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Hardware

Logitech Gives A Mouse A Laser 511

Kaveh writes "Looks like Logitech has introduced a successor to its popular MX line of cordless mice. In addition to a more ergonomic design, lithium ion battery, tilt wheel (read horizontal scrolling), and battery indicating LEDs, this mouse introduces laser technology. According to the Logitech this allows the MX1000 to be 20x more precise than optical mice, not to mention work on any surface, including a mirror! Check out the 3DGPU forums for pics and more info."
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Logitech Gives A Mouse A Laser

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  • LASER (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 29, 2004 @10:56PM (#10106395)
    With the Dr. Evil finger quotes: Cool, a mouse with a "LAAAASER!!"
  • by ndogg ( 158021 ) <the.rhorn@nOsPAm.gmail.com> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @10:57PM (#10106401) Homepage Journal
    I really was hoping for mice with frickin' lasers on their headers. Darn.
  • A mirror? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Hawkxor ( 693408 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @10:57PM (#10106403)
    I've been waiting for this. On my table with a glass plate on top, I have to use a mouse pad for my optical mouse, but I don't need one for my regular mouse. This technology actually serves the purpose an optical mouse should.
    • Re:A mirror? (Score:5, Informative)

      by peipas ( 809350 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:30PM (#10106568)
      I am holding the box for the MX1000 in front of me right now and it begs to differ in fine print after an asterisk:

      "The laser sensor will not work on surfaces that reflect, like mirrors or glass."
    • by cbreaker ( 561297 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:34PM (#10106582) Journal
      They make some nice mouse pads- I hate but bulky ones with the big gel-packs and crap, but I like the ones with a really nice surface like a velvet-like material I have on my main workstation.

      They help the mouse move smoother; if you have a hard surface they get "sticky" and make it difficult to make precise movements. The pads get dirty really fast without a mouse pad. AND, you can really screw up the surface of your desk if you use the mouse without a pad.

      Who wants a sticky mouse that grinds over dirt and wears out your desk? I'll take my nice comfortable mouse pad any day.
      • by Awptimus Prime ( 695459 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @01:17AM (#10106919)
        Yeah, me too. I do not use a mouse pad at work, but I could care less about scratching that desk.

        At home, I use some giant mousepad I found at CompUSA. Unfortunately, they do not list the product on their website. It is about 4x the size of a normal pad and is the old school fabric over foam type. It does great for FPS gaming, as I never run out of room.

        The ones with fabric/velvet do suck for ball mousing due to the amount of crud they tend to transfer to the ball over time, but seem to be the best thing for an optical.

        Another thing I have learned from using a mouse on a desktop surface for years is that the little feet on the bottom of the mouse wear out quicker, causing the mouse's action to not feel very smooth.
        • by titzandkunt ( 623280 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @05:58AM (#10107535)

          "...At home, I use some giant mousepad I found at CompUSA. Unfortunately, they do not list the product on their website. It is about 4x the size of a normal pad and is the old school fabric over foam type. It does great for FPS gaming, as I never run out of room..."

          You must use Dogbert's technical support:

          Dogbert: Hello you've reached Dogbert's technical support, how may I abuse you?

          PHB: My cursor is in the middle of the screen and my mouse is stuck right at the edge of my mousemat.

          Dogbert: I see. Have you tried moving your desk to the left?

          PHB: Yup. No dice.

          Dogbert: In that case you're going to need our $800 mousemat upgrade...

          T&K.
        • Another thing I have learned from using a mouse on a desktop surface for years is that the little feet on the bottom of the mouse wear out quicker, causing the mouse's action to not feel very smooth.

          Scotch tape. Use the good stuff, not the cheap imitations. Just put fresh pieces over all the feet every day or so and it feels nice and smooth again. Eric

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Re:A mirror? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by mingot ( 665080 )
      What I did was bought a big pack of black poster board and cut out mini mousepads. When they get a little dirty a cut out a new one. Better than a bulky mousepad, and very inexpensive.
      • by Mal-2 ( 675116 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @04:05AM (#10107315) Homepage Journal
        Having to share a computer at an office full of people with grungy hands led me to do two things:

        1. Demand (and get) a Dvorak keyboard. That cut down the popularity of my station considerably. :)

        2. Invent the disposable mouse pad.

        "What is this wonderful device?", you might wonder. Well here's how to make one.

