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Ryan1524 · Jul 13, 2004, 10:26 PM

well, this is not so much a review as a re-iteration of what people ahve said all over the forums.

i needed/wanted a Bluetooth mouse. after connecting my MX00 and have it working perfectly and just the way i want it with USB Overdrive, i just have to have a nice, full size mouse to complement my PB. i decided for the MX900. i was going to wait for the MacMice The Mouse BT that's supposed to come in September - if it's not delayed for the third time.

but after using the MX700, i can't live without the extra buttons, especially the Expose button i configured into one of the buttons. coincidentally, the button i use for Expose is what's known as App Switching button in windows. heheh. so it's perfect. i set the other two button next to the scroll wheel as the other two expose button - they were originally meant for faster scrolling (cruising), but since that doesn't work yet, i use them for Expose.

i'm a bit pissed at the fact that Logitech is so stubborn for not releasing a full driver for this mouse. it's perfect in every way except maybe size (to some people), and no Off Switch. but in Expose, ALL the buttons are recognized. if someone would just write a simple app to associate these other buttons to other apps other than expose, my problem is solved.

so yea, connecting the mouse is as easy as detecting it and asking it to pair. all done through the BT Setup Assistant. no 3rd party app used. all OS X. i paired it, it instantly work. the right/left click, the scroll, and all the buttons are assignable to Expose.

if i charge it, it shuts off, so connection is broken. when i take it out, it turns back on and instantly connects again and off i go. when i put the PB to sleep, BT is technically OFF, so connection is broken, and the mouse CANNOT wake up the computer. this is important because there is no off switch on the mouse. when you throw it in a bag, it will NOT accidentally bring your machine out of sleep. since the mouse can live up to 4 days without charge (assuming it has the same Batt life as my MX700), i find charging it every night is fine, even without the off switch, but it might be nicer to have it actually have a switch. if you replace the battery with higher capacity ones, it can last up to two weeks.

great mouse.

rag on a muffin · Jul 13, 2004, 11:31 PM

i would like to add a few things to your review, first i saw where you said that the mouse does not wake up the computer, which is true when it is unplugged, but when it is plugged in, it will wake up when the mouse moves, which i disabled, but is defaultly told to wake up.(if anyone wants me to tell them how to do this just tell me) people might become mislead

right now you can use gamepad companion to assign the extra buttons, but i have just left it alone, waiting for USB/Bluetooth overdrive, because it is by far more customizable.

my battery lasts only 1.5 days or so, but i charge it every night, so i never have any downtime.

you also forgot to mention the dual color LED right below the switch apps button that tells you when you are going to run out of batteries (blinking red), or charging (blinking green).

i agree, this is a great mouse. i am glad i chose this instead of some small company.

wuzup101 · Jul 14, 2004, 01:03 AM

As an MX700 user here on my PC I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the MX900. I am still trying to decide what type of mouse to get for my new PB that will be ariving in a few days. I love the feel and size of these mice. They fit your hand like a glove. I'm just wondering, are the back/forward buttons supported in any of the web browsers, as that's their main use for me right now. If not, I'm sure in the future they will be supported, maybe when Tiger comes out if not sooner. I'd doubt that apple would neglect something like this in their next major release. Anyway, definitely a great mouse. It might be a bit big if you're a hardcore weight/size person, but the size is worth it as it provides a heck of a lot of comfort!

Ryan1524 · Jul 14, 2004, 01:15 AM

yes, it will wake up if you ahve the USB BT hub plugged in, but why would you have it plugged in when it's in the bag?? since this is the most critical moment where we don't want the mouse to wake up the computer.

f1000 · Jul 14, 2004, 01:42 AM

Originally posted by Ryan1524:
When i put the PB to sleep, BT is technically OFF, so connection is broken, and the mouse CANNOT wake up the computer. this is important because there is no off switch on the mouse. when you throw it in a bag, it will NOT accidentally bring your machine out of sleep.

That's not correct: there's a firmware update that allows Bluetooth devices to wake your computer from sleep (whether or not the cradle is connected via USB).

