Review: Logitech Cordless Click

Most Mac users aren’t huge fans of the Apple Pro Mouse (or its newer, cheaper sibling), and many are also less-than-thrilled with Apple’s cordless mouse. They aren’t bad, but the lack of an extra button or scroll wheel are deal-breakers. Most people buy a new mouse to replace the Apple-supplied one, but with so many choices out there, many aren’t sure what mouse is right for them.

The Logitech Cordless Click Mouse

The Receiver

Size Comparison (Apple Pro Mouse vs. Cordless Click)

A few months ago, I purchased Logitech’s Cordless Click as I was tired of having a cord that got tangled up, but was still on a budget. Most computer/electronics stores carry this mouse for around $40. As it lacks compatibility with Bluetooth, all users will have to use the included RF (radio frequency) receiver.

The Cordless Click is the familiar format found with many other Logitech mice – two buttons, a scroll wheel that also doubles as a third button, and a fourth, smaller button that requires the Logitech Control Center to be programmed. The receiver is slightly wider than the mouse, but shorter. A connect button is the most prominent feature, which is used in conjunction with a connect button located on the bottom of the mouse to establish a connection for the first time.

Setup is rather painless. Connect the the receiver to a free USB port, put two AA batteries in the mouse, and press the connect button on each (this “pairs” the two). A CD is included to give the mouse more power using the Logitech Control Center program. This program offers limited functionality, compared to other mice, as any settings affect the mouse’s use globally (instead of a per-application basis). Buttons can be programmed to click, emulate keystrokes, click with a modifier key (shift, command, option, control) held down. The scroll wheel can be programmed to scroll, change the volume, change the brightness, or scroll in an accelerated manner. Currently, my mouse is set to perform the standard right and left click combination, with the scroll wheel set to standard scroll and clicking the scroll wheel emulates command+clicking. Since I do a lot of web browsing, the fourth button lets me skip to the next tab in Safari.

The mouse works quite well, with optical tracking comparable to almost any other low-to-mid range corded optical mouse. While this mouse lacks Logitech’s MX optical engine, it still tracks quite precisely. I was able to achieve a range of about 10-12 feet with informal testing. This allows the mouse to be used as a remote control during presentations.

The Logitech Control Center also shows the status of the battery (essentially it just tells you if the battery is okay or close to being dead). In our tests, the batteries have lasted between 3 weeks and a month with normal use. Lately, we’ve been using rechargeable alkaline batteries with it. When the batteries start to die, the mouse will stop functioning, requiring the user to press the connect button on the bottom to reset it and milk a little more time out of those batteries. It would have been nice if an alert or some other notification of the batteries’ status would appear before the mouse “dies”.

Although the Cordless Click is not the cheapest cordless mouse, it’s also not nearly the most expensive. Being priced just slightly higher than corded mice, and having a few extra buttons – but not too many, the Cordless Click is an excellent replacement to the standard mice from Apple.