Product Review - Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse
Category Product Review Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse
As part of the Amazon Vine review program, I received a review unit of the Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse. This is one of those items that sounds interesting in concept, but it takes a bit of work to get comfortable with it. I definitely will keep and use it, especially in certain circumstances. But I don't know that it will replace the current optical mouse that I use...
The feature that sets the MX Air apart from other mice is the fact that it can function as both a desktop mouse and an "air" mouse. If you pick up the mouse and hold it like a remote control, you still have full control over the cursor activity on the screen. The left and right mouse buttons blend into the overall flow of the mouse design, and it takes just a slight amount of pressure to activate them. The mouse wheel, a feature I can't live without in a mouse, is replaced by a touch-sensitive strip that allows you to slide your finger up and down to get the screen to scroll. You can also press on the upper or lower range of the strip to get continuous scrolling. Underneath the touch strip are four buttons that are set to navigate back, navigate forward, start/stop video, and control the volume. The start/stop button also allows you to "freeze" the cursor on the screen so you can reposition your hand without having the cursor react.
When I first started using it as an air mouse, my cursor was all over the place. Any slight shake or tremor in your hand will, of course, show up as cursor movement. I found that trying to hit smaller targets on the screen wasn't exactly a piece of cake. I got better at it, but it's still not a natural sensation. Also, due to the strangeness of not resting your hand on the desk, the mouse wheel and buttons were a bit harder to control as you had to think about what you were doing. Again, it got better with use, but still isn't completely smooth yet. The fact that it can also be used as a regular desktop mouse is nice, in that you don't always have to be holding it. At that point, it starts to become a simple matter of whether it feels good in your hand. I've been a bit spoiled with my MX Revolution mouse, so I can't say that this would be my first choice to replace my normal desktop mouse.
Where the MX Air would really shine is during presentations. Just think... You could roam around a bit, have a real application up and running, and still maintain some level of control without having to bend over or sit down. Granted, keyboard input would still bring you back to your laptop, but other than that, you can interact much more freely with the audience. Given that I do present on occasion, this will likely become part of my techno travel bag. I just have to remember to practice with it occasionally, otherwise the effect on the screen could be more distracting than useful.
As part of the Amazon Vine review program, I received a review unit of the Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse. This is one of those items that sounds interesting in concept, but it takes a bit of work to get comfortable with it. I definitely will keep and use it, especially in certain circumstances. But I don't know that it will replace the current optical mouse that I use...
The feature that sets the MX Air apart from other mice is the fact that it can function as both a desktop mouse and an "air" mouse. If you pick up the mouse and hold it like a remote control, you still have full control over the cursor activity on the screen. The left and right mouse buttons blend into the overall flow of the mouse design, and it takes just a slight amount of pressure to activate them. The mouse wheel, a feature I can't live without in a mouse, is replaced by a touch-sensitive strip that allows you to slide your finger up and down to get the screen to scroll. You can also press on the upper or lower range of the strip to get continuous scrolling. Underneath the touch strip are four buttons that are set to navigate back, navigate forward, start/stop video, and control the volume. The start/stop button also allows you to "freeze" the cursor on the screen so you can reposition your hand without having the cursor react.
When I first started using it as an air mouse, my cursor was all over the place. Any slight shake or tremor in your hand will, of course, show up as cursor movement. I found that trying to hit smaller targets on the screen wasn't exactly a piece of cake. I got better at it, but it's still not a natural sensation. Also, due to the strangeness of not resting your hand on the desk, the mouse wheel and buttons were a bit harder to control as you had to think about what you were doing. Again, it got better with use, but still isn't completely smooth yet. The fact that it can also be used as a regular desktop mouse is nice, in that you don't always have to be holding it. At that point, it starts to become a simple matter of whether it feels good in your hand. I've been a bit spoiled with my MX Revolution mouse, so I can't say that this would be my first choice to replace my normal desktop mouse.
Where the MX Air would really shine is during presentations. Just think... You could roam around a bit, have a real application up and running, and still maintain some level of control without having to bend over or sit down. Granted, keyboard input would still bring you back to your laptop, but other than that, you can interact much more freely with the audience. Given that I do present on occasion, this will likely become part of my techno travel bag. I just have to remember to practice with it occasionally, otherwise the effect on the screen could be more distracting than useful.
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