Logitech’s Anywhere Mouse MX contains Darkfield laser technology which is the manufacturers answer to Microsoft’s BlueTrack laser tracking system. The Darkfield can work on all surfaces even on nonmirrored glass, something that BlueTrack cannot do. MX also has the Logitech’s new unifying technology, a great feature if you are a fan of Logitech’s products and don’t use anything else. It can connect up to six compatible mice and keyboard to a single USB receiver, thus you keep your USB ports free. However, Logitech has slapped an $80 price tag on it. Microsoft’s Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 costs about $40 and has similar features, so why would you spend twice on this mouse? The small size of the Logitech’s Anywhere Mouse MX makes it travel friendly; it will fit easily in to your laptop bag. The shape of the pointer is sculpted in such a way, that it can be used by a left hander and a right hander with equal comfort. However, the two buttons  [...]

M-Audio speakers are used more by music producers and musicians than computer users. Maybe it is because the price is a bit high however it is accompanied by awesome sound quality. This $99 speaker set is the budget friendly version of the $150 Studiophile AV 40. This speaker set looks a lot like AV 40 and the quality also is almost the same. However this set uses a cheaper amplifier and hence the sound quality is a bit low. However all this is done in order to bring the price down. The cut down on hardware certainly won’t go well with audio enthusiasts and we would advice them to go for AV 40 if you don’t want to compromise on sound quality. This speaker also has the same silk, ferrofluid cooled, .75 inch dome tweeters that the AV 40 has. There are jacks on the left speaker for auxiliary input and headphone output. Other than this there is an illuminated knob for controlling the volume. The behind the left speaker, there is RCA inputs and  [...]

We all know Logitech’s prowess when it comes to making keyboard and mice. It is the one of the biggest makers of such peripherals and you will seldom have anything about it to complain about. They make all kinds of keyboard right from gamming to light usage and the Wireless Desktop MK700 belongs to the latter category but by no means is a cheap set. It is made for the budget user who wants a modest keyboard and mice without all the rings and bells. This set doesn’t have Logitech’s unifying receiver something that lets us connect multiple Logitech’s peripherals through a single USB device. Rest of the features like great ergonomics, adjusting the scroll wheel of the mouse and great battery life are still there. So the most unique selling point of this keyboard in the set is the curved keys, which is called ‘Incurve’. The keys are concave in the middle and curved towards upwards on the edges. Logitech said this is done to provide better  [...]

With the number of gaming laptops rising, the hardware makers are now feeling they can cash in by making dedicated mice and keyboards for gaming. Razer Orochi is a by product of similar ideas. Now we all know Razer’s prowess when it comes to making gaming gear. It is one of the best and churns out good devices one after the other. We weren’t disappointed by any means when we tested the Razer Orochi. The mouse can be used as a Bluetooth wireless device as well as a wired device through USB. The rubber around the mouse makes it comfortable to grip when you are engrossed in games. The USB cord of the mouse is covered in cloth which makes it ultra rugged. This is a portable mouse and maybe this move has been made to make the mouse stand to the tough conditions that you might put it in, while traveling. The mouse can be used both wired and wirelessly, when wired the mouse gives sensitivity of 400 dpi but it will dip to 2000 dpi when you use it through Bluetooth. 2000 dpi is good  [...]

Microsoft’s last offering on webcams was LifeCam VX-7000 and though it was not that bad, it wasn’t that good on features either. The 1.3 megapixel webcam has a new successor in the form of Microsoft LifeCam Show. This camera is an improvement on a lot of features as compared to its predecessor. This device doesn’t work on MAC based computers. Microsoft LifeCam Show is a two mega pixel camera which can capture pictures at 1600x1200 pixels and videos at 800x600 pixel resolution. But an upgrade in hardware is accompanied by an increase in price. VX-7000 cost you $60 where as this camera will set you back by $100. It is up to you to decide whether it is worth to upgrade. Microsoft LifeCam Show has a Windows Live Call button, when you press it, it will start video call with your contacts on the IM list. It is called Windows Live Call button since it is from the stables of Microsoft, but the button works with messengers which support video like Skype. We were happy with the  [...]

Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is a simple keyboard and though the name looks somewhat intimidating it is a computer peripheral which is kept at a low price range and the only specialty it has is the back lighting. This can be great if you are typing in the dark. The keyboard doesn’t have features which normal gaming keyboards have like volume controls or scroll dials. But this has probably done to keep the price under the limit. The keys have micro lens reflectors fitted beneath each key so that it gives you a light blue effect. This light effect is awesome when typing in the dark. There are three levels for you to customize the intensity of lighting and you can choose to switch it off if you don’t need it. The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard has two feet on the top behind the body which is there for better typing experience. This keyboard is quite similar to keyboard of the IBM Thinkpad laptop You don’t need to install any drivers for the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard  [...]

Logitech makes one of the best mice in the market, no doubt about that. We have hardly had any complaints with Logitech mice and keyboards. They don’t do anything extravagant, they have great ergonomics and all this is done keeping price in mind. This mouse is a bit expensive at $50 but we think that with the single receiver feature it is worth spending the extra buck. But let’s start with the basics; the Logitech Wireless M505 doesn’t have a thumb button that we are used to in Logitech mice. It has just two buttons with a middle scrolling wheel. The scrolling wheel is notched rather than smooth that most mice posses. We are more comfortable with the notched wheel rather than smooth one. The right click and the left click buttons on the Logitech Wireless M505 are fine and we had no problems with them. It was easy to click and comfortable. The Logitech Wireless M505 has a symmetrical design which makes it comfortable to use it with both hands. Left handed as well as  [...]

Apple Magic Mouse is indeed magic! We were searching for buttons when this baby first landed onto our hands. But there are none on the mouse and it is all touch sensitive interface. The right click and left click is all there on the mouse, even if it looks invisible. Scrolling is also supported and all you have to do is move your finger along the surface but there are no movable parts which give you a moon walk kind of experience. Using the mouse was a pleasure, all you have to move your fingers on the aluminum surface. You can also zoom using this mouse, all you have to do is press the control key on the keyboard and then scroll. The mouse is not compatible with Windows, so you will need a MAC based PC if you want to use the pointer. The mouse supports multi touch gestures which is the best part. The multi touch is present not just on the top part of the mouse where the buttons are usually exist, but the entire mouse is touch sensitive. If you swipe two fingers sideways on  [...]

When it comes to making external drives you have got to be carefull because there are tons of hard drives in the market already and you have to make one that offers something different to the users. And there are constantly new hard drives that come up in the market so it is essential to make up a product that will survive the competition. A external USB hard drive is a small part of the PC and hence there is stiff competition among the manufacturers to pull down the price so as to sell more. So lets see if this drive has it what matters. La Cie’s Stark is damn cute! Yes, the drive is very attractive; it has a sheet of aluminum woven around it that give a sleek look. The aluminum is thick though and this adds to the weight of the drive. It reminds you of Apple’s iPod or the iMac computers where aluminum casing is used on the outside. The drive is bulky, weighs about 355 grams, so think twice if you are buying this one to carry data around. La Cie has paid more attention to  [...]

All this while I was blabbering about the design which I am sure sent a few tongues wagging already, but the best part about the Logitech Performance MX is its Darkfield sensor. Now coming to what it is…. Since ages, cursor controllers have dabbled around with the idea of moving the mouse over transparent surfaces, and finally this has been achieved all thanks to Logitech. Now if that isn’t innovation what is?? Though Microsoft had earlier come up with its Blue track sensor which lets you mouse through irregular surfaces, cloth etc, this  one from Logitech definitely added something more to the already existing set of features with its Dark-field sensor. The only surface that the Blue track sensor could not track are the transparent surfaces and that’s exactly where Logitech put its money and time  in and invented this absolute masterpiece. I tried testing both the mice on most of the surfaces that the Blue track sensor tracked on and both the mice performed equally well.  [...]