Digital Trends

Logitech V550 Nano

September 3rd, 2008 | by Nick Mokey

Features & Design

When you’re designing a mouse for people who are too lazy or easily annoyed to carry around a conventional notebook mouse, convenience reigns, and Logitech has kept that in mind with the V550.

The Nano’s wireless connection has been tailored to be as painless as possible, with a USB receiver that’s already paired to the mouse and needs no drivers, meaning you just plug it in and go. The receiver is also miniscule, sticking out only about the height of two popsicle sticks stacked together, so it’s easy to leave plugged in all the time and forget it’s there. 

As for controls and gizmos, you get normal right and left buttons, a middle square button that brings up a list of active applications, and a scroll wheel that can either spin freely or click. A simple press down switches it from one mode to the other, and you can also press it left or right to side scroll.

The other half of Logitech’s formula involves a tiny square snap that affixes to your laptop lid with adhesive. It almost resembles the type of button you might find on a winter coat, but it works a little differently. Rather than snapping the mouse on by pressing it against the button, you slide on from the side, until it clicks.

Everyday Usage

In practice, the Nano pulls off the whole “Clip-n-Go” premise exactly as Logitech intends. Slide it off when you sit down and begin working, slide it back on when it’s time to pack up and go. No power buttons, connection managers, or cords needed.

We were especially impressed with how quickly the mouse fired up after being yanked off its perched. By the time you can set mouse to mouse pad, you’re in command of the cursor. And it automatically shuts off when it’s clipped on, saving so much battery life that Logitech claims it will run for 18 months of normal use with two ordinary AA batteries (although we didn’t quite have time to test that claim.)

Whether or not you favor the clickable scroll wheel, which Logitech calls “Hyper-fast scrolling,” is a matter of taste. We found it nice to be able to click the wheel and cut through enormous columns of text in seconds, but at the same time, we missed the familiar mouse-as-middle-button operation of a normal mouse wheel. In the end, we considered it more of a tradeoff than an upgrade.

The Bag Issue

Depending on what kind of notebook bag you own, you may have an issue trying to fit your notebook in it with a mouse hanging off the side like a goiter. Using a JanSport backpack with a special notebook pocket, we had no issues sliding in a slim Lenovo X61 even with the mouse still attached, but for those who use custom-fitted sleeves and other snug laptop cases, the mouse may have to go. That may not be the end of the world, but it definitely defeats the point of the dock.
In short, it’s probably best to examine how you use your laptop, and what kind of case you own, before springing for the V550. While the concept is great for people who find themselves carrying their laptops around by hand a lot – from room to room, for instance – it’s not much of an advantage if your laptop travels everywhere in a tight sleeve that will force you to remove the mouse.

Image Courtesy of Logitech