Logitech V400 cordless notebook mouse

I’ve ditched my faithful Microsoft cordless notebook mouse for a new Logitech V400 cordless notebook mouse. By the way, I got the orange version from Kalahari.net at a cheaper price than any brick and mortar store could offer – none of those were even remotely interested or even aware of the fact that this mouse model is available in an orange and black version. Support those that give the best service and deliver what you want…but that’s a different story.

The V400 is a pleasure to use – I initially simply plugged it in and let XP find the new HID. To enable special features and the extra two buttons on the left hand front side, the Logitech software has to be loaded. I’m shocked by the fact that a simple mouse driver is capable of consuming more than 40MB of disk space! For some or other reason, MusicMatch is provided as an additional application. There’s little sense to install that.

After the software installation, a reboot is required to enable the features. Mapping of the buttons is possible, to provide the required action. I doubt I’ll be using this too much, but it’s handy to have.

Pointer precision is provided by a laser. Overall, performance is excellent. I’ve used the mouse on various surfaces without any lag being experienced. The mouse works equally well under Linux, with the exception of the extra buttons being supported. There are some tweaks one can apply for this to work, but standard mouse functionality is all I need in that environment – it works very well.

A single AA battery needs to be inserted for the mouse to work. In contrast to the Microsoft mouse, a light indicates the status of the battery. One disadvantage of wireless mice is the necessary inclusion of a spare battery in the notebook bag to prevent mouse failure. Operating on a 2.4GHz frequency, the mouse includes a thin USB adapter. It’s slim enough to enable additional USB plugs to be inserted in a port alongside it. A handy storage slot is provided for the dongle in the back of the mouse itself. To release the dongle, a slight push is required. Stowage is simple: insert the dongle until it clicks into place. If interference is experienced, a reset button is provided to re-enable connectivity to the mouse from the notebook.

That’s really it. A great mouse that fits nicely into the hand with buttons positioned comfortably. Very responsive and reliable with regard to tracking. The battery status indicator is a useful feature and the mouse seems to be rugged enough to survive the inevitable bundling of itself and various cables into a receptacle for lugging around with a notebook.