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Logitech was first to market with a mouse that was both wireless, and optical. Their wireless MouseMan Optical is to date one of my favourite mice thanks to its ergonomic design, cordless convenience, and precision control. But just because Logitech got the jump on Microsoft didn’t mean they had won the game just yet, so it was no surprise that Microsoft would come tearing down the peripherals straightaway with the Porsche of cordless mice: the all-new Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer.

Not only does this new IntelliMouse Explorer sport a completely redesigned ergonomic body, it also features Microsoft’s latest generation IntelliEye optical technology, which takes an astonishing 6000 images per second!

Jitter-no-more?

Consumers who are desperate to get their hands on a cordless optical mouse that doesn’t suck in games or under high speed use should definitely sit up and take notice, because with this new IntelliMouse, Microsoft is sending a strong message to the entire gaming community – optical CAN be fast.

Optical mice have always been the bane of hardcore gamers and users who have need of 100% reliability under high-speed use. Even with the best of optical mice, you can’t always rely on the sensor to be able to keep up with frantic and sudden movements – the result is a jittery cursor that displaces itself erratically. While this problem most strongly affects the FPS starved gamer, Microsoft has found that many regular users also encounter problems with optical mouse jitter. According to Microsoft, most optical mice can only track movements at speeds of up to 14 inches per second, while users are known to move mice as fast as 30 inches per second.

The new IntelliEye sensor is powered by a chip that Microsoft developed for their own use. This chip, which debuts in the fall Microsoft mouse lineup, enables the new optical devices to record 6000 images of the reading surface each second. That’s more then double what most of the current optical devices can achieve, including Logitech’s latest offerings. At that rate, the new IntelliMouse series will have the capability to track movements as fast as 37 inches per second.

Fighting the battery plight

If you may recall, Logitech’s Cordless Optical Mouseman used several very impressive techniques to conserve battery power. The number one concern on these cordless mice is the enormous power consumption of the optical sensors – they consume by far a greater amount of energy then the standard sensors in ball mice. It turns out that Microsoft applies some techniques similar to Logitech’s, and also some that are not yet found in Logitech’s devices. You might want to read my review of the Logitech Cordless Optical MouseMan to get a better idea of Logitech’s approach and how it compares to Microsoft’s strategy.

Microsoft divides their battery savings technologies into Intelligent Touch, Intelligent Illumination, and Intelligent Surface Detection. The latter two technologies resemble Logitech’s approach.

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