Summary: Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 is a keyboard/mice combo with some nice features like a laser mouse, long battery life and good ergonomics, but I also found some issues with it.

INTRODUCTION

Normally when we review mice or keyboards we go for high end stuff directed towards gamers. This time we are instead looking at an office/multimedia type mouse and keyboard combo, the Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710.

Here are the specifications:

The Wireless Desktop MK710 kit consists of the mouse Logitech Marathon Mouse M705 and the MK700 keyboard. It is possible to acquire the mouse separately, but the MK700 keyboard is only available in this kit.

The kit has some nice new features like the Logitech “Unifying” technology which I will explain further down in this review.

LOGITECH WIRELESS DESKTOP MK710: THE KEYBOARD

OK so let’s start by having a look at the MK700 keyboard and its features, which I must say are quite numerable especially considering that this is not a gaming keyboard. The first detail that catches the eye is the LCD screen; it alone makes this keyboard look advanced.

Another detail is the FN-key which allows us to assign multiple functions to a key. This immediately gives us double the amount of possible keyboard functions. The same idea is commonly used with notebooks. Yet another detail is the “Incurve Keys”, which means that the keys have a central concavity and softened edges.

There are two sets of multimedia buttons on the board. The first set is located to the left and right side of the LCD panel. Those are start/pause/stop/next/previous and the volume control buttons.

The rest of the multimedia functions are called by simultaneously pressing the FN button, a total of 16 pre programmed macro-keys which for instance start you mail client, starts your browser etc.

The monochrome LCD panel is centered in the top of the keyboard. The panel shows battery and audio sound level as well as if Num Lock or Caps Lock is active. The keyboard also features a soft and flexible surface to rest you palms on while typing.

Another nice detail is the on/off switch in the top right corner which is of course there to save battery. Logitech actually claims that the batteries for this combo will last for three years, and that goes for the mouse to.

The back side of the keyboard has two set of “feet” of different lengths. The back side also holds the battery compartment for two AA of 1.5V (included).

LOGITECH WIRELESS DESKTOP MK710: THE MOUSE

The included mouse is the Logitech Marathon Mouse M705, a wireless laser mouse of a smaller size than average laser mice. This mouse can be purchased alone from Logitech unlike the keyboard.

The Marathon Mouse M705’s body is made of plastic but the sides are made of rubber which gives it a nice feel in the hand.

The mouse has 3 buttons and the wheel which allows us to do scrolling both vertically and horizontally. This mouse incorporates one of Logitech’s newer technologies which enables “Hyper-fast scrolling” which can be practical many times. The small button just above the mice wheel controls how the scrolling is done, smoothly or by smaller “jumps”.

The laser sensor has a wavelength of 848nm and a resolution of 1000dpi. The laser sensor is placed a bit to the right which might annoy gamers which usually prefer to have the laser sensor placed centrally. But then again, this is not a gaming kit.

The pivot points are made of Teflon to maximize their durability and the displacement speed. The mouse feels balanced so they have succeeded in the placement of the pivot points.

LOGITECH WIRELESS DESKTOP MK710: ACCESSORIES

The manual is very good and explains in detail how to use the kit. For example the pages above explain the indications in the LCD panel and the Hyper-fast system scrolling of the mouse.

Above is a picture of the very small “Unifying” connector, which controls both devices and it is also possible to connect other Logitech peripherals which support the Unifying technology. Logitech has also included an extension cable for the connector which may come in handy if you are using a desktop computer placed under the table or somewhere else where the connector does not have clear view to the keyboard and mouse.

I would also just like to briefly mention that Logitech has included high quality batteries from Duracell in this package.

USER EXPERIENCE

I have used the Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 during a month approximately. The general experience is very good, mainly with office tasks where the keyboard offers a very high comfort level even in longer sessions. What I have been most impressed by is the soft palm rest which really makes a difference.

