I bought the Logitech MX 310 Mouse as an accessory for my recently purchased Dell Laptop (you can check out the review at
http://www.epinions.com/content_192019533444 ) computer. I tried the touchpad for about two days, and was told my laptop came with a good touchpad and I would get used to it. After two days I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want to get used to the touchpad and I started researching mice.
To be perfectly honest the Logitech MX 310 Mouse was not my first choice. Other than a mouse, another thing that is conspicuously absent from a laptop is a number pad. I actually found a mouse (3M Optical Mouse with Numeric Keypad) that fit my criteria where the top of the mouse was a keypad. There were a couple of things that stopped me from buying this mouse. No store around me carried it in stock. I wanted to see it before I bought it since I had some concerns that I would mash the keys accidentally while using the mouse. I couldn’t find anywhere on any sites if you could lock the keys or not. Also, I wanted my mouse right away since I hated the touchpad. Finally, I couldn’t find any reviews on it.
My Criteria
So now you know why I didn’t buy that mouse. I bought the Logitech MX 310 Mouse for several reasons. I wanted a USB cabled mouse. Why a cable? For one reason only. My friend told me he had never had any luck with wireless mice. So I immediately ruled those out. I wanted an optical mouse. With laptops, you use them where you are. That is kind of the point. So a track ball wasn’t going to work for me. I need to use the mouse on as many surfaces as possible. That is actually all I wanted in a mouse. I got the Logitech MX 310 Mouse simply because the salesman at Circuit City said this was a good one that fit my needs.
Setup
You pretty much plug the mouse in and it works. I did opt to load the included software. With the software you can remap the various buttons to your preferences and receive any software updates from Logitech should they be needed. Someone with 10 minutes computer experience could probably set up this mouse without too much hassle.
My experience
I have been very happy with the Logitech MX 310 Mouse. The cord is long enough without being overly long. Strangely I cannot find exactly how long it actually is after checking several sites, including Logitech’s. So I measured it and got 5.5 feet. I would guess the total length counting the mouse is about 6 feet. Obviously the cord plugs in to any available USB port. The mouse works on absolutely any surface I have tried it on. These surfaces include the couch, pillows, table, and my leg. It does not work on folds, such as if the pillow isn’t laying flat. I don’t fault it for that. I don’t expect it to work magic. All I wanted was a mouse to move the cursor and have the standard two buttons on top along with the scroll wheel. What I got was a bit more. The Logitech MX 310 Mouse has an additional button on each side. On the left side near where the thumb rests (for a right handed person) is a button that is mapped as a back button. On the opposite side the button is mapped to forward. Finally, there is an additional button on the top behind the scroll wheel. This brings up a program menu to quickly choose between open applications. I am not sure I would have paid extra for these but now that I have had a chance to experience them, I love them. Finally, the mouse is both right and left handed. Again I wouldn’t have cared since I am right handed but with the laptop I have actually encountered times when it is more convenient to use it left handed. All of my experiences with the Logitech MX 310 Mouse have been positive.
Technical Spechs
According to the Logitech website the technical specs are as follows...
Image Processing: 4.7 megapixels/sec
Resolution: 800 dpi
Acceleration: 10g
Speed: 40 inches/sec
Conclusion
I have been pleasantly surprised with the Logitech MX 310 Mouse. Having only used the mice that came with my desktops I was pleased with the features that I never knew existed. As far as a recommendation? If the price is right I would say get it. I don’t see what would make it so much better than another mouse with similar features but I can tell you this one works and has been reliable so far. I paid too much for it ($30) because I didn’t want to shop around any more or wait for it in the mail so if you happen to read this then I hope you get it for less. On the down side, I still need a numeric keypad.