Get the update here,

http://www.apple.com/bluetooth/

vmichaelsf · Jul 14, 2004, 02:57 AM

great mouse, i agree. i have a question; how can we get logitech to support this on the mac? i'm not as interested in getting the buttons working, there are apps for that and i only use them for scrolling, cruising and expose... but i would really like to use the base as a bluetooth receiver. any suggestions or information about whether they have plans to do so? thanks!

PLin · Jul 14, 2004, 03:00 AM

Even after applying the firmware, you can still choose in the Bluetooth preference pane whether or not you want Bluetooth devices to wake the computer.

djohnson · Jul 14, 2004, 09:29 AM

Nice review. I am hoping to get one of these mice some day. For now, the trackpad works fine for us. Maybe we will get it when we get a new tower in 3 years?

Maflynn · Jul 14, 2004, 10:51 AM

I opted for the MX900, purchasing it at compusa - I went as far as asking the Apple guy there if this was compatible with my PB. The box did not mention Macs at all where as the MX700 did.

Anyways I bought, hooked it up. I was very disappointed that the buttons couldn�t be programmed using the LCC app and the tracking was horrendous. For the price I paid for it, my expectations were certainly high.

I exchanged it for an MX700 and have been very please with that.

Mike

Ryan1524 · Jul 14, 2004, 10:56 AM

yes. i must add that the tracking has a very slight bumpiness to it. it's barely there, but after using the MX700 for so long, it's irritating. i'm returning this mouse. but other than the tracking problem, which i believe is only because there are no proper driver support for it, the mouse works perfectly. annd once someboddy writes a smooth little app to associate all the buttons to other apps, iot'll be perfect. but for now, it's going back.

Maflynn · Jul 14, 2004, 11:00 AM

Mine was worse, perhaps I had a defective unit, but I had to turn the tracking all the way up. I don't like a sensative mouse either but the tracking was really poor on this mouse. I usually have the slider set at 30 - 50% in the mouse prefpane but for the mx900 it needed to be at 100% and then it was still a tad slow.

Mike

CatOne · Jul 14, 2004, 12:22 PM

Originally posted by Ryan1524:
yes. i must add that the tracking has a very slight bumpiness to it. it's barely there, but after using the MX700 for so long, it's irritating. i'm returning this mouse. but other than the tracking problem, which i believe is only because there are no proper driver support for it, the mouse works perfectly. annd once someboddy writes a smooth little app to associate all the buttons to other apps, iot'll be perfect. but for now, it's going back.

I had this, too, but I wouldn't call the bumpiness "slight." It was really annoying... the response was not NEARLY as precise as the MX 700. So I took mine back and got a 2nd MX 700 (2 machines -- one at work and one at home), and I'm way more satisfied.

I can't really see any reason to get the 900 over the 700, because they both require the same charger base station. So you just plug in the 700 to the USB port and you're done.

Really -- the MX 700 works a TON better. Bluetooth isn't "all that" for mice.

Ryan1524 · Jul 14, 2004, 04:36 PM

i agree. i just got myself a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 4.0. it's wired, but cost only 1/3 of the MX900 and the tracking is a lot better. i didn't opt for the MX700 since i'm using this for my PB. if i have to carry around that big transceiver for the MX700 and plug it in to use the mouse, might as well get a wired mouse.

but i do miss the 2 extra buttons on the MX900/700. now i can only have one expose button instead of all 3, and i use the Clear Desktop one quite often. i was gonna get the MX510, but they don't have the blue one.

vmichaelsf · Jul 14, 2004, 11:31 PM

so i had the mx900 and was a little bothered by the bumpiness noted here, so i picked up a mx700 today and while the jumpiness is stil there, it's much less noticable. the mouse also makes contact with the base/charger contacts better than the mx900 does; it was, at best 50/50 w/ the mx900 and i'm @ 100% with the mx700. one thing i noticed is that the cruise control is not as smooth and is slower than on the mx900. i think i'm going to keep the mx700, but i'm sure logitech will post mx900 drivers once i sell it.