        1. Take about 25 sheets of letter size paper and stack them neatly. It doesn't matter if they are laser-printed, but you probably don't want inkjet prints. You can do a lot more than 25 if you have a heavy-duty stapler handy, but this assumes you don't.

        2. Staple them together as many times as necessary along one edge.

        3. When the top page gets dirty, or when the shift changes, tear off the top page and throw it away. When you get down to the last 10 or so sheets, remove the staples, get another 15 sheets of paper, and re-staple. If you spill your drink on it, throw away the wet pages, or the whole thing if necessary.

        Think I can get a patent on this?

        The lazy can just get a notepad and flip the cover back (or tear it off), but doesn't that violate the whole "do it yourself" ethic?

        Mal-2
    • by Fizzl ( 209397 ) <{ten.lzzif} {ta} {lzzif}> on Monday August 30, 2004 @01:52AM (#10107016) Homepage Journal
      I just imagined myself using a laser mouse on a glass table. Damn that would be hilarious.

      I have a cat. It already goes wild with ordinary flashlight. With a tiny laser dot jumping under my desk a mayhem would ensue.

      Goodbye tangled cabling I have under my desk.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 29, 2004 @10:58PM (#10106405)
    how else am i able to blind my opponents
  • Ya know... (Score:2, Funny)

    by psetzer ( 714543 )
    I always wanted to use some mirrored table as a mouse pad. Now I guess I'll have to get one of those mice.

    I might also want a mirrored table in the first place.

  • Finally (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I can *really* blind someone with my optical mouse.
  • by sulli ( 195030 ) * on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:00PM (#10106419) Journal
    For decades, science fiction writers and futurists alike have been predicting the day that laser technology would finally come to fruition. Who would have thought that it would be Logitech to at last bring laser technology to market, and that it would be a lowly mouse that would make it possible?

    With this breakthrough, Logitech truly enters the forefront of American innovation. We should all look to Logitech for inspiration.

  • This is nice (Score:3, Interesting)

    by teamhasnoi ( 554944 ) <teamhasnoi@yahoA ... inus threevowels> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:00PM (#10106421) Journal
    I was actually considering going back to a 'ball' mouse, as my Logitech optical tends to be jumpy on some surfaces. I tend to use it outside a lot, and I think the sunshine affects the tracking.

    Precise, and wireless - this might be just the ticket.

    • Re:This is nice (Score:5, Interesting)

      by ThogScully ( 589935 ) <neilsd@neilschelly.com> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:51PM (#10106657) Homepage
      My first optical mouse was an MS Intellimouse Explorer (the original, freaking huge one). I use that on my laptop, but got a wireless Logitech MX700 for my desktop.

      Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed in the Logitech because of exactly what you're talking about. My Intellimouse Explorer has no problem tracking on any surface or any fine control. The Logitech is a pain to use with graphics apps.

      I've always been a fan of MS's mic, but decided to try out Logitech because MS hadn't released a wireless optical yet. I wish I hadn't in retrospect. And this comes from a very anti-MS attitude regarding software.
      -N
      • by SethJohnson ( 112166 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @03:43AM (#10107251) Homepage Journal


        I was working on a virus the other day. I thought it would be cool to write a virus that would replace the Intellimouse USB driver with a full-blown scanner and OCR combination. I was going to have this virus then post any text the mouse was hovering over on peoples' desks to an IRC channel. You know, it would be interesting / valuable to see what documents people had laying on the surface of their desks.


        So I was disassembling the Intellimouse USB driver just to see if I would have to build mine from scratch or if I could patch into the existing binary.

        Well, to my extreme surprise, I was late to market with my innovation: Microsoft has already built this into their driver! Somewhere in Redmond, there's got to be a room with guys staring at screens going, "Goddamnit Cheney! Push the mouse a little more to the left! We still need three more digits of the nuclear launch codes!"
  • Finally! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Piranhaa ( 672441 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:02PM (#10106432)
    WOW! I've been waiting for this day for quite some time now. I knew lasers would soon enough be used in mice due to the surfaces optical mice couldn't work on (ie, glass, mirror, etc). This is definetly just a little step into laser mice, but I'm sure eventually they'll start turning to green or even blue lasers for mice. The only problem I see here is when little Jonny picks up his mouse and looks into the laser ... Could there be ways to stop this from happening?
    • Re:Finally! (Score:4, Interesting)

      by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:06PM (#10106451) Homepage Journal

      The only problem I see here is when little Jonny picks up his mouse and looks into the laser ... Could there be ways to stop this from happening?

