Logitech MX 610 Laser Cordless Mouse Review
Here at Game Freaks 365, we have reviewed 2 Logitech mice prior to this. If you have read them you know that the one thing in common with both of them which I had pointed out that I did not like was the look. They look good, but not “great” as you would expect from one of the top mice makers in the world. The MX 610 series is here to change that. It sports an eggshell finish black with polished aluminum look for the center and the buttons. Unlike the other Logitech mice I’ve seen, and like the newer Microsoft mice I have seen, the MX 610 has a slightly tilted top surface, which is easier on the hand for long term use. It has a nice crevice for your thumb and slides well on surfaces using its four hard platforms on the bottom.
As far as functionality, this mouse has the most buttons I’ve ever seen on any mouse. You have your standard left and right click, up and down scroll, side scroll, and zoom scroller; but in addition, you have volume control buttons for your PC and a mute button, as well as two thumb buttons and an email and instant message button. Without any software installed, the thumb buttons can be used for “forward” and “back” functions in many browsers, and the volume and mute buttons work as well. By default, the email button launches Windows’s default email program (in my case, Outlook) and the IM button does nothing. With the software, however, you can customize the function of any of these buttons, either globally or specific to any programs. You can configure it to flash the email button when you have new mail, or to flash the IM button when you have IMs. This can be useful if you are playing a game which is full screen, or if you are not in front of your PC.
The mouse runs on 2 AA batteries, which is both a good and bad thing. On the one hand, they last significantly longer than the batteries in the G7 model (which uses a lithium battery), but on the other hand, when they are dead, you have to throw them out and buy new ones. Not only does the battery last longer on this model than the G7 because of the battery type, but the MX 610 has a sleep mode which saves battery significantly without having a lag while it “wakes up”. The mouse’s receiver is almost exactly the same as the G7, being tiny (smaller than a USB flash drive) and providing the range and speed of 2.4GHz. The guts of the mouse provide modern laser technology, meaning you get very high precision without using extra battery for the light used in optical mice.
Included in the box is the documentation, SetPoint install CD, 2 AA batteries to get you started, the USB mini-receiver, and a USB to PS2 adapter for older PCs. The model I was sent for review was the Left-Hand only model, which is essentially exactly the same as the normal MX 610, except a mirror image. The left and right click functions are reversed to feel natural. This is clever of Logitech to make a mouse for lefties, but it leaves some flaws. Firstly, if someone is left-handed and uses PCs a lot, they are probably completely comfortable with using a right-handed mouse, and would have more trouble with this than it’s worth. Secondly, if the person plays games, all of the key setups would have to be changed, and even then, a keyboard is shifted to the right so that a hand coming slightly from the right would be comfortable. Finally, if someone is starting to use PCs altogether, it would probably be confusing to them having to swap left and right click commands in programs. This significantly narrows the target buyer for the mouse, but if you are left handed, I still strongly recommend you give this a try. The Logitech MX 610 series mouse is the best all-around mouse I have used to date.
