Logitech G7 Wireless Laser Mouse

Reviews: Peripherals

Accessories | Gaming Devices | Keyboards / Mice | Printers

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Bradford Day
Brian
Logitech
Nov. 27, 2005

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First Looks

Firstly, my hat is off to Logitech for packaging the G7 in a handsome and easily opened box. The product packaging mimics the design of the mouse. Blue-greens, black and silver decorate the outer container and the product within. On the flipside of the box, flashy thumbnail photos and bold text describe the features of the enclosed goodies. Included inside are the G7 wireless mouse, two rechargeable Lithium-ion battery packs, USB recharging unit, USB wireless mini receiver, driver CD, and instruction manual.

The mouse itself is decorated in glittering blue-green along its edges. The sides of the G7 are scalloped to accommodate a right hand thumb and resting pinky. A silver inset along the top hides the two incorporated primary buttons while another swath of blue-green plastic runs down the middle and is inset with the rubberized black scroll wheel and two tiny round silver buttons. Another oval thumb button rests above the left side scallop. There is also a small black rectangle-shaped band with small letters reading "DPI" along the edge. This black window outputs both remaining battery life and DPI custom settings while the mouse is in use.

On the bottom of the mouse, Logitech has stuck two large and one small gray polytetrafluoroethylene non-stick pads. And, of course, polytetrafluoroethylene is what you call Teflon when you don't have permission to call it Teflon. So the mouse feet are extra slippery. Also along the bottom of the G7 is a slot for inserting the cell phone battery sized Lithium-ion pack. The pack is held in place by a spring-loaded clip and ejected via the small recessed eject button. The mouse can be turned off and on by an even smaller power button.

The mouse isn't the only cleverly designed item stuffed inside the box. The included USB recharging cradle plays a dual role. First and foremost while you are gaming away it charges the spare battery pack so that you are never without wireless power. Additionally, it can charge in 2 hour boost or 10 hour normal mode. But, the best little addition is the incorporation of an extra USB input. While this feature by itself doesn't inspire awe, it does prove handy when USB ports are tight and you are fumbling for a spot to insert the G7 USB receiver. The small receiver takes up slightly less room than your average USB flash drive and plugs neatly into the recharging cradle. Very slick. The charger also has a tiny green LED that blinks to let you know when your battery is charging. When fully charged, the light stays solid green. Is there anything this recharging cradle can't do? (Ed. - I'd like an omelette, please.)

The battery packs are slightly less remarkable than the cradle!under-achievers! Logitech's decision to include two battery packs does qualify as remarkable, however. It's a simple idea really; include extra batteries with your toys. In doing so, Logitech has eliminated two issues I generally dislike with rechargeable products. Firstly they have solved the problem of running out of juice in the middle of a game. And secondly they have done away with the pesky, hard to remove, built in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery!cough!iPod!cough. Both of these issues were not dealt with in Logitech's first launch of a wireless laser mouse, the MX1000. While there is no way to assess the problems that might arise with the overall lifespan of these battery packs, at least no soldering will be required if and when it becomes necessary to replace them.

The G7 is loaded with extra software features while the button count has been trimmed slightly. The MX1000 featured the same easy clicking primary buttons but also dual rocker-type switches that surrounded the middle button as well as the thumb button. The middle rocker switch could be used as page up/down buttons while the thumb rocker could be used for web page forward/back. These switches are excellent page viewing features. The svelte G7 has only one thumb button and no rockers. Both mice have the side scrolling middle mouse button feature. However, the G7's 2000 DPI settings can be adjusted on the fly via the two small +/- buttons. Curves and scallops have been altered slightly as the G7 has evolved into a rounded, smoother version of the more sharply angled MX1000, which is actually more reminiscent of the MX700. This reshaping also contributes, at least in part, to the 27 gram weight loss the G7 experienced (133 grams versus the 160 gram MX1000). On the undersides, the two mice share identical laser mechanisms, in outward appearance anyway. The most striking difference between the two underbellies is their feet. While the MX1000 has 4 typical, small ovoid non-stick feet the G7 has 3 patches of gray Teflon. Battery options between the two are night and day. The G7's set of two battery packs is a much better idea than the built-in, non-replaceable, Lithium-ion pack of the MX1000 for the very reasons I mentioned earlier. I could go on, but I will further compare and contrast the G7 and MX1000, as well as other manufacturers' newest laser mouse entries, in a "Laser Mouse Round-up' article in a few weeks. Keep an eye out for that.

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Looks
Page 3: Testing: Software & In-Game Usage
Page 4: Testing: Normal Usage & Battery Life
Page 5: Conclusion

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1 User Comment

1 - Posted by handrail on December 28, 2005 - 1:05 pm

One critique that has been brought to my attention by a friend of mine is that the G7 doesn't have a gripping surface on the sides of the mouse, unlike the G5. He has told me that the G7 can get a bit sweaty after prolonged gaming sessions...if you are prone to hand sweat.

brad.

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