      Yeah, just slip a MEMS accelerometer in there to determine if it's right side up or not. Turn the thing off if it's rotated too far from being the proper side down. No help if little Jonny sticks his head under the mouse but you can only do so much.

    • Re:Finally! (Score:5, Informative)

      by BillyBlaze ( 746775 ) <tomfelker@gmail.com> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:53PM (#10106664)
      Lasers are absolutely not inherently more dangerous than any other form of light. The danger comes from the amplitude of light that enters your eye, which is a function of the power of the source, the distance, and the focusing. So assuming they focus the laser as diffusely as they focus the red light from current optical mice, it's no more dangerous.
      • Re:Finally! (Score:5, Informative)

        by spectecjr ( 31235 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @02:34AM (#10107107) Homepage
        Lasers are absolutely not inherently more dangerous than any other form of light. The danger comes from the amplitude of light that enters your eye, which is a function of the power of the source, the distance, and the focusing. So assuming they focus the laser as diffusely as they focus the red light from current optical mice, it's no more dangerous.

        1. In that case, why use a laser at all? Why not use an ultrabright red LED? To have any benefit in using a laser at all, they must be making use of interference effects, which means they need a coherent light source. Which meas that no, they won't diffusely focus the light at all.

        2. The danger comes from the fact that laser light is planar, and because of this not only will your eye will attempt to focus it, and will open the pupil wider in response to it at the same time, for maximum retinal damage.
  • by FiReaNGeL ( 312636 ) <fireang3l.hotmail@com> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:04PM (#10106437) Homepage
    Dangerous! You know, the "I'll clean my mouse" routine... flip mouse toward face... arghhh! My eyes!

    Of course, if you`re lucky AND already have bad vision, you could just laser-correct your problem, i guess :) 2000$ saved, 50$ investment, Do It Yourself! Isn`t technology cool?
  • by sjalex ( 757770 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:04PM (#10106439)
    I've heard people griping about the short battery life on the wireless mice they already have. Won't a laser exacerbate the problem?
    • by harikiri ( 211017 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:08PM (#10106469)
      I have an MX700 from Logitech. The beauty of this device is that it comes with a stylish cradle, that serves both as the wireless base station for the mouse, along with being a recharger unit as well.

      I remember a few years back having an early Logitech wireless mouse/keyboard combo. Then, one late night while we were doing a change - the batteries died, and I had none spare. At that point I decided never to use a "wireless" keyboard or mouse till they came with a recharge unit. Thus, the MX700 was awesome for me.

      I would be very suprised if this new model didn't use the same system.
    • by FooAtWFU ( 699187 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:21PM (#10106528) Homepage
      Lasers actually don't take all that much power- they're highly efficient. Then again, the LED which they're replacing doesn't usually take too much power either. My guess is that it's not a significant change.
  • Text (Score:2, Informative)

    by McKinney83 ( 687821 )
    Main point: HIGH PERFORMANCE CORDLESS MOUSE WITH LASER TRACKING
    PI DATE : JULY 2004
    TECHNOLOGY : Fast RF cordless
    SYS REQS : IBM or compatible PC,
    Windows 98, 2000, Me or XP,
    Available USB or PS2 port, CD-ROM drive
    Macintosh system - Mac OS X+,
    Available USB port, CD-ROM drive
    FEATURES : * MX Laser Engine provides 20 x times the tracking power
    of optical
    * a built-in lithium-ion battery & rapid-charging base station
    * Fast RF cordless delivers cordless performance that equals USB corded connection
    * N
  • So it is more accurate. That is fine, but the optical mouse seems pretty accurate. The only thing I do not like is the weird quark all optical mice have. When you move the, mouse the cursor will go shooting off in the opposite direction. It is very annoying. It does not happen all the time, but it is still annoying.
  • I like my MX700, and while it never skips, it has rather poor resolution. I keep my corded optical mouse around just in case I need more fine-grained control (yes, I like sniping.)
  • 20x more precise (Score:5, Insightful)

    by chrono325 ( 796121 ) <(moc.liamg) (ta) (523onorhc)> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:07PM (#10106460)
    Is this really useful? I mean, I have never had a problem with my mouse not having the resolution to click the "submit" button. Seriously though, I think mouse (and keyboard) makers have run into a similar problem as sound card makers: our mice/soundcards are already good enough. I personally have a Logitech mx500 and love it to death, but I do not see any way the pointing function could be improved. Oh well, its a frickin laser.
  • Slashdotted.. (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:08PM (#10106468)
    Coralised link. [nyud.net]
  • by kaveh ( 321496 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:08PM (#10106470)
    "World's 1st Laser Mouse! (Optical is obsolete)"

