I decided to take a drive to my local bestbuy this evening in hopes to find a nifty toy to take home. My goal was to replace my aging keyboard and mouse combo, which consists of a basic Microsoft IntelliMouse (non-optical) with the ever famous scroll wheel.
The other item I replaced is a Logitech Internet keyboard. I never used any of the features of the keyboard so I wasn't too excited about purchasing another glorified plastic playhouse.
So I arrive at best buy and walked over to the mouse section where I see the ever eye-catching Blue mouse by Microsoft. I know what your going to say...”Doug, a blue mouse, c'mon man, don't get fancy with the toys.” So I picked it up and ask the guy next to me how much it was since the sales drone just informed us of the price but my filters must have been engaged. $26.95 barks the guy next to me as he went on to tell me about the wireless version. I asked..."how long do the batteries last", but he didn't know. So I stuck to the basics and pawed up the corded version.
I then scrolled down the isle a bit to see the plastic playhouse arena. I skip over the unnatural, natural keyboards and head to a wafer thin Logitech Internet Navigator keyboard. So I examine it for about 2 minutes and then decide it is going home with me.
I proceed to the checkout line and pay my dues. As I'm walking out a sales person in a yellow bestbuy shirt asks to see my receipt, so I ignore him like a chump and walk out. (I didn't steal it leave me alone). :dunno: So I continue to my car and eventually making it home in one piece.
So I bust open the packaging like it's a Christmas morning for a 4 year old, except I'm 21 years older then that. I crawl under the desk and entangle the new device in a web of mayhem in order to make it feel at home. The new blue mouse perks up and shines red. (yes, it really did shine) The Blue mouse is not much different from any other optical mouse. Only difference so far is the blue colored plastic on top.
So you want specs on this new gadget...not here I'm only going to tell you how it works and show some shiny pictures. Immediately I notice a difference. ("How so Doug?") First impression of the optical mouse is summarized in one word; accuracy. The mouse is very precise, and will go exactly where I point it. There is no lag, and in fact I noticed a boost in speed from my ball'ed mouse. The mouse has a feeling of less drag, which I assume is related to the lack of drag from a rubber ball.
Now for the real test... how will the mouse perform when I decide to fire up Photoshop and work on some images? Without hesitation in my reaction, the mouse was down right fantastic. For any of you Photoshop users who have struggled to get the marquee in just the right spot, this mouse is for you. With my last mouse, I would try to marquee a small section of an image and miss my intended position…not this time!
Next area of improvement is with the wheel. The wheel in my previous mouse was becoming a tired option. It took effort to scroll through a web page, now I can practically spin the wheel mouse and let her sail away. The wheel is also slightly wider. At first I thought it would be too bulky, but I’m finding it easier to use.
Now onto the Logitech keyboard. Once again I chose a keyboard full of enough options to cause a seizure. However this board has a nice layout to it. Only one small quark I find with it is the small indented button right next to the Escape button. I looked at it and thought, “awe, how cute” and gave her a press. Within seconds my screen went blank and the room became silent leaving me in a confused stare at my monitor. “Ah, that’s what the half-moon shaped button does”. Never in my life have I tried to put my 24x7 computer to sleep with the keyboard…no I know. A small piece of tape will cure this button’s problem. How dare you force my computer to turn off Logitech!
A reboot was in order to cure the drowsiness from the nice nap my computer took. I then did what everyone else would do…I pushed all them friggin buttons. Surprising me once again 95% of the feature buttons work without Logitech’s software installed. If you haven’t seen this keyboard up close take a gander at the photo below.
Over in the left corner are a small wheel and two buttons. I decided to take the new board for a drive on the web and I have to admit it was a pleasant drive. For once I can give my right hand a break and let my left hand scroll up and down elongated web pages. With a press of the first button, I can go back a page just like pressing “backspace”, except now I don’t have to reach across the keyboard.
I was slightly skeptical about installing the drivers to this keyboard. I wasn’t impressed with the software included with my last keyboard, but this time I was brave and gave it a shot. The install was brainless; just follow the wizard and reboot. You do have to be careful not to install their advertisement features. Fortunately they allow you to unselect them. Logitech also has a feature to allow their software to “check home” for updates, but I decided not to allow them into my machine.
After the reboot I found nothing different. So I fired up their configuration tool, which allows me to customize these nifty keys on top. So I configured the “search” key to open up google.com, and it works with no problems. I set the “shopping” key to open up the trusty bensbargains.net so I can give you guys faster notice on some hot deals!
I then set the messenger button to fire up trillian, and just like the rest of the buttons this worked like a charm.
