Another Great Mouse from Logitech

Logitech M325 Wireless Optical Mouse

All good things must come to an end. Considering the amount of abuse my Logitech V450 Nano wireless mouse suffered week in and week out, it’s not surprising that it eventually stopped working. On the other hand, it did last more than 4½ years – longer than a lot of laptops these days. They were not easy years, either, entailing heavy work with precision 3D modeling software and also an owner who regularly eats lunch at his desk. Messily.

So when it did come time to replace that V450, I didn’t bother looking at Kensington or Microsoft or any of the others: I headed straight for Logitech’s catalog to see what had replaced the V450. The answer is a Logitech M325 Wireless Mouse, and it’s (pretty much) just like my old friend.

Here are some basic specs for the M325:

The mouse operates on two AA batteries; not included. Logitech claims “up to” 18 months' battery life, but we all know that’s just a guess. On the other hand, I only remember changing the V450 batteries a time or two, so more than a year sounds reasonable. It operates under (almost) any flavor or Windows or iOs, as well as Chrome and Linux.You’ll need a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port for the receiver (in case you don’t know, a USB 3.0 port [usually] has a blue plastic insert and a 2.0 has black).The body's about 3¾” x 2¼” x 1½”, slightly smaller than my old V450. It’s ergonomically shaped to fit the hand with a rubber grip notched on both sides for the thumb, and can be used either right- or left-handed. Logitech calls the scrolling "micro-precise," and I have no argument there. The 2.4GHz wireless signal is highly reliable: I’ve never experienced a dropout or delay, even from across the room.The eensy-beansy nano receiver is called a “unifying receiver” because you can run as many as six USB devices on a single receiver… assuming they’re Logitech devices, I think.

Like its little predecessor, the M325 is a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel that can be programmed to act as a third button (for Linux fans, among others). For everyone else, the wheel operates as a forward/backward switch for web browsers; just tilt the wheel to the right or left, respectively. You can download Logitech drivers to enable an extended set of mouse features, but I prefer to use it as a standard “dumb” mouse with the Windows default mouse driver. If you want to run multiple devices on the unifying receiver, you also have to download the unifying software. Haven’t tried it…

That receiver is one of Logitech’s Nano receivers, so called because it’s a tiny (about ½” x ¼” x ¼”) chunk of plastic sitting on a USB plug.  It’s so small I never bother to unplug it, even when stowing the laptop for travel – it sticks out perhaps a quarter of an inch. If I do you want to disconnect and store it, the receiver tucks into a dedicated slot in the battery compartment, which also turns the mouse off. You could also leave it plugged in and turn the mouse off with its bottom-mounted switch. There’s a tiny green LED on the top to show the power’s on, which turns red when the battery’s low – aat which time the mouse seems to have another week or two of battery life.

Special programming features: If you download SetPoint, the M525 will end up with additional functions. By default, the wheel’s programmed to scroll the current window right-left with a wheel “tilt.” If you press and hold the wheel, you get software zoom to enlarge/reduce the current window. Tilt and press functions can be re-assigned to several other actions, like volume control for yout speakers.

Life with a Logitech M325:

Installation is easy, since it's plug-n-play. My laptop runs Windows 7 64-bit,, and the mouse worked immediately upon installation.
Download: The download software is massive, which is the  reason I didn’t bother with it – I’ve used it on other machines and don’t find that it adds that much to my experience. I have no need for the unifying software, so ditto on the no-download.
Physical stuff: The receiver only projects about 0.25" out from the USB port so you really can plug it in and forget (though maybe not so much if it’s on the side that rests on the bottom of your laptop bag).
Range: It's a minimum of ten or twelve feet from the receiver, at least with fresh batteries. I always like that for presentations, because I’m a bit of a roamer.
Surface Sensitivity: It works fine on a plain countertop, rubber mousepad, magazine surface, newspaper, cloth, and wooden desk without any tracking problems. Like other mice (mouses?) it's pretty useless on shiny or monochrome surfaces.
Portability: Though decidedly compact, it’s also pretty dense. It’s probably worth the extra ounce, though.
Buttons: Some aftermarket mice have extra programmable buttons under the thumb and ring finger for additional controls; if you're used to them, you'll not find them here. If you're not, you probably won't care. I find that the mousewheel is super-sensitive, allowing me to scroll line by line instead of the noticeable jump of some cruder mice.

Is it really Ergonomic? Well, that might depends on your tastes: the M325 is kinda chunky, but it’s still a little small for large hands. If portability isn’t your driving need, a larger mouse might fit your hand somewhat better.

