Logitech MX Air Cordless Mouse

Reviews: Peripherals

Accessories | Gaming Devices | Keyboards / Mice | Printers

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Bradford Day
Beth
Logitech
Jun. 9, 2008

Specifications

<< Previous

Next >>

Daily Use

Multi-media

If you are an HTPC user traversing the Google highway for your next wireless input device, consider your journey shortened. The MX Air has been purposefully built for all your play/pause and volume adjusting needs. I've used this mouse for my weekly Australian Rules Football and World Rally Championship viewings, and the .AVI loading has never been better. When you move the mouse from a flat, typical-use position to the in-hand, wave-it-around mode, there is a slight lag (about a second) while it fires up the larger pointer. Once the large, triangular pointer is visible, clicking around a desktop or within file folders from across the room is much easier. Unfortunately, my standard CRT fossil of a Sony Trinitron TV is hardly as cutting edge as this mouse and the laughable resolution makes reading small file names difficult. HD-TV users will have a leg up on us aforementioned troglodytes (shhh, I still don't have a TiVo either).

I've read a few other reviews of this mouse saying that the gyroscopic movement takes a day or so to get used to. But I managed to get the hang of it in a few minutes. It really is quite intuitive once you program the buttons to your liking using the included Logitech SetPoint software. The touch pad scrolling was annoying at first, but after I toned down the sensitivity it worked like a charm. Oh, and when you press the Volume button on the mouse a slider bar automagically appears on screen. While holding the mouse in the air, a smart user would click on the slider tab with the left mouse button and adjust the volume to taste. A brilliant user would simply continue to hold down the Volume button while moving the gyroscopic mouse in a left or right motion. This "Freespace" feature is very well executed and pushes the MX Air over the top in terms of WOW factor. I find myself adjusting the volume for fun.

MicroSoft PowerPoint

Right about now the Dockers-clad cubicle dwellers are saying to themselves over their whimsical coffee mug "But how does it work with Microsoft PowerPoint?" Strangely enough, I can answer that question too. Typically I don't have much to do with PowerPoint, but I found myself on the adult side of a high school career day speech and ended up composing a slide show of my professional accomplishments (it was a short presentation). I loaded up my laptop, a projector and my MX Air, and went off to shape young minds. I may have put a few kids to sleep that day, but the Logitech mouse performed flawlessly.

I didn't particularly care for the default PowerPoint mouse settings. However, once I customized the buttons, I was forward- and reverse page navigating like a pro in a proper business suit. The large pointer that appears on screen is just as effective as a laser pointer and every bit as precise when it comes to pointing. I programmed the Play/Pause as the next page button and the Back button as previous page. When you aren't pointing, simply move the cursor off screen for an unobstructed view. I'm desperately hoping I won't have another occasion to use the MX Air with PowerPoint. But if I do, I'll gladly grab my mouse pointer and put some more listeners to sleep.

Normal Use

As a normal mouse the MX Air looks a bit out of place. All the fancy accelerometers and gyroscopes are really wasted on a flat surface while checking e-mail. But even a Ferrari has to sit in the driveway once in a while. The MX Air glided smoothly over most of the test surfaces I found. I'm sitting on my deck at the moment, using it on our bumpy glass deck table, and haven't missed a beat. Even on my corduroy couch I can mouse with ease. And this is where I was caught off guard. I didn't expect the MX Air to be such a great laptop mouse. But its surface versatility is incredibly handy and the thin design perfectly portable. Battery life is surprisingly long and can be monitored from within the Logitech software. I got about 5 days of use out of it at work before needing a charge. And even after sitting in my laptop bag for a month or so without being charged, the fully juiced battery retained its life force as if it had just been lifted from the cradle.

Over engineering does have limits. The touch pad scroll is a bit cumbersome when you're used to standard mouse wheel navigation. Again, it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, but the scroll acceleration (similar to that found on the MX Revolution can get a little out of hand and send you scrolling miles off course if you aren't careful. The upper and lower edges of the touch pad do act as clickable buttons for short scrolling jaunts, and are much easier to use when all you need is a short hop. Adjustments can be made to the scrolling sensitivity using the programmable software and greatly improves day-to-day usability.

Gaming use

Logitech includes a gaming feature in the SetPoint software. Buttons can be programmed for specific games and the custom settings made to load once the game is loaded. But, in all honesty, I can't recommend using this mouse as a gaming device. Especially since Logitech builds such highly capable gaming mice like the G5, G7, and the G9. Again, a scrolling touch pad is not the perfect platform for most games as the lessened tactile response limits motions like weapon switching. The lack of thumb-mounted buttons also knocks the MX Air down a few notches on the gaming ladder. Perhaps I'm just spoiled by my G5, but I would be hard-pressed to choose the MX Air were I a hardcore gamer.

<< Previous

Page 2 of 3

Next >>

Page 1: Introduction and First Looks
Page 2: Daily Use
Page 3: Conclusion

Subscribe to Keyboards / Mice [more info]

Add Comment

0 User Comments

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.