The “Incurve technology keys” didn’t really make too much difference from normal keys but they feel a little softer for the fingers.

The weak point of the keyboard is the LCD panel which is just not powerful enough. It was hard to read what it said in a dark room or from a slightly skew angle.

In my view, the weak link in this package is the mouse. I am a gamer with big hands so I am used to big mice. This mouse is just too small for me. I know that many of you are used to smaller sized mice since you use mice indented to be used with laptops on the road, but I just cannot appreciate smaller sized mice.  Otherwise the mouse is exact and responsive.

The best thing about this rather advanced kit is really the simple fact of the extended battery life. Of course I cannot confirm that the batteries will last for three years but I can confirm that the battery indicator didn’t move from “full” during my testing period.

CONCLUSIONS

Logitech usually do solid products and they have succeeded here as well. However there are some minor faults which I recommend them to fix for newer revisions of this product.

One of the things that annoyed me a bit was the low luminosity of the LCD screen. In some conditions I just couldn’t read it properly. The second thing is the fact that the mouse just feels a little too small for a desktop set mouse. I would have liked to see a little better mouse at this price level, perhaps the Performance Mouse MX? Again, what you think about the size of the mouse is of course something that differs from person to person, but for me it was too small.

Overall this is a good kit though, especially if you can deal with a mouse of smaller dimensions. The long battery times; the Incurve keys; the padded palm rest are all things which are very convenient for a desktop kit. Also, we shouldn’t forget about the Unifying technology and the FN button.

The price level at around 100€ is a little steep for a desktop kit, at least in my opinion. If the keyboard had been of the ergonomic “natural” type it would have made more sense to me. Still, I do recommend this kit mainly for office workers who are sitting long hours in front of the computer and who need a wireless kit.

Pros:

• Construction quality and materials
• Ergonomics
• Extra features
• Comfort of use
• Drivers with excellent functionality

Cons:

• High price
• Poor LCD screen
• Too small mouse

The final score is 81 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710″ our Recommended Award.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson

Summary: Ozone is a somewhat new manufacturer of PC hardware peripherals. Today I will be reviewing their “Smog” gaming mouse which has exceptional technical specifications and is sold at an interesting price level.

INTRODUCTION

A couple of months ago I reviewed one of Ozone’s mouse pads, the Ground Level S and I was very impressed. I am very intrigued to be able to do a review of the Smog gaming mouse because the specifications are just over the top for this mouse. Still, specifications are one thing and real life performance another, read on and find out how it performs.

I guess most users never really think about things like the “performance” of the mouse they are using, they simple accept it as it is. I am not one of those users however; I want my gear to be top notch. I think once you have gotten the chance to work with a high quality laser mouse, it’s really hard to go back to using anything else. Ozone have acknowledged this demand from high end users and created a very advanced mouse, mainly directed towards the gaming market. Enough rambling, here are the specifications:

Naturally, the above specifications will raise the attention of any real gamer, especially the extremely high sensor resolution of 5040 dpi. It at least caught my attention.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

One thing I noticed about Ozone when I reviewed one of their mousepads a couple of months back was their excellent presentation of their products. The Smog comes in a cardboard box which has an aggressive touch to it with the red and black colors. The front of the package holds a detailed image of the mouse as you can see from the images below.

The backside of the box holds an illustration of the mouse with written explanations of all the buttons and extra features. I was positively surprised to see the extra effort that Ozone has put into the packaging. Inside the box I found the mouse itself; the extra side cover; a small box with weights; a manual and a CD with drivers.

OZONE SMOG IN DETAIL

As you can probably grasp from the detailed images below, the Ozone Smog is quite big. The aesthetics of this mouse is really something extra; I just love the black and red colors which make me feel like I’m in a sports car.

The sides of the Smog are made of rubber to increase the grip. The left side of the mouse also has some lines integrated in the rubber which increase the grip even more. The point of swapping side grips (right side) is of course to make the mouse fit more users. I personally like the”spare part” cover best.

