Logitech cordless mouse uses low-power laser

The friction mouse is dead. Long live the optical mouse. OK, so you can still buy a friction mouse, but why bother? A friction mouse uses a little rubberized ball underneath it that rolls along the desktop surface as you move the mouse. The rolling ball rubs up against tiny little wheels that translate that movement into tracking motion that in turn moves the mouse cursor in a corresponding direction. It's an ancient technology that's sensitive to foreign particles that get picked up by the ball such as dust and dirt that build up over time and can gunk up the little wheels causing the cursor to "stick" on the screen.
Today's optical mice have eliminated the ball and replaced it with a light-emitting diode, or LED. Sensors in the mouse literally see the illuminated desktop surface and track the motion of the mouse resulting in the same corresponding mouse pointer movement. The optical mouse doesn't suffer from the same sensitivity to dust and dirt so you won't experience the sticking mouse pointer syndrome that was inherent in its predecessor.
Improvements
Over time, various improvements have been made within the optical technology. Those advances have primarily been in the way the surface tracking occurs. Increasing the resolution and number of times the position of the surface underneath the mouse is detected have been the two main areas of enhancement. But now Logitech (www.logitech.com) has come up with a new way of improving the optical mouse by using a different kind of light source than the others. They're using a laser.
Logitech's new MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse is claiming 20 times the tracking power of other optical mice that use an LED as their light source. Because the MX1000's low-power Class 1 laser can emit an ultranarrow beam of light, it's perfectly safe. Combining the laser with the mouse's sensor, which can capture up to 5.8 megapixels of data every second, it is able to track on surfaces that would not be possible with a conventional optical mouse.
Usable on most surfaces
For example, optical mice can't really track on glossy surfaces or white surfaces. But the MX1000 can track on lacquered tabletops, glazed ceramic tile, untextured plastic, translucent plastic, most metal surfaces, high-gloss white photo paper, laminate-covered countertops such as Formica, dark wood grain, gradient multicolor surfaces and opaque glass. The only surface it will not work on is clear glass, but they say they are working on that as well. By the way, LED optical mice won't work on clear glass either.
In addition to the laser, the MX1000 sports almost everything else that's desirable in a mouse, including cordless radio operation and eight user-definable buttons, which includes the scroll wheel button that scrolls both vertically and horizontally. The MX1000 is powered by the same lithium-ion battery technology that's used in today's top-end cell phones. Plus, I really like the looks of the illuminated four-level battery power indicator next to the thumb rest.
Rapid charger
The MX1000 also comes with a rapid-charging base station in which you can dock the mouse when it is not in use. Ten minutes of charging provides enough power for one full day of use. Four hours fully charges the mouse that can last up to 21 days for most users. No more batteries to buy with this baby.
If you're ready to move up to the ultimate mouse, then the MX1000 with its complement of features, along with its unique laser tracking system and high-tech looks, is ready to stun. Connects via USB and works with Windows or Macintosh OS X. Price has not yet been set.
www.logitech.com
XCraig Crossman is the host of the radio show "Computer America," (http://www.computeramerica.com/) heard nationwide. Send questions to him at ccrossmancomputeramerica.com and include your phone number.
Knight Ridder Newspapers