Logitech unveils new mouse crafted for hands, made for multi-tasking

Not all mice are created equal, and if you have two or three computers on your desktop, there’s a good chance you have two or three mice there, too. But what if you could have just one, switching between computers easily?

That sort of concept is coming to desktops provided they don’t mind throwing out the mice currently occupying the desk and replacing it with a singular model.

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An example of that is a mouse made for the contours of your hand and for people who constantly find they jump from computer to computer, with Logitech launching its “MX Master”, a slightly different take on the wireless mouse with plenty of buttons made for people who like them, and a little bit of software for people who like to fiddle with those buttons and make the mouse run just for them.

Rather than just take the original ambidextrous mouse you can find from any old manufacturer, the MX Master appears made for the right hand, with a sculpted design that allows the hand to grip with the thumb and fingers, and enough buttons to get you around an operating system quickly provided you know what you’re doing.

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Just as a point, while custom mice generally arrive with four or five buttons — a few more than the left and right click you’re used to, plus the middle button sitting under the scroll wheel, the Logitech MX Master features a button to speed up the scroll wheel to free flowing or click-based just like older Logitech mice, while the thumb area supports forward and back buttons for web browsing, an extra scroll wheel, and a squeezable button at the base of the thumb capable of activating basic gestures.

That extra gesture button means you can map your favourite functions to a press of the button and a direction you’d drag the mouse, an action that could speed up using your computer.

As an example, if you’re into switching apps quickly, you can map the gesture of pressing down on that button and dragging left and right to letting you alt+tab/command+tab so you don’t need to touch the keys.

This extra form of usability means you can sit on the mouse, leaning hard on its functionality to make your work movie a little more quickly.

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Beyond this, there’s also a button at the bottom of the mouser that will let you jump between connected devices, with up to three devices setup to work with the Logitech MX Master, though only one at a time.

If you have two computers on your desk, this means you only need one mouse, because since you can only use one computer at a time, you simply need to connect to the second computer using the mouse by hitting the device button. With that pressed, the mouse will jump from one computer to the other until you reconnect the two.

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Connecting it your computer isn’t hard, either, with Bluetooth supported as well as Logitech’s Unifying receiver.

If you have a recent laptop or tablet, you can go for Bluetooth and set the whole thing up quite easily, while desktops missing that dose of wireless connectivity will find the included Unifying USB key works for connecting the two gadgets up.

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“The Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse is a beautifully designed, customisable mouse with the versatility of control, precision and speed,” said Charlotte Johs, Global Vice President of Computer Peripherals at Logitech. “The numerous navigation options and advanced features make it our best mouse ever.”

Customising the mouse happens through software, with the downloadable Logitech Options software making that happen, with the mouse charged by microUSB and working for as long as 40 days on a full charge while a single day should need a little less than five minutes of charge.

As for usability on surfaces, Logitech’s Darkfield Laser technology is being employed, meaning it should work on pretty much any surface, something we wish we could say for more mice.

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One thing of note is the price, and for this gadget, you’ll find a suggested retail price of $149.95, putting in the high-end for mice and other input devices. That said, if you really want to clean up your desktop, or just happen to be a power user, chances are you’ll find that worthwhile, and you’ll find it in stores in April, too.