Which mouse should I trap? Anywhere MX or V550

Both these Logitech mice seem to have garnered good reviews. Cnet says the Anywhere Mouse MX is good but its price is "too much for a portable mouse." I sort of agree as this thing is quite expensive at $70 currently at amazon. The V550 seems to be loved by most of its users but people say the bottom plastic is a little flimsy and it lacks a few buttons. However it is much cheaper at about $40. So my question to anybody, which do you think is worth it/better for its respective price? I can afford the Anywhere MX but I look more at whether products are worth their prices. I'm finding this harder than I thought to decide on, please help...Thank You!

PS. Any other worthy mice suggestions would be welcome...


My Mini-Review of the Anywhere MX is on the second page

 

Oh, I think you may want to check the Dell BT 5 Button Travel Mouse in Matte Black right now, also...it's $12 part of Dell's Daily Deal! Will sell out fairly fast, if your interested!

I have it, works great..and I would definitely say it's "worthy". : )

LINKY

Between the other 2 choices, I would go for the Anywhere MX.

What exactly are your uses for the Mouse going to be? Are you going to be doing alot of gaming? Or is it more multi-tasking, etc?

If you like the Logitech brand...consider the VX Nano, a great Mouse, The Logitech M555b (Bluetooth, I have it..it's great), The Logitech V470.

Cin...

 

I just picked up an anywhere mx and i have to say that it really is a great mouse.

a little pricey but feels fantastic and the dark field technology is great. i also have a the vx revolution, and although a great mouse i was looking something smaller and with a nano receiver. i would def. recommend the mouse!

 

Hey emo_mike, I was leaning slightly toward that mouse (Anywhere). I don't know if you've had enough time to form an opinion but, would you say it was worth the price? Where did you buy yours and for how much, if I may ask? Thanks

Hey Cin! I's mainly for everyday stuff, surf net/music/homework/ and even gaming if the mouse is good enough for that (I plan to game more). Yea, I don't really like the dell mouse because it's...Dell . That's a stupid excuse, and I do have a Dell laptop (replacement like all y'all ) but I don't want to trust Dell with my mouse money. Thank you for that suggestion though. I do however like the M555b, it looks very nice. Could you please elaborate on the "it's great"? Does it drop BT connection on your burning RED hot 1640 ? Where did you buy it and for how much, if I may ask?

100TH POST!!! WOOOOOT!

 

I have an anywhere MX and it's a great mouse. I got it for free, but wouldn't pay $70 for it. It's a mouse.

The nicest feature IMO is the tiny receiver.

You can get a brand new VX nano (the model before the MX) for $40-50 on ebay. Or you can get many other mice out there that also have the "nano" receiver, for considerably less.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826193046

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105238

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/5843&cl=us,en

Unless you are doing really well, or use your computer all day long, I wouldn't spend over $40.

 

Hey! The Dell BT Mice are fairly nice But, I understand where you are coming from!

The Logitech M555b is sweet and run's great it has the Hyper-fast scrolling letting you zip thru docs & web pages with a fast and painless scrolling wheel. The scrolling wheel is nice..it feels "weighted", yet "light" there is no "clicking" involved. I like the way the mouse feels in my hand, also ~ like I have control.

The battery life is very good (there is a batt' low indicator light on it, so you know when the batt' is running low), and honestly I have only lost connection a few times when I was using it on my 1530. Since I hooked it up to my 1640 ~ things are running fairly smoothly!

Here is a nice review on the M555b that Jerry Jackson did a bit ago! LINK

I paid around $50 for mine, when I purchased.

Right now its around $58 at amazon!

Another one you may want to consider, in means of a "nano receiver" mouse is the Microsoft Mobile 6000...It's a nice competitor for the VX Nano. I have this Mouse also. This one has the Bluetrack Technology..runs on nearly every surface..and feels so "smooth" in my hand. Here is the link at amazon it's about $36 there. LINK

If you need pic comparisons of these, I will be happy to provide

Hope that helps!

Cin...

P.S. Grat's on hitting the 100 Post mark! WahOOT! XD.

 

Ok people, after this very short contemplation period )) I have started leaning toward the Marathon Mouse M705, that was suggested by merc. I think it has good features, nice size, and good price point at under $50. I'm thinking about making good use of the Logitech coupons as well to get it close to $40 or less.

Yea Cin' you're on 12,286 posts (as of this posting) WWOOOOOWW ! At 100 posts, I just took half a baby-step compared to you.