The Smog has no less than nine buttons of which seven are configurable via the software. It is possible to create “presets” with the software and the easily change between those preset modes with one of the buttons on the top (Mode)

Without a doubt the Smog is a very customizable mouse. In addition to the features I have showed you so far, the Smog has an advanced system for adjusting the weight. You reach the compartment which holds the weights by releasing the right side panel. The box can hold up to six weights of 5g each.

The USB cable is 3m which is good when using it with a desktop computer.

The underside of the mouse is interesting. It holds the high resolution sensor (naturally) and the ceramic pads on which the mouse glides.

INSTALLATION AND TESTS

The installation of the drivers and the software was easy; I just inserted the CD and more or less clicked on “Next” until the installation was completed. Once the software is installed there is a lot of configuring to do for those who like. The interface is simple but includes all setting you can think of.

In the first configuration tab we can create a total of 5 different profiles, each one holding all the unique settings of buttons and sensor sensitivity of your choice. This is ideal for anyone using the mouse for diverse tasks like gaming, ordinary use and desktop publishing. It is possible to set different vertical and horizontal resolutions, both can be set up to 5040 dpi.

It is also possible to setup macros which you can use in games. The macros are then executed by clicking to any of the assigned buttons. I found the macro function to be easy to understand setup and use in real life gaming situations.

I used the Smog with Far Cry 2 and Brothers in Arms, my two favorite FPS games. In those games you are dependent on the speed and exactness of the mouse you are using to succeed.

Normally when playing FPS games I am most comfortable with a resolution of 1800 dpi, which I used during the test together with the 3600 dpi setting. In both resolutions the handling of the mouse was nothing short of impeccable. I actually found the 3600 dpi setting the most comfortable in action scenes but when I tried the 5040 dpi everything became uncontrollable.

I also tested the mouse in a high resolution office scenario (1920×1200) and thanks to the high resolution (3600 dpi) this worked flawlessly.

Overall, the ergonomics of the Smog is great. All the buttons are located where I could reach them easily with my fingers without having to change the position of my hand.

The “Lift” feature controls the distance to the laser sensor, when you click it, the distance is measured and the sensor adapts to give you the best performance possible for the surface you are using. It should be clicked each time you change the surface. This worked pretty well even though it was hard to detect any bigger difference.

Take a look at the images above to get an idea of what the mouse looks like in action.

CONCLUSIONS

The Ozone Smog has many qualities. It is in fact the best mouse I have ever laid my hands upon and I have tried a few. The price level is very interesting at around 40€ (US price unknown). I think it’s a real bargain considering the quality, features and performance of this mouse.

Pros:

• High resolution, up to 5040 dpi
• Nice looks and design
• Good ergonomics and easy access to the buttons
• Powerful yet easy software
• Low price

Cons:

• Will not work with left-handed people

The final score is 100 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Ozone Smog” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks goes out to Ozone for letting me review this mouse.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson

Summary: Many of us are glad to see another contender in the gaming mice market. This time I will be taking a closer look at the Revoltec FightMouse Pro which has nice looking specifications and some extra features which will be very interesting to explore.

INTRODUCTION

Revoltec started out their business in Germany back in 2003. The products from Revoltec are generally characterized by their originality. They often carry innovations which you will not find elsewhere. Revoltec’s main business area has up till recently been their case modding products, but things are changing and they now have a respectable setup of input devices in their catalog.

The FightMouse Pro and FightMouse Advance are new products in their lineup and they are the company’s first entry in the gaming mice market. Previously I have tested their FightMouse Precision which is an optical mouse which has a sampling rate of 1000dpi.

