Logitech MX500 Optical Mouse

Before I got the Logitech MX500, I was stuck with the cheap mouse that came with my new computer. This mouse was small and very uncomfortable. I decided that I should get a new mouse. I did MANY comparisons for about a month and narrowed it down to 4 mice. The 4 mice were the Logitech MX500, Logitech Cordless Mouseman Optical, Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer, and the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical. I read many reviews about how the Intellimouse Explorer sometimes "froze" and being the hardcore gamer that I am, I couldn't have the mouse freezing. So this narrowed it down to 3 mice. The Intellimouse Optical was a great mouse that I had tested at many people's houses but I didn't really like how it felt in my hand. Finally I decided on the MX500 since I didn't really need a cordless mouse and the MX had more features. The MX has been reliable for the whole month I've been using it. Setup was a breeze and I get updates all the time. The buttons are all conviniently placed and the mouse feels great in my hand. The rubber grip kind of gets my hand a little sweaty but it's ok. The extra customizable buttons are really useful. I have the Back and Forward buttons set to well, Back and Forward. Clicking on the wheel closes my windows which is really handy. The program switcher is kind of strange and I don't really use it that much. The other two buttons I've set to minimize and maxamize. There isn't really anything I can set the application switcher to so I might just unassign it. Pros: -Very Ergonomic -Many Buttons -Scroll Wheel Feels Nice -Nice Look Cons: -Makes Hands Sweaty -Skips On My White Desk (using mousepad now) -Scroll Wheel Kind Of Hard To Press Down

First let me say that I still feel a little dirty using this mouse instead of the beautiful, elegant Apple Pro Mouse that I purchased with my Powerbook G4. I want to like the Apple mouse better. The problem with the Apple mouse is that it is still a one-button device. Now that I've gotten that out, I will continue with the review. This Logitech mouse is wonderful. I bought the wireless version of this first (MX700), but found it to be cumbersome because it still requires a corded hub. I play a lot of games on my computer, particularly first-person shooters, and I have found no other mouse that compares to this one. The optical sensor is incredibly smooth. The form of the mouse insures that my hand is comfortable during my extended late night gaming bouts. The buttons are placed well; I have never accidentally pressed a button. If you buy this mouse with a Belkin Nostromo n52 gaming pad, you will posess the hardware to move up a few notches in the gaming ladder. The mouse would also be ideal for people that spend a lot of time using programs such as Photoshop. The extra programmable buttons would come in very handy. I have yet to configure mine for Photoshop, but I am already thinking about the uses. This mouse will allow you to program buttons that function as multiple keys, making it easier to execute certain commands. The only problem that I have found with this mouse is that driver does not allow functions to be assigned on a per-application basis. There is, however, a workaround (at least for Apples; I don't use a PC). The program USB Overdrive will allow you to assign different buttons for most applications. The problem is that USB Overdrive will cost you an extra $20. The bottom line is that you will not be disappointed with this mouse. I can say, with a touch of sadness, that I will never go back to my Apple Pro Mouse.

I know that this mouse is kinda old and outdated but it's hard to find a good wired mouse these days. I read all about Logitech and the MX series mice and had a good feeling going into this. Physical Stuff: I got the mouse and was very excited. It has a somewhat unusual feel to the mouse itself. You can feel the mouse very slightly 'stick' to your hand when you touch it. The finish isn't extremely smooth. But other than that, it fits good in the hand. The button placement isn't bad, considering how many buttons you have. The wheel button presses fairly hard, almost too hard and the wheel scrolls with a 'cheap' feel. I won't expect this one to last all that long. Overall, I was fairly pleased with the mouse, until I tried . . . Software: The Logitech MouseWare software is TERRIBLE. They claim that it allows for button customization, which it does, but for 1 program. There is no 'Program Specific' customization. If you run CAD applications or Firefox, or any program that deviates from Windows defaults, you are basically SOL. I've done reading and Logitech has an 'Advanced Settings Program' which is more of a joke than MouseWare. It basically gives you 10 check marks which do no good. There are 3rd party software that I think will do the job like LogiGame, but that's another RAM hogging program to run. Overall: If you want to do REAL computing, programming, CAD, graphic editing, look at other mice. I can't say for 'games' because I don't play computer games. I came from a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 and would go back in a heartbeat if I could. I was suckered in by Logitech's reputation here, don't do the same.

Beware if you are buying this mouse for a computer in your bedroom, or any other location where it may be annoying to have your monitor unexpectedly turn on. This mouse either prevents your monitor from entering power saving mode (i.e. automatically turning off) or brings it out of power saving mode without cause.

