Logitech LX5 Cordless Mouse w/ ON/OFF switch

Update 9/26/07 Finally, the indicator light turned red and I had to replace the first set of batteries on this mouse. The pair of AA Energizers lasted about ten months.

Update 3/4/07 Just wanted to add a note that I am still on my original set of batteries after 3 full months. I usually turn the mouse off overnight when I shut down the computer, so the mouse is on for 16 hours per day, off for 8.

Original Review:
I bought the LX5 on an impulse because I was desperate to replace an older Logitech cordless mouse that ate batteries as fast as my 400# neighbor eats hotdogs. The packaging in that older mouse claimed 4 months on a pair of alkalines and I was lucky to get three weeks of use before the warning popped up on the screen that my batteries were low. Even at the warehouse price of about $1 a pair, three weeks of use means about $17 a year in batteries. That won't break the bank, but keeping the AA batteries handy and changing them became an annoyance. I tried the rechargeable route, since I already used AA rechargeables in my camera, but the lower voltage triggered the low battery warning after a couple of days. I thought about putting a tiny toggle switch as a 'tail' for the mouse to disconnect the batteries, but couldn't find one small enough. And if I removed the batteries from the mouse for a significant amount of time, pushing the connect button on the wireless receiver didn't always work, and I'd have to restart the computer to get the mouse working again.

After installing the new Logitech LX5 mouse, I tried it out for a while without installing the accompanying software. It was too sensitive, and the cursor moved across the screen to rapidly, making pointing and clicking difficult. So I added Logitech's Set-Point software and was able to easily customize the motion and feel of the mouse to my liking. The new mouse slides a bit smoother than the old one, but the biggest change I noticed was in the smoothness of the scroll wheel. The difference was comparable to a sports car riding over the expansion joints on a concrete highway, vs. a truck driving down a long flight of steps. I was anxious to try out the zoom feature of the scroll wheel, where one clicks the scroll wheel while on a web page, and then pushes the wheel forward to enlarge the page, backward to shrink the page. Even though that feature is enabled in IE7, it is nice to have it conveniently available on the mouse. However, there is no easy way to jump back to 100% zoom level with the buttons on the mouse, but it can be done by clicking in the lower right corner of IE7.

The LX5 does not have the distracting flashing of the power consuming red laser light on the side of the mouse, since it uses "battery saving Invisible Light" technology. This may add some confusion if the mouse had been turned off, since there is no indication that the mouse is on unless one turns the mouse over and looks at its belly to see the little green light over the on/off switch. One of the problems I had with the older mouse was that if I put my computer in the "sleep" mode, occasionally vibration in the room would move the mouse slightly, which would turn the computer and my power hungry CRT monitor back on. So far, the new mouse hasn't exhibited this flaw, but the ability to turn it off means that I can put my computer to sleep without the concern that the mouse will wake it up.

After sleeping overnight, when I pick up the mouse and hold the on/off switch until the green light indicates the mouse is alive, it triggers the computer to wake up and smell the coffee. The size and feel and response of the LX5 is about as good as it gets, and I am certainly pleased that an impulse purchase of this mouse turned out to be a worthwhile investment. In just two short years, I'll have saved the cost of the mouse in the cost of the batteries!