Revoltec’s new mice for gamers are called FightMouse Advanced and FightMouse PRO. The biggest difference between the models is the resolution of the laser sensor. The Pro has a resolution of 3600dpi whereas the Advanced has a sensor resolution of 2400dpi. Another difference is the lower reaction time of the Pro (1ms compared to 2ms for the Advanced). These very impressive specifications of the Pro and the fact that it has an advanced weight distribution system make it one of the more complete gaming laser mice of the market.

Here are the specifications of the FightMouse Pro:

At TestSeek, the current expert review average of the FightMouse Pro is 87% and it has won 4 awards.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The packaging of the mouse looks good with its black and lime green colors. The box is a regular cardboard box. In the front part, a picture of the product is clearly visible together with the outstanding features of the mouse. You can remove the front cover and see the mice through see through plastic. The plastic casing also protects the mouse from bumps and hits during freight.

The backside of the box focuses on the special features of the mouse and explains some of the features in different languages.

When I opened the box I found the mouse itself and a smaller box which contained seven small weights, the drivers CD and the manual.

IN DETAIL: REVOLTEC FIGHTMOUSE PRO

The Revoltec Fight Mouse PRO looks really high end with its carbon fiber and matte black finish.

The mouse’s ergonomic design adapts to the contour of my hand perfectly. The FightMouse PRO has two regular mouse buttons and a scroll wheel. The extra buttons on the top surface of the mouse are a button marked “DPI” and another one marked “M”. I will get back to their functions later in this review.

The sides of the mouse are made of rubber to give the user a better grip.

The scrolling wheel of the Fight Mouse PRO is nothing like I am used to from other gaming mice. Normally, the scrolling wheel effects the scrolling in two directions: up or down, along the Y-axel.  Some mice have added an X-axis scrolling function and this is available with the FightMouse Pro, provided that you install the drivers. Apart from this the scroll wheel changes color depending on the DPI settings of the mouse.  When the light of the scroll wheel is red, we are at the maximum level of sensitivity.

The “M” button I mentioned above is really a quick touch button for switching between the modes you have preset in the software. The preset modes are stored in the 8kb internal memory of the mouse. As with the scrolling wheel the M-button changes color depending on what preset mode you are using:

Turning the mouse over I found the laser sensor (surprise!) and a plastic cover for the weight distribution system. As you can see from the image below, the system lets us place a maximum of seven weights in it. Each weight weighs 20 grams which means the maximum extra weight we can give the mouse through this system is 140 grams.

The USB cable is lengthy enough for using the mouse with a desktop system. The really interesting thing about the USB connection of this mouse is the fact that it uses up to 1000 Hz to allow it an “access time” of ultra low 1ms.

INSTALLATION AND TESTS

Below you can see the first window the opens when inserting the drivers and software CD provided with the bundle.

The provided software is called “Gaming Mouse 2.0.8” when you have installed it. The software lets us change a variety of settings of the mouse and save the settings in preset modes which we can the fast and easily switch between using the M-button.

Revoltec’s software is very basic unlike other gaming mouse software I have tried. That doesn’t mean that it’s bad or incomplete, quite the opposite, it fulfills all the needs I have. It’s basic in the meaning that it doesn’t include anything unnecessary.

In order to evaluate the performance of the mouse I used it in everyday Windows use, including Internet browsing and office automation software. Of course, the main testing took place while playing the latest FPS games. I tried it with Far Cry 2 and Call of Duty: World at War. I tested the mouse on different surfaces including wood, plastic and glass and of different gaming mouse pads.

In common applications, the performance of the mouse is exceptional. It has a very smooth feel to it and the mouse cursor moves exactly as I want it to. The M-button comes very much in handy when switching between different modes. For instance I used different modes for editing images in Photoshop and for general use such as Internet browsing. The multidirectional scrolling wheel is enormously practical when browsing the Internet.

The Revoltec FightMouse PRO is made for satisfying the gamers’ every need and this clearly shows when using it in games. The possibility of changing the resolution of the laser sensor though just a click on the M-button is very practical indeed.