    Either way I'm hoping I can just swap this mouse in for my current MX700 in my logitech cordless keyboard/mouse set. That way I can use the same reciever that also connects the mouse. It is important to note that this mouse uses Fast RF technology like the MX700 and not Bluetooth like the MX900. Some gamers weren't happy with the performance of the Bluetooth model.
  • by gordlea ( 258731 )

    As long as the battery life is decent, I want one. Screw the Starck mouse... This sounds like it should be great for games.

    Would there be much difference in power draw between an led and a laser? I realize they must have some pretty low power lasers (like in a discman); how powerful of a laser would you need to be able to track movement like this?

  • by captnitro ( 160231 ) * on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:12PM (#10106486)
    Does it ever make you wonder 'what if computing advanced like mice do'? In some ways, they do, but I mean, we have wireless mice, wireless optical and laser mice, wireless optical laser geneboosted mice that have nine buttons with integrated phone features, and they're all totally transparent, incredibly essential cruxes of the modern computing experience.

    can we get somebody from the mouse department over to the HD storage density department? Or the hardware installation department, because I still have to visit my grandfather every time he needs to install RAM. Perhaps, even, we should transfer the entire mouse department over to the user interface department, so they can explain to me why 'Exit' is for the love of god still after 20 years in the 'File' menu (Mac users, you're OK on this one). Those two, after all, have a lot to do with each other. Finally, they could stop over at the Windows dev group and explain to them that I should not have to notify Windows of my intention to disconnect my fully hotswappable device.

    I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
  • by dougmc ( 70836 ) <dougmc+slashdot@frenzied.us> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:13PM (#10106487) Homepage
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye
    (No, it's not mine. And the laser isn't likely to have enough power to really hurt anybody's eye. But it still seems appropriate. :)
  • by JudgeFurious ( 455868 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:13PM (#10106490)
    And it's cool. Better than my optical mouse that got bumped down to my other computer? I don't really know. I'm still in that brief "getting used to a different mouse" phase so what I can tell you about it is limited.

    The one it replaced was a Logitech basic cordless optical It did it's job well but I've been using my second computer more lately and the mouse on it was a POS so I needed another. In terms of accuracy I'm sure the laser mouse is better (Logitech wouldn't lie about that would they?) but I doubt that it's going to be something that 90% of us would notice.

    Getting past the claims of improved accuracy that I can't really address it's a nice mouse. I'd have bought the Bluetooth model but this one was $20 cheaper and I liked the feel of it.

    • Is it available in a lefthanded model? No?

      Then fuck you, Logitech.
      • Do you know why they don't make very many lefthanded mice? It's because left handed people DO NOT BUY THEM. If they did then Logitech would sell them, but they keep ending up with a lot of unsold lefthanded mice.

        It's a strict business decission, so blame the other lefties who use righthanded mice. ;->
  • Class of Laser? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Soldrinero ( 789891 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:15PM (#10106497)
    I actually read the article (I am new here) but didn't see anything mentioning what class of laser it uses. It does say that the manufacturer recommends not using it on mirrored surfaces. It's possible, though unlikely, for a class II laser (such as is found in a laser pointer) to cause eye damage. I've been in classrooms with optical mice invoerted and shining their light out at students. Is this something that we're going to have to worry about with a laser mouse? Of course, if it's a class I (such as is found in CD players) there's no concern at all. Does anybody have any information on this?
    • Re:Class of Laser? (Score:3, Informative)

      by grondin ( 241140 )
      The picture of the bottom of the mouse shows the laser label. "Class 1 laser device"
      • Re:Class of Laser? (Score:5, Informative)

        by Technician ( 215283 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @12:02AM (#10106685)
        The picture of the bottom of the mouse shows the laser label. "Class 1 laser device"


        If memory serves me right, a class 1 LASER device has a totaly enclosed interlocked LASER system.

        This means no external radiation of LASER light unless the device is opened and interlocks are defeated. It's the same rating CD drives have. The drive must be opened (cover removed) and tricked into operation without a CD in place to turn on the LASER and cause any exposure.

