Hardware / Input Devices
Author: Dan Wellman
Date: 2006-07-18
Source: DevHardware
Logitech G7 Gaming Mouse
The Logitech G7 is more than just a mouse; it's a precision engineered miracle of input technology that oozes appeal and delivers best in class performance. As you can tell, I liked this mouse a lot and during the course of this article I'm going to convince you to do the same.
The G7 is a wireless, rechargeable, 2000 DPI (yes, two thousand!) laser mouse, ergonomically styled, and lightweight. It makes use of proven polymer technology to provide ultra-smooth travel.
The box contents are as follows: the mouse itself obviously; two hot-swappable, rechargeable Li-ion batteries; the charging station; a USB dongle and the documentation and driver/software CD. I actually paid a little extra and opted for the UK only Limited Special Edition, which also includes a robust and stylish case to securely carry the mouse to LAN parties or other events where the use of a good mouse might be advantageous.
Aside from the LAN case, the only other differences between the standard and special editions are that the left and right buttons are constructed from ultra light carbon and colored differently, and that the function buttons and charging station are blue instead of green. The difference in price was close to ten English pounds between the two editions, the standard being available in the UK for £49.99, the special edition for £60. While this is fairly expensive for a mouse (everyone that I have told how much the mouse cost has reacted with surprise and exclamation), the durability and feature-rich design ensures that this is an investment that will serve you well.
Logitech G7 Gaming Mouse - Setting it up
Setting up the mouse was extremely easy; insert the USB dongle into the port on the front of the charging station, connect the charging station to the computer, insert one of the Li-ion batteries and enjoy. The mouse worked straight away with built in XP drivers; the software on the CD is used mostly for the configuration of the mouse rather than a prerequisite for it to work. The battery packs actually had charge in them out of the box, which meant that I could start using it instantly, without waiting around for one of the packs to charge.
It is a six button mouse, although two of these buttons are specialized function buttons that are used to alter the DPI setting of the mouse and reconfiguring them would take away that functionality, so I'm not sure these should count. In addition to these two, you get the standard left and right click buttons, a thumb button on the port side, and the scroll wheel (which itself is a multi-directional tilt-wheel) can also act as a button. All of these buttons are programmable within the Logitech software suite, and most of them are enabled by default.
It's extremely light, weighing in at just 134 grams, but feels rigid and robust. As I already stated, the two main buttons and the top of the mouse (the special edition one anyway) are constructed from carbon; lightweight but strong with a durability of eight million clicks. The sides are made from a slightly rough plastic that provides an excellent grip. It is ergonomically molded to fit comfortably in your hand and to further enhance your grip. A molded grip might not sound like much of a feature but RSI isn't much fun, and studies have shown that an ergonomic mouse when combined with good mouse posture can considerably reduce the risk of a repetitive wrist injury.
The bottom of the mouse is home to the three polytetrafluoroethylene "feet" that provide an ultra-smooth glide across almost any surface. This substance is a polymer that you have probably heard of by its brand name of Teflon, the non-stick composite often found on the inside of kitchenware. The reason it's on the bottom of the G7 is because it has the lowest friction coefficient of any known substance. The coefficient of friction is a measurement of the slipperiness of two surfaces and relates to the lateral motion of sliding. The box provides the actual dynamic coefficient of friction of the mouse in the technical information section and gives a figure of 0.09 nut, which may vary depending on the surface the mouse is used on (glass or mirror is not advised).
Also located on the bottom face of the mouse is the standby switch, the battery compartment and eject button (and the laser unit, which I'll come to in a minute). The standby switch is used I assume to turn off the mouse when traveling, although it would be just as easy to take out the battery. The battery compartment is designed to insert and eject batteries as quickly as possible; simply press the eject button and a spent battery is shot out.
Logitech G7 Gaming Mouse - Batteries included
You get two rechargeable battery packs, and the idea is that if a battery runs out during game time, it takes just a matter of seconds to insert a fresh one and resume your game. It's a good system and works very well. A fully charged battery will give around seven hours of continuous use and can be recharged in either two or ten hours, depending on the recharging station setting.
