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Logitech MX Revolution
by Zakalwe
I've been using Logitech mice for years and due to the wheel sensor dying on the last one I opted for the MX Revolution (previous one was a MX Performance). Ergonomically this is one of the best mice I've used - it is moulder so that your hand fits round it naturally, with a groove for your thumb; relax your hand and it fits the contours ... of the mouse perfectly.
It comes with a charging dock, USB radio dongle, and the Logitech Setpoint software. Personally I think the charging dock looks ugly, but it does the job well. My only complaint would be missing a cable to plug into the mouse to charge it. I think this would rarely be used, but as it is, if your mouse runs out of charge, you have to put it back into the dock and wait for it to charge before you use it again. I usually put mine on to charge every couple of nights when I go to bed.
The mouse has the standard left and right mouse buttons, and the scroll wheel which can also be clicked as a third button. This wheel scrolls up and down as standard, but can also be nudges left and right to scroll in those directions. There is a small button just below the wheel that lets you change it from staged scrolling to free scrolling. To the left, by your thumb, you have two more buttons for forwards and backwards (in your browser or file explorer) and a thumb wheel, by default set for flipping documents you are working on. The thumb wheel feels a little odd to begin with but after an hour it just feels as natural as the rest of the mouse.
The real advantage of Logitech (apart from the awesome hardware) is the Setpoint software. Setting the mouse up takes no time at all - plug in the USB dongle, turn the mouse on (small slide button on the bottom) and it connects. Windows and most Linux distros find it and install default drivers automatically. Installing the Setpoint software lets you really customise how the mouse works for you. Apart from the usual settings like track speed, you can also assign your own functions for all the buttons. I don't need the document flip function, so have the thumb wheel set to forward and backwards (browser and file explorer), and the two thumb buttons set to copy and paste. The middle button (wheel button) brings up my start menu. You can assign pretty much any function you like to suit your own use.
The tracking is fast, with no detectable lag, and uses a Performance laser engine (whatever that is).
This isn't the cheapest mouse on the market (nor is it the most expensive) but it is well worth the cost for the comfort and customisability.
My only real criticisms are the look of the charging dock, but I have it hidden behind a monitor, and not having the option of wired charging, hence giving it 4/5.
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Gigabyte M7800E
by DEBDEB
I have always used a standard mouse rather than the built in touch-pad with any laptop I have owned. I find the mice far more user-friendly and intuitive. The same cannot be said of touch-pads of whichever brand of laptop. When my old Trust (wired) mouse started getting temperamental, I bought myself the Gigabyte M7800E Wireless ... Mouse.
__Plug and Play__
The Gigabyte M7800E Wireless Mouse is a small compact device powered using two AAA batteries. It comes with a tiny USB receiver which has to be inserted in one of your laptop's USB drives for the mouse to be detected. With a Windows 7 or 8 computer, this is detected automatically and drivers are automatically installed without you having to do anything. It takes less than one minute from inserting the receiver (and turning your mouse on) for it to start working. A true plug and play device. The batteries are claimed to last several months.
__Ergonomic__
The mouse will fit even in a small hand, allowing you to operate the buttons seamlessly. The coating on the surface allows for an easy grip unlike some mice which can be smooth and slippery. The three buttons perform the standard functions associated with left and right clicks respectively as well as the central scroll button. However, this mouse has some hidden tricks up its sleeve. You can, in fact, adjust the DPI sensitivity to suit you by simultaneously pressing the right and scroll buttons for a few seconds. You can programme the buttons to do other functions as per your needs. A friend of mine is left-handed and I was pleasantly surprised to see that she could use it just as easily as me (right-handed) and I think this is thanks to its symmetrical build.
__Receiver__
The receiver, dubbed 'Ultra Nano' is so small that, once you have plugged it into your laptop, you are unlikely to need to remove it again. The bit that sticks out is so small, it is almost flush. If, for whatever, reason you need to unplug the receiver, this can be housed in the mouse itself so there is little risk of it getting lost.
__Sensitivity__
In the couple of months that I have been using this, I have had no issues whatsoever with sensitivity. It picks up effortlessly at whatever angle I might be. Even distance isn't an issue. In situations where I connect the laptop to my TV to use the latter as a large screen (for watching a movie, for instance), I use the mouse from several metres away and it takes that in its stride without breaking a sweat. Overall, very pleased with the little device.
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Wacom Intuos3 Grip Pen
by clarkjames
Not sure what I can really say in this review as it's a part that's only compatible with the graphics tablet it ships with (the wacom intuous 3), if you have that tablet then you will probably also have this pen.
The pen is only compatible with the intuous 3, and is not backwards or forwards compatible with the intuous 2 and 4 ... tablet range. Do not buy this pen unless you're using an intuous 3 tablet!
The pen comes with a range of nibs which i've never tried, and also a handy pen holder/stand. The pen itself has a pressure sensitive tip, a pressure sensitive eraser, and 2 buttons on the pen which can be configured for right click and double click, or any desired function.
The pen's are pressure and tilt sensitive, which allows you to do calligraphic style writing, or carefully controlled brush strokes, it is extremely useful for photo editing (I use it with photoshop cs5) and it works
great straight out the box. The pen is very comfortable to hold but it is quite large, if you have very small hands there is a smaller pen you can buy if you'd prefer that, but I don't know anyone that can't find a way to use this pen comfortably even with small hands.
They are very hard wearing bits of kit, mine has almost daily use and i've never broken it or worn through a nib, so don't bother getting a spare as you won't need it, and unlike a real pen it will never run out of digital ink, although just like a real pen this digital pen does have a habit of disappearing when you need it most.
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