Once and Still a Techie Weblog

Logitech V220 Cordless Mouse Mini-review

I just got myself a wireless mouse to complement my notebook. Using the touchpad that comes with my notebook just isn’t as intuitive as using a mouse. And you have so much more control with a mouse. I’d only use the touchpad as a last resort when it comes to getting that all-important cursor to do my bidding.

So what got me to choose this mouse over many others I’d considered? Well, I’m the type who doesn’t buy things with features I don’t think I’ll ever need. I look for simple things that do what they’re supposed to do and do it without too much of a fuss. Call me mediocre or unexciting… boring. Just like this mouse. It’s sort of what a Toyota is to automobiles. Staid, sober in design, but as dependable as the mortar and pestle. If you want to crush stuff into a powdery consistency, the mortar and pestle is the way to go. If you want a notebook mouse that you can depend on to work as advertised, get the Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse.

Design

Like I said, the V220 doesn’t break new ground in terms of looks. But it’s totally functional. It was made mainly to use with a notebook and when you think of notebooks, portability is a necessary goal. It’s “tall” enough for your palm to have something to rest on yet small enough to fit nicely into your bag’s pockets. It’s made to fit the hand of a lefty or uhm righty. It has a bit of heft which I appreciate. The weight makes it easier to control. The V220 has rubber side panels which make it virtually impossible to slip out of your hands. Though I don’t see that possibly happening unless your hands were the only part of your body with sweat pores. The scroll wheel is ridged, again for better “grip” and control.

Features

Aside from the usual left and right click functionality, the aforementioned scroll wheel also has a side-scroll feature for those mile-wide spreadsheets or 10-megapixel photos. This feature can only be enabled if you’ve installed the Logitech SetPoint software which is readily downloadable from the Logitech site.

This mouse doesn’t use a laser to verify it’s whereabouts on your table but an optical sensor which has the sensitivity of 1000dpi which is 2.5 times more accurate than sensors on standard optical mice. With the optical sensor, you can even use the mouse on your curvaceous lap and still do something useful on the screen. Quite handy when there isn’t a flat surface to rest it on.

The V220 comes with a USB mini-receiver that you can clip into the bottom of the mouse when you’re done using it. Doing that also turns the mouse off.

This mouse is powered by a AAA battery so it’s easy to find a replacement whenever the time comes which shouldn’t be that often as the battery is supposed to last at least 6 months. The SetPoint software even comes with a tab that let’s you see the battery status. Simply pacing your mouse over the SetPoint icon on your taskbar can reveal battery status as well:

Conclusion

Overall I’m happy with my purchase. Logitech is well known for their high quality and well-designed mice, keyboards, and hi-def webcams. So I feel this was money well spent. I don’t need a mouse with all the bells and whistles. If you want that then get the Logitech MX Revolution. But be prepared to pay a pretty penny too. The V220 goes for about $30 which is a reasonable amount if you expect quality and dependability which this mouse has serves up in spades.