Logitech worked with Agilent Technologies, the inventor of the optical sensor, on the cordless critter. The companies teamed up to create a proprietary optical chip that features a three-month battery life and 800 dots-per-inch (DPI) resolution — twice the resolution of current optical sensors — for greater accuracy on any surface, according to Wolfgang Hausen, senior vice president and general manager of Logitech’s Control Devices Division. The mouse can function up to six feet away from the receiver.
This optical chip was key in the development of Cordless MouseMan Optical, since an optical sensor requires an enormous amount of energy in order to capture 1,500 pictures per second of the surface, while a cordless radio-based device likewise needs energy for transmitting the signal between mouse and receiver, Hausen said.
In order to sustain its battery life, Cordless MouseMan Optical’s power-saving system utilizes four modes of power consumption to conserve energy while in use — the included software allows the user to check battery life. Plus, the software also includes a low battery-life indicator to inform the user in advance when the battery should be changed.
The Cordless MouseMan Optical has what’s described as an “industrial design” and comes in the same shade of deep metallic blue as Logitech’s optical Wheel Mouse. It has two brushed steel-effect buttons, a third button, which sits under the thumb, and a scroll wheel which doubles as a fourth button. All four buttons can be programmed to simplify the control of onscreen information.
All of Logitech’s mice include MouseWare software, with its innovative WebWheel feature that provides Internet access at the touch of a button. The receiver uses either a USB or a PS/2 interface and is compatible with Mac OS 8.6 or later, as well as Windows 3.X, Windows 95 and 98, Windows 2000 and Windows Millennium Edition.