        If it truly uses a LASER to track and is class 1, it must have another LED to sense the presence and movement of the target (table, pad, etc) before it will turn on the laser. Otherwise it would have a class 2 or 3b rating like a supermarket UPC scanner. They may have done this to save power when the mouse is not moving (low power LED when stationary or not on a surface) and to get the safer LASER class 1 rating.

        I imagine it will only kick on the LASER when the low power light detects movement and kicks on the LASER for the resolution.

        LASER is an acronym. I'm not shouting.
  • That thing looks sweet! Anyone catch how much it'll cost?
  • Dear Logitech: (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:17PM (#10106507)
    Just wanted to drop you a note to remind you that some of the people in the world who want a fancy-schmancy, full-featured mouse are LEFT HANDED!

    I guess I'll just have to keep giving my money to the companies that want my business (i.e. make symmetrical mice with lots of bells and whistles).

    You had a clue once, even making lefty versions of your mice back in the day. What happened?

    Signed,

    Someone who can play first person shooters using the actual arrow keys, not that "WASD" shit.
    • Re:Dear Logitech: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Alaska Jack ( 679307 )
      You want the Logitech MX 310. It's totally symmetrical. 6 buttons, scroll wheel, optical. I use it on a Mac with USB overdrive, works fine, good for gaming.

      The left-side button takes a *little* practice to get right -- you have to sort of cock your hand sideways a little to get at it easily -- but it's like anything else, you get used to it.

      - Alaska Jack
  • Picking nits. (Score:5, Informative)

    by iamdrscience ( 541136 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:20PM (#10106521) Homepage
    Just to be a dick, this isn't the first mouse that uses a laser. There were a few laser mice (pre "optical" mice) but they required a special pad so the advantages over a regular mouse were minimal (really just that you didn't have to clean them).
  • by stox ( 131684 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:21PM (#10106531) Homepage
    with remaining eye.
  • Ergonomic (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:31PM (#10106570)
    Okay, what the hell is the deal with this "ergonomic" mice that have your hand all sideways and require you rest your entire palm on it, moving it with your arm? It's getting harder and harder to find good small mice that just fit under your fingers, allowing you to control them with your hand. In mice, "ergonomic" just means "really really big and sorta cool looking, but completely impractical."
    • Totally. (Score:3, Interesting)

      by cbreaker ( 561297 )
      Glad I'm not the only one. I, like the other replier to your post, also use an older first-gen Microsoft Optical mouse. Small, easy. And I like mouse pads for multiple reasons so being able to use the thing on a mirror doesn't mean crap to me.

      I'd like to have a mouse that had better tracking during moments of high movement (ie some games) but it works just fine.

      And I don't want a cordless mouse dammit. Who wants to worry about having your mouse die on you? Or having the batteries eventually not tak
  • by Guspaz ( 556486 ) on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:41PM (#10106613)
    does anyone know of some place in Canada that will ship them? NewEgg, in their infinite wisdom, doesn't ship to Canada.

    BTW, all you Americans, NewEgg is sold out, looks like we slashdotted their stock ;)
  • by DAldredge ( 2353 ) <SlashdotEmail@GMail.Com> on Sunday August 29, 2004 @11:53PM (#10106663) Journal
    What happened to the Logitech 'natural' keyboards? I know they make the wireless ones, but what happend to the wired ones? I would love to buy one but they do not appear to make them anymore.
  • left handed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Lucia_Inverse ( 626540 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @12:02AM (#10106687)
    right now im STILL stuck with a MSFT intellimouse optical (the first unihand 5 button optical mouse released) im SO SICK OF THIS i understand the need for a comfy right handed mouse for right handed people and i dont expect them to set up a production line for lefties but a slightly lower end (ie non ergo for right hand) corded or cordless ver would be great i want a new mouse why do they ignore 25% of us!
  • by z3021017 ( 806883 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @12:28AM (#10106775)
    Since the site is /.ed:
    Picture One [dvhardware.net]

    Picture Two [tweakers.net]
  • by EvilNutSack ( 700432 ) <[juhapearson] [at] [gmail.com]> on Monday August 30, 2004 @08:30AM (#10108203)
    Dangermouse! [dangermouse.org] Now armed with a laser!
  • by Jah-Wren Ryel ( 80510 ) on Monday August 30, 2004 @11:33AM (#10109582)
    If you are going to give lasers to mice, don't be surprised when the cats decide to fight back. [funnyjunk.com]

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