 

If you're considering the Anywhere MX's $70 price tag, you might want to have a look at the Razer Orochi. It's compact but extremely comfortable, connects wirelessly via Bluetooth at up to 2,000 DPI, and has a detachable 3-foot USB cable so you can use the mouse in wired mode if you want higher performance (up to 4,000 DPI, 1ms response), or if your batteries die. It's got 7 fully programmable buttons, and the Razer config software is quite nice. It's the most comfortable and natural-feeling compact mouse I have ever used.

On a cheaper note, I second Cin's recommendation of the Dell 5-button BT Travel Mouse. It's a steal for that price, considering it's one of the few BT mice to have 5 buttons. Very comfortable shape despite its compact size.

 

Damn, that dell mouse was at $12 yesterday wasn't it? Now it's $29.99!?

Just remember not all laptops have bluetooth (like mine) so be sure you've got it before you invest in a bluetooth mouse.

But yeah the marathon mouse is nice, especially if you have a coupon. It's got the nano receiver, two thumb buttons, hyper scroll, laser, 3 years on one set of batteries (my god), 3 years warranty, logitech. It's got that quality look and feel at a realistic price of $50.

You seem to like to logitech and out of everything they've got right now I'd choose the marathon mouse hands down (I'd still read some reviews first of couse). It really comes down to your preference though

 

Ok people, I purchased the Anywhere MX Mouse for about $65 and its on its way . It was $70 on amazon, and $79.99 on the Newegg and Logitech sites. With some coupons I was able to get the Logitech site's price down to $65 (including tax), which is like a $15 savings. It also put it $5 below Amazon's price which I hadn't yet factored tax into. Yes it was higher than what I wanted to pay, but I feel like it will last me, especially with that Darkfield technology and Logitech's build quality for their high end mouses. Thank you all for your help.

 

+ 1 just for thread title.

 

HAHAHA...thanks. I didn't think anyone noticed...I think I trapped a good one.

 

Dont touch the Orochi. Its marketed as a fingertip grip mouse, and yet, its sides are completely smooth, and i mean ridiculously smooth plastic. I bought one, and it only took 20 minutes for the mouse to become frustratingly slippery. Sure, its packed with amazing features, (well, except for the buggy synapse onboard memory) and its great, if you exclude its glaringly obvious design flaw. One another note, apon enquiring as to how to minimize its slippery sides, Razer Support suggested i dust my hands with baby powder or chalk before using it. Cmon Razer! I dont want to have to chalk up like a frickin gymnast every time i want to game! Not to mention how much of a pain it would be to clean afterwards. Freindly advice, give the Orochi a miss. At least until they fix its design.

 

The Anywhere MX is a fantastic mouse. I REALLY wish they'd release a bluetooth version. Though the extremely small receiver is a plus compared to others.

 

LOOOL. Wow Razer should never give advice to anyone. I never even considered that mouse. I got the Anywhere MX and it should be in my hands soon enough. I believe that has a grip and is good enough for gaming. Baby powder...that's a good one.

Good to know I purchased something "fantastic." Yea bluetooth would be nice, but I doubt it will come as they haven't done it for their other mouses in this price range (like the VX Nano). I love the small receiver and I would take that over a bluetooth mouse anyday (I don't like leaving my bluetooth on all the time).

 

Its classic isnt it! Razer should make its marketing line: "The Orochi, for those who love battling with their mouse just as much as they love battling with their game adversaries!!!"
And then down in the fineprint: "Warning, prolonged use of this mouse may make you want to throw it out a window, or throw it into a blender. These actions, or any similar to these, will void the warranty."
Friggin Razer, the general online opinion is that Razer's mice have been crap all the way back to the Death Adder, which was what people believe to be Razer's last good mouse.
Razer had better refund me, ive sent an email asking what the process of a refund is, and how to go about getting one. So help me god if they come back suggesting i dust my wallet down with baby powder or chalk. Heads will roll if that happens.

 

LOL. If you get rejected tell them to bring their baby powder and chalk to court. . Nah, it should by no means go that far, I hope you get your refund.

My Anywhere MX is here, I'll test it out and tell you guys my opinion of it.

 

Ok, people, as promised, here are my opinions on the Anywhere MX (that I've had/used for ~2 weeks now); I attached some pictures so people can see what I'm talking about, as opposed to only reading my spiel:

<embed src="http://img18.imageshack.us/slideshow/smilplayer.swf" width='426' height="320" name="smilplayer" id='smilplayer' bgcolor='FFFFFF' menu="false" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="id=img18/20100306001.jpg"/>

Here's link in case embedded slide show doesn't work, or is too annoyingly slow for you .