Overall: A nice little mouse with few shortcomings. Logitech sells sexier mice, but they cost more than this one’s $30 price tag . I’d recommend the M325 for medium to heavy use, though not for cursor-intensive pastimes like CAD or gaming; and I especially recommend it for travelling, where its small size and Nano Receiver will be a blessing. Oh – and replacement receivers are available from Logitech, so you can literally forget the receiver as well! Summary PLUS: tiny and tough even while it's sensitive MINUS: some of the software downloads are a little "much" WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: I liked my last couple of Logitech mice so much that when the latest one died I didn't bother to look at anything but the Logitech M325 Wireless Mouse.

copyright © 2018 scmrak

westcoastpower.net - Satisfactory (Mostly)

westcoastpower.net

Remember Saturday Night Live skits about the tape store at the mall – it only sold one thing: Scotch Tape®. Well, I’ve found a similar vendor on-line that sells only one product: laptop power. It’s West Coast Power, operating from a website called WestCoastPower.net.

Merchandise: The only things this niche business sells are laptop batteries and AC adapters. Their battery selection covers the ten most popular brands (Acer, Apple, Asus, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, H-P, IBM, Sony, and Toshiba), and they stock adapters for the same brands. I needed a replacement battery for a Dell, since mine had a bad cell and died completely.

Payment: West Coast Power accepts payment using the big four cards (VISA, MC, Amex, Discover), check, or PayPal. Ordering uses the shopping cart model under https security encryption. The site is a Yahoo merchant, using their secure servers and privacy policy. I haven’t seen many vendors lately who still accept checks – I assume (but did not verify) that merchandise will ship after the check has cleared the bank.

Shipping: The site operates out of Vancouver, BC, and Seattle, WA; for non-duty shipping to both countries. Expedited and overseas shipping are available, for a fee. As of this writing ,  2-day ground shipping is free for orders over $25 within either country – since everything they sell costs more than that, shipping is effectively free. My order was shipped the following day (I ordered on the web after business hours) and arrived at my home two days later via USPS Priority mail, in perfect condition. West Coast Power sent a confirmation e-mail plus a shipping notice with the tracking number.

Navigation: The site’s pretty simple: you either search by battery number or laptop model number. For my Inspiron battery, the number stamped on the old battery is RN873. Searching on the part number returned the 6- and 9-cell batteries; searching on the laptop model number returns batteries and adapter (and a couple of Compaq batteries). Their “drill-down” capability - choose laptop battery, click on brand name, etc.- is incomplete, so you’ll need to use a search box. I found my battery in just a couple of minutes, including cross-checking the model-number search results with the battery part number results.

Warranty: West Coast Power has a thirty-day satisfaction guarantee, though you’ll have to pay to ship unsatisfactory merchandise back. All merchandise has a one-year warranty.

Prices: The battery I ordered sold for about 40% of the cost of a direct order from Dell. I could have ordered the heavy-duty 9-cell battery instead, and still paid less than half of list. Price-wise, a clear winner.

Merchandise: According to West Coast Power, all batteries and adapters are made to OEM (original equipment manufacturer’s) specifications. That’s code for “Made in China.” The battery I received is the same size and shape as the one it replaces, fitting perfectly in its slot. The battery ships with instructions on calibrating the laptop’s battery meter; simply cycle the battery a couple of times. I’m not certain that the battery capacity is the same as my previous battery – the discharge seems to be much more rapid; less than two hours as compared to over three for the old battery even after a year of use. I probably should have gotten the heavy-duty version.

I was able to find a battery listed for my six-year-old Sony VAIO laptop as well, so they stock at least some older batteries.

Overall: A simple website where it’s easy to find a replacement battery, even for aging laptops. Prices and warranty are good, and shipping can’t be beat unless the company pays you for the privilege of shipping to you. Return policy and payment options are also standard or better, since they accept both checks and PayPal as well as credit cards. On the downside, the batteries sold at West Coast Power may have lower capacity than your OEM battery – one more example of getting what you pay for.

Laser Optics and Nano Receiver: Logitech V450 Nano

One of the things that came along with my new job was an older laptop (it might more accurately be described as a "boat anchor"), and along with it came a ginormous "portable" wireless mouse. The thing comprised mouse and receiver, both about the size and shape of a VW Beetle (the old style). Luckily, before I had to tote laptop and gigantic rodent appendage across ten time zones, the mouse stopped working (well, it might have had a le-e-e-tle help there...) In its stead, I talked the office manager into ordering an eensy-beensy cordless laser mouse, the Logitech V450 Nano to be exact, based on my positive previous experience with a pair of Logitech V220s.

Here are some basic specs for the V450 Nano:

•      The mouse operates on two AA batteries that are - get this! - included.
•      It's plug-n-play under Windows XP or Vista (32- or 64-bit) or Mac OS X 10.39 and later. You may be able to get drivers for Windows 2000 and older, but check with Logitech before buying. Ditto for Linux.
•      It requires a USB port for the receiver.
•      The mouse is about 4" x 2½" x 1½", slightly larger that the V220
•      It's ergonomically shaped to fit in the palm of the hand, and can be used either right- or left-handed, with a soft rubber grip notched on either side for the thumb
•      It's beyond optical, it's a laser optical mouse, with higher precision and finer resolution than "ordinary" optical mice
•      A 2.4GHz wireless signal is highly reliable: I've never experienced a dropout or delay, even from across the room

Like its little brother, the V450 is a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel that can be programmed to act as a third button (for Linux fans, among others). You have to download Logitech's SetPoint program and drivers from the corporate website to do so, however - and to enable other mouse features as well. It operates like a standard "dumb" mouse with the default Windows mouse driver.

So why do they call it Nano? Hold onto your hat: the 2.4GHz wireless receiver for this baby is MINUSCULE! It's a tiny (about ½" x ¼" x ¼") plastic blob sitting atop a USB plug. It's so small that they call it a "plug-and-forget" Nano Receiver. It's no longer necessary to unplug the receiver from your laptop and stow it in the mouse like you do with a V220 or V320; just leave it plugged in and go. If you absolutely insist on storing it, the Nano Receiver tucks into a special slot in the battery compartment (and turns the mouse off at the same time). Or you can leave it plugged in and turn the mouse off with a bottom-mounted switch - your call.

A small green LED lets you know the power's on, turning red when the battery's low. According to Logitech, battery life is 12 months. My V220 specs out at 6 months, and regularly beats that mark.

Special programming features: If you download SetPoint, the V450 has additional functions. By default, the wheel's programmed to scroll the current window right-left with a wheel "tilt." If you press and hold the wheel, you get software zoom to enlarge/reduce the current window. Both actions - tilt or press - can be re-assigned to several other functions, one of which is volume control for the speakers.

Living with the V450:

Installation is dirt-simple: it's plug-n-play. No software's included in the packaging; Logitech supplies no drivers for pre-XP or -OS X operating systems. My laptop still runs XP, and the mouse worked immediately upon installation.
Download: The download software (Logitech's SetPoint software) is HUGE; it compresses to a 60 MB self-extracting file! It includes the Yahoo toolbar, which can be rejected at install, but has no other switches. Installing the software creates a desktop icon and a tray icon, both of which pull up a rather crude GUI that duplicates mouse controls normally found in the control panel - handedness (right vs. left), the number of lines scrolled per spin of the wheel, and cursor sensitivity and speed. It also controls programming of the special wheel functions, so you can't get around downloading it if you want those functions.
Physical stuff: The receiver only projects about 0.25" out from the USB port so you really can plug it in and forget (though probably not so much if it's on the back).
Range: It's a minimum of ten or twelve feet from the receiver, at least with fresh batteries. I definitely find that useful for presentations.
Surface Sensitivity: It's worked fine on a plain countertop, rubber mousepad, magazine surface, newspaper, cloth, and wooden desk without any tracking problems.
Portability: It's quite compact, though it still weighs about the same as a conventional corded mouse (a few ounces).
Buttons: Many add-on mice come with extra buttons under the thumb and ring finger for additional controls; if you're used to them, you'll not find them here. If you're not, you probably won't care.

Is it really Ergonomic? Well, that might depend: the V450 is less "chunky" than the V220, as it's the same height with a slightly larger footprint. It's still rather small for a large hand, however. If portability isn't your driving need, I'd suggest a larger wireless (or even corded) mouse like the two-bugs model that died to get me this one.

Overall: A nice little mouse with few shortcomings. Logitech sells nicer mice, but they cost more than this one's $50 price tag. I'd recommend the V450 for medium to heavy use, though not for cursor-intensive pastimes like CAD or gaming; and I especially recommend it for travelling, where its light weight and plug-and-forget Nano Receiver will be a blessing. Oh - and replacement receivers are available from Logitech for a mere ten bucks, so you can literally forget the receiver as well!