The recharging station itself is small and stylish, and features the same slot and button system as the mouse for rapid battery changing. The wireless dongle connects to the charging station via a port located on the front, top of the station. I wondered at first why the receiver wasn't built into the station itself, but I'm guessing it's so you don't have to take the whole thing with you when you're on the move. Still, having the dongle poking out of the station at a roughly 45 degree angle to me is asking for it to be accidentally snapped off. This is possibly the one and only design flaw of the whole thing.
The USB connection is described by Logitech as "full-speed USB," a term that is apparently meant to denote an adherence to the now obsolete USB 1.1 standard. Logitech is careful not to use the official standard name anywhere in their documentation (including online) and while it may at first seem that the slowness of the USB connection is a major failing of the product, you have to ask yourself, how much data does a mouse actually transfer to the computer? It's not a camera or anything, so there aren't huge amounts of data that need to be moved quickly. What the documentation does say is that the mouse delivers 500 reports per second to the computer, which when compared to the standard of around 125 reports that normal USB mice are capable of, begins to sound a lot more impressive.
The wireless connection uses a 2.4 GHz frequency to broadcast information. This is the same as the frequency of the IEEE 802.11g standard commonly found in wireless routers. If that makes you worry about interference between your wireless products causing lag, you can rest assured; I have an 802.11g wireless router and have noticed no perceptible interference between my wireless devices. The mouse has 24 channels that it can use for transmission, so if it detects any interference on the channel in use, it simply switches to another, with no intervention on your part. As with the USB speed, Logitech doesn't name the IEEE standard at all on its documentation. Instead, it refers to "Logitech's 2.4 GHz cordless (not wireless) technology," which to me sounds like an in-house development (not that there's an issue with that; at the end of the day it performs).
Logitech G7 Gaming Mouse - Laser and Software
The gaming grade laser unit boasts an impressive 2000 DPI maximum resolution, capable of processing 6.4Mp of image per second. I say maximum because you can immediately adjust the DPI setting of the mouse using the programmable buttons just below the tilt wheel. You can use the SetPoint software utility to set the desired resolution of each setting. Out of the box, the default setting is 800 DPI, with a lower setting of 400 and a max setting of 2000.
When only three settings are configured, the DPI indicator will light one of the levels for each setting. When all five settings are configured, the display adapts and shows the top indicator for the maximum setting and then the next two indicators to display the next lower setting, etc. The DPI indicator, which displays in orange and has a running man logo, also doubles as the battery indicator, which displays in green and has a battery icon. The battery indicator will alert you to an imminent power failure by flashing red, which is handy. The orange display is the primary display; the battery display will only light up if you keep the mouse still for a few seconds, although it will flash red when the battery is almost used up.
The software, called SetPoint, that comes with the mouse, is intuitive and easy to use. There is also an extensive help file, an animated guide-style tutorial and links to the Logitech web site. There is also the Logitech Desktop Manager which uses your Internet connection to regularly check for product updates and information regarding new products and special offers. It runs in the background continuously and alerts you when updates are available.
Logitech G7 Gaming Mouse - Testing and Conclusion
Performance-wise, I tested the mouse in a variety of games and applications and am happy to say that it performed to my expectations and beyond. There is no discernible lag or delay at all, even during game play, and the ability to instantly change resolution depending on the situation is a fantastic advantage. Additionally the pixel-precision pointer control makes it an ideal tool for graphic and art packages.
The only problem I encountered when using the mouse was that some of the settings I'd configured were lost after leaving the mouse idle for a number of hours. This may be because I chose not to clutter my system tray with yet another icon or it may be something else. I'm experimenting with keeping the system tray icon running and it hasn't happened since, so this may well be it.
Logitech said in their press release that the G7 and the G5 are the results of an extensive customer feedback/suggestion process whereby Logitech spent some time asking gamers across the globe what features they would like to see in a mouse and then working towards the goal of delivering exactly what was wanted. Gamers said they wanted unparalleled speed and responsiveness, a lightweight and sleek design and ultra-fine in-game customization. With the G7, Logitech have delivered to the full. This truly is the best mouse I have ever had the pleasure of using and if you buy one too, I'm sure this is a view that we will share.
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