Build: As one of Logitech's high end mouses, the Anywhere MX is built very, very well. Externally, there are no noticeable flaws and it seems like longevity was on the minds of the Logitech engineers as they were putting this thing together. The right and left-click buttons are sturdy, though not overly so. The scroll wheel is sufficiently responsive without being too stiff, and the middle-click (which switches it to hyper scrolling mode) switches very well. The side-scrolling tilts the scroll button's axis sufficiently enough to notice that it's engaged. There is no "creaking" anywhere on the mouse, and the materials are nicely flush with each other. You really feel like you bought something that was worth it's high mousy price (~$70, as of writing).

The mouse's feet on the bottom slide very nicely over my polished wooden desk, and don't look like they'll fall off any time soon (knock on wood ). There are rubber grips that line both sides of the mouse, which help with grasping the mouse and keeping my hands from getting too sweaty. The grips are a very nice addition, especially as I'm a gamer (MX518 mainly for gaming though). All in all, very well balanced in the build department.

The only little problem I had was removing the back-cover to access the battery area. It's a little hard to remove the cover sometimes, but that can also be seen as a good thing.

Looks: For lack of a better word, I would call this thing sexy. It's just very classy with its black/greyish hues complimented by the strip of metal (maybe polished stainless steel?) that borders the scroll wheel, the application button, and the status light. The materials used to manufacture the mouse are attractive enough, without forcing the user to have to deal with any fingerprints whatsoever (maybe only on the metal strip in the center). Very sleek, understated, yet beautiful mouse.

Features/Usage: Using this mouse is a great delight. Coming from a Logitech v500, this mouse was a big upgrade. First thing that I immediately noticed was that it slid across my table much easier. No need to apply too much effort. Second thing was the clicks. The clicks on this mouse are soooo satisfying. If I had to define the word "click" (in mousing terms) for you, I would just put one of these mouses in your hands and have you press the right-click button. In my case, words would make for a useless definition; Very nice clicks. The application switcher is also useful, though I never have that many programs open anyway. The forward-back buttons are well placed, and I find them very easy to use while browsing. I never used to use them on previous mouses that I had, but I now find my self using them more often. I haven't tried the Darkfield technology yet, though I will take Logitech's word for it (at least until I can test it out).

The functional distance for the mouse is at least greater than my old V500, and it maintains it's responsiveness as well. I only tried it 2-3 meters away, so I don't know how far it can really go while maintaining functionality. On a similar note, the mouse's receiver is pretty small. It's nice to just forget that it's there and not have it in my way when I'm carrying my laptop around. Personally, I'd take this tiny receiver over a bluetooth mouse any day, even if it takes up a USB port. There is also a slot for the receiver under the back cover (one of my pictures shows this). One slightly annoying disadvantage with the receiver is that its size makes it a little hard to remove from the port, if you really had to (but I don't even think that can classify as a real disadvantage/con)

One thing I thought would be a disadvantage when I received the mouse was its size, but I have had no problems with it. I would say I have pretty big hands (not basketball pro big, but big ), but the mouse sits very nicely in them. I was pleasantly surprised by that, though seeing as my old V500 was equally as small, it wasn't totally unexpected.

All in all, a delightful mouse to use.

Battery Life/Others Upon initial insertion of my batteries, the meter (from the Setpoint 6 software) read 100 days remaining. I haven't really tested the battery life to see how long it would last on a single pair, but I don't think it is anything worth complaining too much about. I don't know exactly how this lifetime is calculated (or if it's even accurate). So, only time will tell as to the battery life of this mouse, and maybe better batteries (Energizer/Duracell Max as opposed to plain Duracells) would make a difference. On a side note, the mouse functions with only one battery in, though I would presume that that would half the battery life.

Logitech gives you a nice case with your mouse, batteries, quick-start guide, software disc (though downloading newer software online is recommended/Unifying software is also included; please google it if curious), and a warranty booklet.

Conclusion: As you probably noticed, I found it very hard to find any cons in regards to this mouse. I am not a mouse connoisseur or anything, but it's the best mouse that I've ever used, and I would easily recommend it to anyone. Its sleek, sturdy, satisfying, and multi-functional design make for a very good combination that I really can't fault. So far, it has been well worth the price.

Hope this review can help some people that are on the edge about whether to buy this mouse or not. Thanks.

 

Nice review and pics !