The FightMouse Pro has no problems with non typical gaming surfaces such as the ones I mentioned above. I really didn’t note too much difference compared to using it with a good mouse pad. However it remains clear that this mouse should be used together with a suitable gaming mouse pad to take advantage of its super high resolution.

The ergonomics of the mouse takes some time to get used to. It’s a big mouse and the design is not typical in any way with its rubber sides and. However, once you become accustomed to it you won’t be tempted to return to your old mouse.

CONCLUSIONS

Revoltec didn’t hold back when creating the FightMouse Pro with a sensor resolution up to 3200dpi, a multidirectional scrolling wheel, weight distribution system, ultra low reaction time and excellent ergonomics, design and finish. This mouse really is exceptional.

All of the above are truly great features but what about the price? This is where I was really blown away; the price of the Fight Mouse Pro is around 35 Euros ($45). That my friends is what in the end makes it so easy to give the FightMouse Pro our Editor’s Choice award.

Pros:

• Sensor capable of up to 3200DPI
• Quality and ergonomics are exceptional
• Multidirectional Scroll
• Weight distribution system
• Software and button configuration

Cons:

• Wireless would have been even better

The final score is 90 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Revoltec Fight Mouse Pro” our Editor’s Choice Award.

As you know, TestSeek collects all expert reviews of many different product types. Head over to our Mice category to find all expert reviews of alternatives to the Revoltec FightMouse Pro.

Thanks goes out to Revoltec for letting me review this mouse.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson

Summary: The “Logitech Performance Mouse MX” is a newly released high end laser mouse which I will be taking a closer look at today. Two innovations which brought my attention were the “Unifying” wireless technology and the new “Darkfield” laser sensor technology.

INTRODUCTION

It is not a secret that the Performance mouse MX is first of all intended as an “all tasks” mouse. Of course I tested its gaming capabilities as well which you can read about further down in this review. Without a doubt, the Performance Mouse MX has some really interesting specifications as you can see from the table below. One of the most prominent features is the new “Unifying” technology which connects up to 6 devices to one single USB receiver. The only downside is that this technology is not compatible with older wireless products from Logitech.

The other innovation I mentioned above: “Darkfield”, is actually an improvement of the laser sensor which makes the laser work on surfaces which normally does not work with laser mice.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The mouse comes in a regular cardboard box with Logitech’s branding all over it as well as pictures of the mouse and explanations of its new technologies.

When I opened the box I found the mouse and the Unifying receiver displayed in a fashionable way within the box. Logitech clearly knows how to present their products. I noted that the Unifying receiver was really small as you can see from the pictures below. I took everything out from the box and apart from the mouse and the receiver Logitech has included a black case for the accessories, a printed documentation and a CD with the drivers. In the case, I found the cables for recharging the mouse, either through an USB port or directly from the power grid. I think it’s great that Logitech makes it possible to charge it in both ways, since it facilitates everything when travelling.

LOGITECH PERFORMANCE MOUSE MX IN DETAIL

What is important when choosing a mouse? Of course that is a question which answers depend on your specific preferences and what you intend to use your mouse for. However, one thing that always is important is the ergonomics of the mouse, because if you don’t feel comfortable with it, how are you going to be able to spend all those countless hours in front of the computer doing whatever you do? This mouse has a somewhat unorthodox design and it takes some getting used to, but once you have familiarized yourself to it, I think it will be hard to go back to anything else.

Another outstanding feature of this mouse is the amount of buttons that incorporates (a total of 9). Four (+2 normal) of these buttons are located on top of the mouse, easily in reach of you digits and thumb. The area for the thumb is made in some kind of smooth rubber.

There are three LEDs which indicate the charge level of the battery or in another mode display DPI´s current settings. There’s a special button placed behind the wheel which controls the scrolling speed of the wheel. This comes very much in handy for fast configuration of the wheel.

