Man has always been fascinated with the unexplained ever since ancient times. Sorcerer with mystical powers whom are able to control objects without laying a finger on them, or human with telekinesis abilities. What happens when you combine sorcery and technology? You get good movies like Minority Report and Harry Potter! From good movies and great minds, the Nintendo Wii is born with its revolutionary Wiimote. But what happens when you combine a Wiimote and a computer mouse? You become Harry Potter himself course! Not...
I'm talking about the new Logitech MX Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse! Now for once, you can pretend that you are Harry Potter himself waving his magical wand, I mean mouse in the air and take control of your PC!
The surface build of the mouse is of the same as the diNovo Edge keyboard. Glossy and reflective. That's why they provide a polishing cloth just in case you get sticky finger marks on the gorgeous Air Mouse.
What is so special about the Air Mouse is its ability to be used on the desk and in the air.
On the desk:
MX Air is a high performance cordless mouse with laser-precise tracking, ultra-smooth scrolling, and has a convenient built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery.
As you can see from the picture above, the left and right button of the mouse does not have the amber backlit. Indicating that the mouse is on "desk mode".
In the Air:
Simply pick up MX Air and point. Freespace™ technology transforms the motions into natural and responsive cursor control.
Installation Installing the mouse is as simple as plugging the receiver to your computer's USB port. Windows will install the necessary drivers for the mouse to work. All the buttons on the Air mouse will work without the software installed. Not to mention that the air mode's feature works perfectly fine. With SetPoint installed, you can further configure the mouse buttons and the behavior of the mouse when it is airborne. What are so special about the the mouse when it is in the air? We'll find out below.
Using the mouse:
There's nothing much to talk about when the mouse is on the desk. It works the same way as any other normal mice. Only things to mention are the precise 800 dpi laser tracking and the touch sensitive scroll wheel.
At first it is hard to get used to the touch sensitive scroll wheel because you can't feel the presence of the wheel on your fingertip. The scroll wheel pane is very touch sensitive. Just a simple touch or sliding of your fingertip across the pane will send the wheel scrolling endlessly. Yes, it has a built in Hyperscroll like the MX and VX Revolution mouse. You can't actually see the wheel spinning but there is audible sound coming from within the mouse indicating that the wheel is spinning. Don't be confused, there are no moving mechanism inside; they actually embed something in the mouse which emulates the sound of the wheel spinning. By using SetPoint software, you can actually set the sensitivity of the scroll pane. Anyway, you'll soon get used to it.
So what can we do with the mouse when it is airborne? When I picked up the mouse just barely an inch from my desk, immediately Freespace technology kicks in and transform the mouse into an air mouse. Some people has mistaken that you will need to wave your hand like some lunatic conductor to get the cursor moving. The correct way is just to tilt and pan the nose of the mouse by using your wrist.
The mouse will perform specific tasks by detecting your hand gestures and the button pressed. For example, controlling the master volume, skipping to the next/ previous track. For more information and explanation, you can visit the video posted on Youtube by the product manager of Logitech himself!
By default configuration, I find myself struggling with the cursor on the screen. the reason is because I still am not used to the telekinesis power which was granted to me by the mouse. With SetPoint installed, I can finally set the sensitivity and manage to get a hang of all the fancy wrist twister moves. Bear in mind that this mouse is designed mainly for Windows XP Media Center Edition. You can't miss pointing at an icon occupying 20% of the entire screen can you?
Battery life:
On the desk, the mouse can last 10 hours. When the mouse is airborne, it can only last for 3 hours. I doubt that someone is going to use the mouse on the air all the time. When the battery level is low, you'll see the battery indicator blinking in red. I just rest it on the charging cradle to get it charging instantly.
Mouse charging on the cradle.
Conclusion:
Pros:
- Innovative breakthrough design for computer mice
- Able to use the mouse without surface restrictions
- Convenient rechargeable battery
- Hand gesture commands for easier control over media applications
- SetPoint software enhances configurability of the mouse
- Impress little kids that you actually have magic powers or you are Harry Potter himself
- A bit pricey for average users
- Lack of usability in air mode. Limited gesture commands
- SetPoint should provide more options to configure the mouse in air mode
- Hard to get used to controlling the cursor in the air.
- Designed mainly for entertainment centers like Windows MCE. Not much use for standard Windows platform.
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