I found that using 1 battery (Eneloop rechargeable) is the perfect weight for me.

 

Thanks.

One battery is a really good weight, and it didn't seem to change the battery life. However, I still think that only time will tell for the actual battery life of this thing. Rechargeable's also a good idea, might have to find me some of those .

 

Thanks E.D.U., nice review. I also just purchased this mouse and waiting for it's arrival. You just missed a $15.00 rebate from Logitech,... it's only lasting for a week though. I purchased mine from Tiger Direct and was able to use a n $11 credit (their money not mine) they owed me on a previous purchase. TD is now selling it for $76.99. I got it for $70 shipped after a failed price match attempt. Best Buy is selling the Anywhere Mouse MX (AMMX) for $59.99, but TD wouldn't match that price as they say it is below their cost, and their site clearly states that they can back out of a price match obligation if the price is below their cost or if the price is from Amazon or Buy.com. So they came back with an offer to discount it $6.99 and add free shipping,... $70 at my door. I jumped on it. The $11 credit brought it down to $59 even. With Logitech's rebate, we're talking $44 dead at my door. That's $5.99 below my original mouse budget of $49.99. I can easily live with that, especially after reading your review.

Hey crayonyes,... how you doin' friend. BTW, those 2 new 7K500's are working fine,... fast and spinning quietly. Thanks for all your assistance some weeks back. Already received the first rebate,... they're sending out plastic cash cards now. What ever happened to plain old paper checks? LOL! I guess the second card will follow shortly.

 

You're welcome.

Oh wow....and I thought my $65 was a good price savings. Well done . I can almost assure you that you'll love this mouse. It just seems really well crafted and thought out, and for the price you worked out, it's way more than a steal. I don't think you'll see the normal price go down that low even after a year (unless for some sales bonanza or something) . Enjoy it and I'm glad I could help.

 

??? I've been using my Orochi fingertip style for two days now (with about 5 hours worth of gaming) and it's been grand....

With 3500 dpi SC2 feels perfect. I use independent detection to make vertical a little slower and FPS just feel more responsive. The mouse keeps up like a dream I've been very satisfied. But again, to each his own. Maybe you have really large/small hands. Maybe finger length comes into play. Maybe you have overly sweaty hands, who knows, but generally most reviews seem very favorable for the Orochi.

 

Hi ericpd! I see you had another great purchase you won't regret it
I've decided that I can't stay away from Logitech's smooth hyperfast scroll LOL
the grip and side buttons placement are great, and you have option to use 1 or 2 batteries.

I'm planning on to put the micro-receiver inside my notebook with DIY internal usb hub,but thats another story

 

Got it! Spent about an hour with it so far, and I gotta say,... I second every bit of E.D.U.'s impressions. It's a little heavier than I expected,... they say removing one battery will address this. This mouse is heads-n-shoulders above every other mouse I've used over the years. For what I paid,... a very good purchase. Not sure I'd pay 80 bucks though. Still best mouse I've ever been introduced to. Thanks again E.D.U.

 

You're welcome ericpd. Told ya you'd love it... One battery gives it a nice weight.

 

A bit of advice for those deciding to install SetPoint 6.0. Don't install the version on the included CD. It will install an older version (only one rev.), and it will install the 32 bit version. No 32 vs 64 bit option. Go to Logi's site and DL the latest version 6.00.68,... the version on the CD is not x.xx.68 (at least not on my CD). The SetPoint auto update will come back with "Your Logitech software is up to date." whether you're sitting on rev 6.00.68 or not. According to a post in one of Logitech's threads, auto update would have come to life if the lastest version was a x.01.xx,... it's not, it's a x.00.68. I guess it's matching to the right and left of the first decimal and ignoring anything to the right of the second dot.

Don't see anything different between the two, and can't find anything explaining any improvements or added features.

 

Interesting....mine says 6.00.84 from the Logitech Setpoint Tools Settings. I did download mine online when I first received the mouse. Maybe it auto-updated from 6.00.68?

 

cool! just found out I was using old version and installed v6. Thx ericpd!
yes I think it auto-updates to 6.00.84

I'm planning to utilize the unifying receiver and get me one of wireless keyboard cant wait!

 

Yeah, my Tools tab used to read 6.00.84 as well,... now it reads 6.00.86. The driver version has always been 4.90.80, so no change there after DL'ing the lastest software version. Make sure you uninstall the old x.xx.84 version completely and properly. On my laptop, it required a couple restarts. Strangly, a suggestion to restart before trying to second uninstall. Weird! There was also an alert window telling me that it might not have uninstalled properly,... the option also gave me an option to uninstall again using another process. I'm gonna try and find that thread again and post a link. There's some chatter there than I know will do a much better job of explaining this than I could ever pretend to do. Gim'me a couple minutes folks.