Overall I came home a happy camper. Both items were the same price of $26.95. I doubt it was the best deal, but for small items like these I don’t shop around a ton.
The other item I replaced is a Logitech Internet keyboard. I never used any of the features of the keyboard so I wasn't too excited about purchasing another glorified plastic playhouse.
So I arrive at best buy and walked over to the mouse section where I see the ever eye-catching Blue mouse by Microsoft. I know what your going to say...”Doug, a blue mouse, c'mon man, don't get fancy with the toys.” So I picked it up and ask the guy next to me how much it was since the sales drone just informed us of the price but my filters must have been engaged. $26.95 barks the guy next to me as he went on to tell me about the wireless version. I asked..."how long do the batteries last", but he didn't know. So I stuck to the basics and pawed up the corded version.
I then scrolled down the isle a bit to see the plastic playhouse arena. I skip over the unnatural, natural keyboards and head to a wafer thin Logitech Internet Navigator keyboard. So I examine it for about 2 minutes and then decide it is going home with me.
I proceed to the checkout line and pay my dues. As I'm walking out a sales person in a yellow bestbuy shirt asks to see my receipt, so I ignore him like a chump and walk out. (I didn't steal it leave me alone). :dunno: So I continue to my car and eventually making it home in one piece.
So I bust open the packaging like it's a Christmas morning for a 4 year old, except I'm 21 years older then that. I crawl under the desk and entangle the new device in a web of mayhem in order to make it feel at home. The new blue mouse perks up and shines red. (yes, it really did shine) The Blue mouse is not much different from any other optical mouse. Only difference so far is the blue colored plastic on top.
So you want specs on this new gadget...not here I'm only going to tell you how it works and show some shiny pictures. Immediately I notice a difference. ("How so Doug?") First impression of the optical mouse is summarized in one word; accuracy. The mouse is very precise, and will go exactly where I point it. There is no lag, and in fact I noticed a boost in speed from my ball'ed mouse. The mouse has a feeling of less drag, which I assume is related to the lack of drag from a rubber ball.
Now for the real test... how will the mouse perform when I decide to fire up Photoshop and work on some images? Without hesitation in my reaction, the mouse was down right fantastic. For any of you Photoshop users who have struggled to get the marquee in just the right spot, this mouse is for you. With my last mouse, I would try to marquee a small section of an image and miss my intended position…not this time!
Next area of improvement is with the wheel. The wheel in my previous mouse was becoming a tired option. It took effort to scroll through a web page, now I can practically spin the wheel mouse and let her sail away. The wheel is also slightly wider. At first I thought it would be too bulky, but I’m finding it easier to use.
Now onto the Logitech keyboard. Once again I chose a keyboard full of enough options to cause a seizure. However this board has a nice layout to it. Only one small quark I find with it is the small indented button right next to the Escape button. I looked at it and thought, “awe, how cute” and gave her a press. Within seconds my screen went blank and the room became silent leaving me in a confused stare at my monitor. “Ah, that’s what the half-moon shaped button does”. Never in my life have I tried to put my 24x7 computer to sleep with the keyboard…no I know. A small piece of tape will cure this button’s problem. How dare you force my computer to turn off Logitech!
A reboot was in order to cure the drowsiness from the nice nap my computer took. I then did what everyone else would do…I pushed all them friggin buttons. Surprising me once again 95% of the feature buttons work without Logitech’s software installed. If you haven’t seen this keyboard up close take a gander at the photo below.
Over in the left corner are a small wheel and two buttons. I decided to take the new board for a drive on the web and I have to admit it was a pleasant drive. For once I can give my right hand a break and let my left hand scroll up and down elongated web pages. With a press of the first button, I can go back a page just like pressing “backspace”, except now I don’t have to reach across the keyboard.
I was slightly skeptical about installing the drivers to this keyboard. I wasn’t impressed with the software included with my last keyboard, but this time I was brave and gave it a shot. The install was brainless; just follow the wizard and reboot. You do have to be careful not to install their advertisement features. Fortunately they allow you to unselect them. Logitech also has a feature to allow their software to “check home” for updates, but I decided not to allow them into my machine.
After the reboot I found nothing different. So I fired up their configuration tool, which allows me to customize these nifty keys on top. So I configured the “search” key to open up google.com, and it works with no problems. I set the “shopping” key to open up the trusty bensbargains.net so I can give you guys faster notice on some hot deals!
I then set the messenger button to fire up trillian, and just like the rest of the buttons this worked like a charm.Overall I came home a happy camper. Both items were the same price of $26.95. I doubt it was the best deal, but for small items like these I don’t shop around a ton.