The Logitech MX 500 is a good looking mouse, and it fits in my hand comfortably. I like having all the extra buttons, although I don't use all the buttons very often. I mostly use the left, right, middle, and the two buttons on the side. The mouse is very responsive and the weight is nice. Not too heavy, not too light, just right. I also own the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical Special Edition. The Intellimouse is slightly lighter, but that doesn't bother me. I have owned 2 Intellimice and 1 of them broke within a year of use (it wasn't an SE). For some reason it started multi left clicking, when I would single left click, from time to time. That's when I got the MS Intellimouse SE, I now have; I have had it for about 3&1/2 or so months. My special edition Intellimouse's buttons are starting to weaken, and they are starting to feel loose, used and abused (which they probably are because I use my mouse for gaming). I like the Intellimouse, that's why I got another one when the first one went bad. It looks cute and it feels fine. The intellimouse can be used by right handed or left handed people with the same ease (it is perfectly symmetrical). I don't think left handed people would be superbly comfortable with the MX500; I'm right handed so I can't really vouch for its left hand compatibility, or lack there of. The construction on the MX500 feels and seems slightly sturdier. I have used the MX500 for about 2&1/2 months. As an apparatus, I like the MX500 more. It feels better and than Intellimouse which doesn't feel bad, but just not as form fitting (to my right hand) as the MX500. Both the MX500 and the Intellimouse let you assign keystrokes and keystroke combinations to different mouse buttons. That is, you can assign DELETE to the 5th mouse button, or whatever you want to do. However, MS Intellimouse has an extra feature that MX500 does not have. The intellimouse software also lets you assign different keystrokes to different mouse buttons for different programs. For example, You could bind the delete key to "kill" command in quake 3 arena, then set the Intellimouse software to recognize when Q3 is running in the foreground, and set the 5th mouse button to BE the delete key, while in Photoshop you could have that same 5th mouse button be your undo key, while in internet explorer you could have that same 5th mouse button be your forward button. That is GOLD to me (since Q3A does not recognize 5th or higher buttons on a mouse). Unfortunately the MX500 does NOT do that. If you set 5th mouse key to be Delete, it's delete in Q3A, PS, IE, and everything else. Which isn't great, because BF1942 DOES recognize a 5th mouse button, and when using the Intellimouse the 5th mouse button is my parachute, but with the MX500, there is no 5th mouse button if I have it bound to be my delete key. Of course there is an easy fix, simply change my parachute key to delete or go into the MX500 software and set the button back to its default. But I think you can see how this is something of an inconvenience compared to MS solution. (What if you want to use Delete key for something else in BF1942 and you're going to be going back and forth between Q3A and BF?) This is just one plausible scenario; you of course will run into your own. If Logitech would have devised similar functionality for their mouse, than hands down the MX500 would be the greatest USB optical mouse in the universe (for right handed people).

Being really sensitive to the ugliness of any kind of computer cables, I bought the MX700 wireless mouse from Logitech mostly based on its cordless design and its many buttons. As much as i really wanted to like this mouse (I really do hate cables) I ended up being frustrated once too many with the iffyness of the wireless signal connection. I simply could not find any practical spot on my desk that wasn't far enough from any EM influence. Moreover, if the base was more than 10 or 12" away from the mouse the connection became erratic. When it worked it was beautiful. When it didn't I wanted to throw it out the window! In the end I decided to send it back, and ordered, reluctantly, its corded brethen the MX500. Boy what a difference a simple cord make! I have been using this mouse for about 3 weeks now and i still get impressed and elated by the feeling of extreme precision and "confident authority" this mouse gives me whenever I use it. Indeed, I have even grown to LOVE its cable! This is how good this mouse is. The buttons are where I expect to find them with just the right amount of resistance to them. The mouse feels just right in the palm of my hand. Its weight is an improvement over the slightly too heavy MX700. Its mouse software is simple, effective and extremely flexible. The optical design virtually never needs cleaning. The only "negative" I might point to, and a very subjective one at that, is that the MX700 silver accent was a perfect match for my Dual G5. The MX500 silver is more smokey grey than silver (Yes, we Mac users, really are that picky with the esthetics of our tools ; ) All in all, I cannot recommend this mouse enough. It is quite simply the very best mouse I have ever used, and certainly the only mouse I have ever felt that passionate about.

After reading the glowing reviews I ordered the MX500 eagerly anticipating a performance jump from my year old Microsoft Blue optical mouse. The mouse is attractive and well built. I rather like the "heft" some people complain of and the design is comfortable. The problem is performance. The pointer is erractic (quivering, shaking pointer with "ghost" images flashing behind it) and the software is extremely buggy either from the CD or Logitech's site (numerous crashes that ended when I uninstalled the Mouseware drivers). Plus the CD installed Backweb Lite to faciltate online registration and updates. Little did I know that that particular program is considered Spyware by many spyware removal programs. That's really a shock from a company like Logitech. All in all I was very dissapointed with the MX500. I went back to my old MS Blue optical, downloaded the lastest drivers from Microsoft and it runs rings around the Logitech and is much more stable!

Being really sensitive to the ugliness of any kind of computer cables, I bought the MX700 wireless mouse from Logitech mostly based on its cordless design and its many buttons. As much as i really wanted to like this mouse (I really do hate cables) I ended up being frustrated once too many with the iffyness of the wireless signal connection. I simply could not find any practical spot on my desk that wasn't far enough from any EM influence. Moreover, if the base was more than 10 or 12" away from the mouse the connection became erratic. When it worked it was beautiful. When it didn't I wanted to throw it out the window! In the end I decided to send it back, and ordered, reluctantly, its corded brethen the MX500. Boy what a difference a simple cord make! I have been using this mouse for about 3 weeks now and i still get impressed and elated by the feeling of extreme precision and "confident authority" this mouse gives me whenever I use it. Indeed, I have even grown to LOVE its cable! This is how good this mouse is. The buttons are where I expect to find them with just the right amount of resistance to them. The mouse feels just right in the palm of my hand. Its weight is an improvement over the slightly too heavy MX700. Its mouse software is simple, effective and extremely flexible. The optical design virtually never needs cleaning. The only "negative" I might point to, and a very subjective one at that, is that the MX700 silver accent was a perfect match for my Dual G5. The MX500 silver is more smokey grey than silver (Yes, we Mac users, really are that picky with the esthetics of our tools ; ) All in all, I cannot recommend this mouse enough. It is quite simply the very best mouse I have ever used, and certainly the only mouse I have ever felt that passionate about.