Digital Trends

Logitech MX1000

October 5th, 2004 | by Larry Chen

Improved Functionalities

When our review of Logitech's MX700 Cordless Optical Mouse was published two years ago, we and our readers had a lot of good things to say about the MX700, and soon it became the “ultimate mouse” for many people. But there were also some flaws and complains we had reported to Logitech. Apparently, Logitech has been a very responsible company. They addressed almost all the problems with the introduction of the MX1000, and even added a few extras for the next generation “ultimate mouse”. Let's take a look one-by-one.

We usually found our MX900 Bluetooth Optical Mouse out of battery power after we placed it in a bag when traveling because the mouse is always on and it tracks every little movement inside the bag. That will never happen again with the MX1000 as an on/off switch has been added to the bottom of MX1000.

Have you ever used the “application switch” button located below the scrolling wheel on your MX700? We know that we rarely use it because the position is just so awkward for your index finger. Logitech moved the button to a position where your thumb can easily reach: between the forward and backward buttons. Now it is much more useful.

On the MX700, have you ever wondered where your ring finger is supposed to stay? It is not easy to pick up the heavy mouse with only your thumb and pinky right? With MX1000 you don't have to worry any more. Your ring finger stays right next to your pinky and opposite to your thumb. So now you are using three fingers to pickup the mouse: ring finger, pinky, and thumb. In addition, the rechargeable AA batteries in MX700 have been replaced by a new lighter Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery so the mouse feels lighter. Gamers will especially appreciate the new design.

With the new rechargeable Li-Ion battery, a new 4 stage battery indicator is added to the mouse at a position where you can easily see it even when holding the mouse. We are happy to report that battery life of MX1000 has been greatly improved from MX700, which usually only lasted for three days. I have been using MX1000 for over a week and the indicator is still showing full bars. We will be updating the review when our full battery life test is complete.

Unlike Ni-Cd batteries the Li-Ion batteries lack a “memory effect”. So you can charge it at anytime without shortening the battery life. Li-Ion batteries usually have a life span of around 500 full charge-cycles. A full charge-cycle means running from full capacity to empty and recharge to full. If you use 10% of the total capacity and recharge, it counts as 10% of a cycle. For MX1000, the battery is not user-replaceable. Some people might not like the idea, similar to people who are afraid of the iPod battery issues, but I think it is nothing to worry about. Let's take a look at my calculation: Let's say a full charge on the MX1000 would, on average, last two weeks (still pending confirmation) and the internal battery has a life span of 500 times. So the battery would last 2 weeks x 500 = 1000 weeks without ever need to be replaced. That's quite a long time isn't it?

The MX1000 also features a new tilt scrolling wheel mechanism similar to the ones found on new Microsoft mice and keyboards. It is now possible to scroll on all directions when working on large documents or viewing web pages. You can also zoom in and out by clicking on the scrolling wheel. The scroll wheel also features the very useful Cruise Control rocker for faster scrolling up and down.

The overall build quality of the MX1000 has also remained top-notch. It feels solid in the hand and fits like a glove.

The Winner

The MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse does not lag or skip and performs amazingly well on all kinds of surfaces. Top build quality and highly ergonomic design make it a pleasure to use. While the price level remains the same as the MX700 when it was released, the MX1000 definitely offers more. We have no choice but to award Logitech's MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse the title of the new “Ultimate Mouse”.