Also, I just realized that the lastest software (6.00.86) was just released 2/25/2010. So it's obvious what the deal is. This update is too recent to make the CD's included in the box. Logitech also prolly thought their next software update for the AMMX would be of the major or the slightly less than major variety,... forcing a jump from 6 to 7, or at least from 6.xx to 6.(xx+1). Like I said, jumping stuff to the right of the 2nd decimal prolly wasn't enough to wake up the auto-updater. Now I'm just guessing here folks!

 

You know what Crayonyes, I'd be interested to know how you're using the AMMX now without the receiver. I know in one of your earlier posts, you mentioned using some sort of internal receiver setup. Would I be asking too much to hear more about that? And I'm wondering,... for as small as the receiver is, what's motivating you to find alternatives? I mean it's not like our receiver is 2 inches long like those old Microsoft sticks were and makes my laptop look like it's growing a wing. Just curios!

 

I meant making an internal usb hub inside the notebook so I can plug the receiver there... just for fun, nothing else LOL

 

Oh ok! That's waaay beyond my level. Tell ya what,... don't try and explain, it'll make ma head pop and I'll end up with a big mess all over my keyboard. LOL!

 

Finally,... I found it. I originally got to this thread via a thick stack of referring links. By the time I collapsed everything,... well you get the picture. No line of bread crumbs was helping to get back to it. But I did.

http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Mice-...available-for-download-02-25-2010/td-p/432609

 

Nice share ericpd, Thx

my journey for the Internal usb hub has began..
not complete yet, but I've managed to get the Anywhere MX's nano receiver inside the notebook

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=468406

and now I'm having fun with dongle-free (invisible, actually) non-bluetooth mouse

 

I just bought the anywhere mouse about 2 weeks ago, it replaces a microsoft mouse 5000 bluetooth. I have to say I am amazed at how much better this mouse is. I use it on a thick table cloth and these weird table mats and the mouse tracks with great precision. Great mouse, very happy.

 

Glad to hear of another happy Anywhere MX user!

On another note, the way the Logitech software predicts my mouse's battery lifetime is a complete anomaly to me . It's always fluctuating, and now it says 8 days and 70%. Umm...ok...I guess 8 days equates to 70% left...interesting. I think I'm just going to ignore that thing from now on .

Crayonyes, what you're doing with that internal usb thing is pretty darn cool...wish I had the same technical prowess to imitate you.

 

yeah, I guess the battery estimation is for certain battery models.
But the low-bat warning is good though, it always in good timing,
not too fast, not too late.

I'm also not very handy with solder, just jump in to pool to have some fun

 

I just recently had my VX Revolution (loved this mouse) die on me again, but Logitech no longer has them in stock so they replaced mine with the Anywhere mouse. At first I didn't like the size because it was too small, so I went out and got a Marathon (which is almost exactly the same as the VX) from Best Buy. Now I'm thinking about keeping the Anywhere, because the Marathon doesn't seem to track as well as the Anywhere. The tracking on the Anywhere just seems tighter.

 

Can anyone with the Anywhere MX or a similar model comment on the middle click? It's an important feature for me and I don't want a mouse without it.

I've been considering either the Logitech Anywhere MX or the M555b Bluetooth mouse lately.

 

The middle click button in Anywhere MX functions as a trigger to activate/de-activate hyperfast-scroll.

You can set the Application switch button (behind the scroll) to functions as middle click using Logitech software

 

The feel is a bit rough, I would have preferred it have been in rubber. I have the MX Performance and the only bad thing about the MX is it's complexity. I bought this mouse because of the durability of my previous Logitech mouse. However, because of it's unique ergonomic design, it' will never stand up the amount of abuse that kept my previous mouse at the top of my list of indestructible products. Still, Logitech has to be given kudos on it's innovation.

 

crayonyes hits it on the head about the middle click on the Anywhere. It activates/deactivates the clutch for scrolling speed. There's a button behind the wheel that functions as the middle click.

With the software, you can reprogram the button but w/o the program, it functions as middle click.

 

oh yeah.. I forgot about that LOL

 

Neither.
There are far better mice on the market.

 

If you're going to say it's the bluetooth one(s), I'll have to say no with current technology. my sig says it all