The connector for recharging the battery of the mouse is placed in the front side. The connector is of the type micro USB and Logitech has included cables for charging through an USB port or directly from the power grid. This is actually the most elegant solution I have seen, it just works perfectly.

When flipping the mouse over and looking at its underside, you will notice that the mouse rests upon three pivot points with rather big individual surfaces. There is also a power switch which completely turns the mouse off and saves batteries. The mouse is powered by a single AA (1,2V) battery.  There’s not much to say about the laser sensor other than that it looks like an ordinary laser sensor, but the “Darkfield” printing next to it suggests otherwise.

In the image above you can see how small the receiver is. The size is so small that we can let it be always plugged in without risking damaging it or the USB port which is a common problem with bigger USB receivers.

INSTALLATION AND TESTS

The installation of the drivers was no great mystery, I just inserted the CD and clicked “next” until it said it was finished. The software controlling the settings of Logitech’s devices is called “Setpoint” and you can have a look at it in the images below.

The first thing you need to do is check the button settings and the laser sensor resolution. Even though Logitech doesn’t market this mouse a gaming mouse, they have included a separate tab with settings important for gaming, for instance you can choose to turn off all acceleration of the mouse.

The configuration of the Unifying receiver is a piece of cake. To add a new Unifying compatible unit, all we need to do is have all units turned on and then click “Add” and all found units are connected automatically.

One of the features I liked was the possibility of horizontal scrolling with the wheel. It is really one of those functions you cannot live without once you have gotten used to it. The mouse felt wonderful in my hand after I got past the initial resistance I felt with the ergonomics.

Another very interesting new feature is the applications swapping enabled by the button closest to your thumb. Once you push it you are prompted with all the open applications and you can switch between them fast and easily. Really useful. Below is an example of what it can look like when pushing the button.

The function I spoke about earlier that controls the scrolling speed of the wheel comes in handy when working with bigger documents or when browsing longer web pages.

Logitech puts a lot of emphasis in their new Darkfield sensor, they say it can be used on almost any surface, even glass. To test this I used a mouse pad made out of glass (3mm thick), the SteelSeries Icemat 2:nd Edition, famous by its good performance and its incompatibility with laser mice. My conclusion of this test was that it works, but it didn’t work extremely well. However, Logitech recommends a thickness of at least 4mm so I can’t really draw any real conclusions from this little test since the pad I used was of only 3mm thickness . When I used the mouse with the Ozone Ground Level mousepad which is mate of a textile fabric, it worked flawlessly. It is truly a pleasure to use this mouse with a pad like that.

Logitech does not market this mouse a gaming mouse but of course I had to test it out at 1500DPI with some of the latest FPS games. The results were very good but not exceptional.

The duration of the battery must also be mentioned as in important factor. I used the mouse for 16 days straight without turning it off and the charge level was still at half power. The charge process lasted approximately 2 and a half hours in USB mode but of course you can continue to use the mouse while charging.

CONCLUSIONS

Weak points? I really can’t think of much. But one should remember that we are all different and some of you may not like the design or the ergonomics. This is quite a big mouse which might be a problem to some. It fitted my big hands greatly though. Doubtless, Logitech has yet again put out an innovative and high quality product with great features and ergonomics.

The quality and feel of the used materials and the construction of the mouse seems very good. The charging options are also outstanding as well as the USB receiver.

Perhaps the unique thing that I have to put on the negative side is its rather staggering price at around $100 (90Euros). But of course, it is a high end mouse directed towards people who accept nothing but the best.

Pros:

• Ergonomics
• Unifying and Darkfield
• Excellent charging solution
• Advanced and practical Software

Cons:

• Price

The final score is 96 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Logitech Performance Mouse MX” our Editor’s Choice Award.

As you know, TestSeek collects all expert reviews of many different product types. Head over to our Mice category to find all expert reviews of alternatives to the Logitech Performance Mouse MX.

Thanks goes out to Logitech for letting me review this mouse.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson