Gizmodo: mx air

Logitech MX Air Mouse Hands On (Verdict: Why?)

Charlie White — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:00:00 EDT

The Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Mouse ships today, and we've been testing it, taking it into the home theater and onto the desktop. You can move it around in 3D space, gesturing your way to screen navigation. But it's frustrating at times, and it takes a while to get the hang of it. Be sure you can return it, because some people will intensely dislike this mouse. Jump for our assessment of its pluses and minuses.

Good: Coolest-looking mouse we've ever seen. Nice charging stand. 2.4GHz wireless transmits a lot farther than conventional wireless mice (or even through walls), about like Bluetooth. Nice dynamic scrolling feature, where it lets you sling a scroll into hyper-auto mode, which feels a bit like the iPhone's "kinetic scrolling." The trick to using its 3D capabilities: When you pick it up, don't hold it like a mouse, but like a remote control. And it works fairly well, letting you move around in space and mouse around the screen with relative ease. Cool "Freespace" motion sensing gestures in selected media apps: slight flick to the left or right for volume, circle in the air for next/previous track.

Bad: The 3D interface takes some getting used to, we're still trying to figure out the crucial question: Why? Works OK as a desktop mouse, but if you pick it up the slightest bit, it thinks you want 3D mode and doesn't work in flat mode for a few seconds. It would be nice to be able to turn off the 3D mode altogether. We also don't care for the lack of a physical scroll wheel. Instead it's got a touchpad-like area for scrolling that makes an annoying ticking sound that you can't turn off. Expensive at $149.99.

Summing up, $150 is a lot to plunk down for a mouse that's beautiful but feels just plain weird. It behaves oddly on the desktop, and any cheap Bluetooth mouse would be a whole lot easier to use in the home theater. Pass.

If you're still interested, Amazon's the only place it's available thus far. [Amazon]

Logitech's MX Air Is No Longer Vapor

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 04:00:00 EDT

Just in time for the return of Harry Potter, Logitech lands its own magic wand, the MX Air mouse. It responds to the Freespace motion control technology when held aloft, especially when aimed at a Media Center PC or other "10-foot" PC application. Gesture controls are included: in a music app, a nudge to the left will turn down volume, a circle to the right will skip to the next track. On the desk, tracks movement via laser like other Logitech rechargeable mice, but it's missing a scroll wheel. In place of that is—yup, you guessed it—a touch-sensitive scroll panel.

There are also "stealth hot keys" along the back ridge that glow orange when the mouse is in use. The whole sleek ergonomic space-orca look really works, though Mac users take note, it's still only for Windows, and even in that milieu, the gesture control will likely be far from universal. We've got one here, and intend to play around with it shortly. We'll let you in on the thrill of using it, or if it's just chasing Gyration's air mouse down into the burrow of "What the hell is the point of this, again?"

Fact Sheet:
Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse
On the Desk and in the Air
Shipping: August 2007
Price: $149.99
Available at: www.logitech.com
Product Description
The Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air mouse is a versatile laser mouse that works on the desk and in the air. People can now lean back and relax while navigating the computer and enjoying media content, similar to how they hold a TV remote to relax while watching TV. And, as with all Logitech premium products, special attention went toward making this highly innovative mouse as elegant as it is easy to use.

Key Features
• Freespace™ motion control technology. This patented technology is based on a combination of MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensors, DSP (digital signal processing) technology and RF (radio frequency) wireless technology. These combined technologies allow a user to hold the mouse in any orientation, point in any direction and enjoy effortless, intuitive cursor control.
• Gesture-based command control. To change the volume, people press and hold the volume button and simply gesture - to the right to increase volume, or to the left to decrease it. For music applications, a small circular motion to the right activates the skip track command, while a circle to the left repeats the song.
• Touch-sensitive scroll panel. Replaces the traditional scroll wheel, without sacrificing performance. A swipe of the finger across the surface enables the inertial scrolling mechanism, which adjusts its speed according to the speed of the finger swipe. Media functions such as Play/Pause, Volume/Mute, Back and Select can be easily accessed in the air by pressing the large, orange backlighted buttons with the thumb.
• Striking design. Polished-black, semi-transparent top case, a silver base and a svelte, contoured shape combine for a versatile and comfortable mousing experience. Logitech's Cordless Freedom™ technology
• The rechargeable MX Air mouse uses 2.4 GHz Digital Cordless technology, which offers a range of up to 30 feet (10 meters) for use with a notebook or desktop PC.

System Requirements IBM® or compatible PC
• Windows® XP
• Windows Vista™
• USB port
• CD-ROM drive
Warranty
3-year limited hardware warranty

Sneaked Shot of Upcoming Logitech MX Air Mouse?

Matt Buchanan — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:21:56 EDT

Logitech's apparently planning a run into the air mouse market with its MX platform. It looks to sport both gyration-based movement and a standard laser, though they're supposedly holding off on Bluetooth in favor of RF. Expected drop date is sometime this summer.

What do guys think of air mice, anyway? I'm still madly in love with my heavily worn, four-year-old MX500—I don't need shmancy lasers or gyroscopic sensors. – Matt Buchanan

Logitech planning MX Air gyration mouse? [Engadget]