the ability to use the mouse wheel as a button, as the ratchet is turned on/off by pressing the wheel down.

Another great feature, or should I say 5 features of the nano are the programmable buttons. There are two just to the side of the left mouse button, one in the middle of the mouse, and the other two... well remember that mouse wheel, it has one more trick up its sleeve in that has the ability to 'rock' left and right to act as the other two buttons. To program these buttons to your liking you must first install the Logitech software, and then you can start assigning buttons the way you want. Here is how I have mine set up:

* Buttons to the left of mouse act as the volume control (great when you're watching a film in bed)

* Mouse wheel rocking acts as the browser 'back' and 'forward' in internet explorer, as 'next' and 'previous' song in windows media player, and toggles the sheets in MS Excel.


* The fifth button in the middle of the mouse I use to display the equivalent of holding down ALT+TAB, making switching between two documents easy.

Finally as I'm sure you're getting tired, I will leave you with the other two reasons I love this mouse...

It will work on practically any surface with fantastic accuracy and the range is phenomenal (I have used it for presentations where my laptop is on the other side of a large hall)

Thanks for reading,

Phil

Summary: It is well worth the money, considering a mouse is something you use every day!

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