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Wrap Up

Microsoft & Logitech Side by Side

Both mice worked their magic on our mousepads. The most noticeable and obvious advantage to cordless mice is not simply the cleaner desktop, but also the physical freedom of mouse movement that is not reproducible with a corded mouse. In the case of the Logitech Cordless Mouseman Wheel, windows performance was so close to that of a regular mouse that we were delighted with its use. The Microsoft cordless mouse did not delight, but it did perform almost on par with a corded mouse. Unfortunately, neither mouse is suitable for games… and we wouldn’t be too harsh in saying that they don’t even come close to reproducing the gaming experience of a corded mouse.

Another disadvantage worth considering is the use of batteries - both mice require 2 AAA batteries for power, and though a fresh set of batteries should last months, it IS a cost and convenience factor in your decision (batteries are included). Also, since these mice operate on lower frequencies (~100Hz?), you have to consider that multiple cordless mice in close vicinities will affect each other (even though no two devices are on the exact same radio frequency). For example, we had several Logitech cordless mice placed within several feet of one another, and performance jitters more than tripled. Even placing the Logitech and Microsoft mice close to one another (several feet) resulted in performance degradation. Manuals for both mice are explicit in stating that the mice should operate at a certain distance from other, electromagnetic devices, and both mice have the facility to change “channels”, but these are just stopgap solutions.

Cordless freedom is something truly worth considering, though, thanks to the convenience of its range and the sheer “cool” factor of owning a device without clunky wires. I am almost ready to give up my plain old corded Logitech mouse for the suave contours of the Cordless Mouseman Wheel, but it just isn’t worth it if the consequence is getting your ass whooped every time you load up a quick Quake or Unreal game. Just wait though, because the tech wizards at Microsoft and Logitech are bound to whip up improved versions of each device. For now, both devices make nice companions for a purely business environment, though I would much prefer the Logitech Cordless Mouseman Wheel over any other cordless offering on the market right now.

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