Logitech V220 Wireless Optical Laptop Mouse Review

Introduction

Logitech are a company who specialize in a whole range of products, including remote controls, keyboards, speakers and much more. Today here at Tech-Xtreme we have the Logitech V220 Wireless Laptop Mouse to review that claims to be built for comfort and 2.5 times more responsive than other optical mice. Let’s see how it does during testing…

Features

• Comfortable and compact cordless mouse for notebooks with snap-on receiver
• Mini-receiver snaps onto the mouse and turns it off
• More responsive high-definition optical technology
• Up to 6 months battery life with low-battery indicator
• Side-to-side scrolling plus zoom
• USB connection; Windows® XP, Windows Vista™ or Mac OS X 10.3.9+

Specifications

• Connectivity Technology: Wireless – RF
• Movement Detection Technology: Optical
• Movement Resolution: 1000 dpi
• OS Required: Apple MacOS X 10.2.8 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista / XP

Installation and Testing of the Logitech V220

The logitech V220 uses a radio frequency transmitter (rf) that can be connected to any available USB port.

When not in use, the transmitter can be slid into the gap made for the receiver on the under side of the mouse.  Once slid into place, this switches the little on/off button into the off position and back into the on position when removed.  The button at the end of the gap releases the lock for the battery cover which is located on top of the mouse.

Upon glancing at the User Manual, I noticed that it told me to insert the AA battery (included) in positive end first, but after looking at the battery compartment of the mouse, it says negative end first.  This proved to be quite confusing when one thing is telling you do something one way and another thing is telling you to do it another way.  However, after trying both ways, the negative end should be inserted first so that the + symbol is on the end closest to you.

No software is included the the V220, however, Software can be downloaded from Logitech’s Website that enables you to reprogram the buttons to do various things.  A bit strange to make the user download the software themselves rather than include it on an included cd, but at least with the V220 you have the option to change mouse settings.

You can download the software using this link.

With the V220 not being a laser mouse, you’d expect it not to be as good as a laser mouse is, but the 1000dpi Optical Sensor works on all of the surfaces I tested it on including a bumpy bedroom wall, carpet, desk, mouse pad and bed.

Of course, it is only a laptop mouse so compared with mice such as the OCZ Behemoth and the Cyber Snipa Stinger it is not even half as good, but compared with laptop mice, it’s at the top of my list.

One feature I found not be as sturdy or responsive as I’d have liked, was the scroll wheel which felt quite flimsy and unresponsive at times, while using it to browse the web.

I also tested the V220 while using battlefield 2. It managed fairly well, but half the time it was a little to unresponsive to shoot anyone.  Even though it is not a good gaming mouse, I feel that it was very comfortable to use and did not feel too small like some laptop mice do.

Conclusion

I have used my fair share of mice in the past few years, whether it be a gaming mouse, laptop mouse or just a cheap unbranded mouse from my local supermarket.  The V220 is probably one of the best (wireless) laptop mice I have used and was still usable at around 8 feet away from the receiver.

It costs around £20 which, compared with an unbranded laptop mouse, is a pretty good price for such a good wireless laptop mouse.

The Logitech V220 is receiving 4/5 all together, and maybe with a little tweaking (mainly on the scroll wheel) it could have got 5/5.

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a cheap laptop mouse that gets the job done easily. The V220 is for definitely a mouse for you.

Popularity: 41% [?]