The Basics of the Logitech V200 Mouse

I purchased a Logitech V200 Laptop Mouse off of Ebay for almost exactly US$20 including shipping. I found the mouse to work very well. The receiver is small, and the unit fits in my hand rather well.

The unit includes teflon feet, therefore they will slide rather well on any surface. Be warned, this mouse does _not_ work well on glass desks (especially when clean).

The mouse works without drivers, but the drivers let you change a number of options, such as sensitivity, and setting up key "presses" with the scroll wheel. If I turned up the sensitivity greatly, I could even use it on the little restpad of the laptop itself.

The Range

The unit gets great range (as in, over 20 feet or 6 meters), which was actually useful for controlling my mp3 player (see later for how I set it all up).

Mouse Battery Life

The unit used 2 AA batteries (not included in the Ebay auction, but included in the $$$ retail box). These 2 batteries lasted 4.5 months of heavy use. I also never really stored the receiver in the base (which is supposed to further prolong battery life). The unit can run off of 1 AA battery, but I found that the extra bulkiness was actually desired. The batteries were nothing remarkable either, just cheap Panasonics, though they were alkalines. I'd recommend buying a large pack of batteries, since Alkalines have a _very_ low discharge rate. Changing the batteries is a snap as well.

Tips and Complaints (Scroll Wheel Focused)

The scroll wheel can be pressed down, which acts like a middle click, but I found that it was harder to press down than the Microsoft mice I had used before. This was my only real complaint, it was practically at the point of making it difficult to middle-click where you wanted to, because the pressure you'd need would move the mouse.

The scroll wheel can also be easily pushed to the left and right, which was reserved for a horizontal scroll, but I was able to use it to go forward and backward in winamp, my preferred mp3 player. To do this, set up the software to "press" some random command, like "ctrl-alt-p" when you horizontal scroll left, then set up "Global Hot Keys" in Winamp, and set it to go back a song when you "press" "ctrl-alt-p". A round-about, very reliable way.

Where To Get Your V200

Lots of retail stores, like Future Shop and Best Buy, do carry the Logitech V200, but their prices are rather high. I'd recommend finding one you like though Ebay HERE from a seller you like. The savings of buying a unit off Ebay are pretty significant. Just be sure to watch shipping costs and you'll be on your way. Users in the USA should be able to get a very good deal, users in Europe should only have to pay a few dollars more. So, Ebay, not retail stores. Just pick up a set of AA batteries at Costco or random little import stores, and be sure to get alkalines.

Conclusion

It is a good basic unit. The finish stays nice and shiny for a long time, and generally resists scratching. It is a bit smaller than your average mouse (being focused on the laptop user market), but not so much as to be uncomfortable. Don't buy one in a retail store, just get one off Ebay and buy your own set of AA batteries (get 6 or 8 and save the rest, you'll need them).