Review: Logitech VX Nano
I recently replaced my wonderful Razer Pro|Click mouse with a wireless Logitech VX Nano–perhaps the most diametrically-opposed mouse there is in terms of input device philosophy.
Out with the old, in with the new
The Razer is corded, full of buttons, and boasts a resolution so high it could find a nun’s sins without trying. It’s a gaming mouse repackaged to look more “professional,” meaning it’s a sensible white instead of some hallucinogenic color-changing plastic-by product with half a dozen blinking lights. It served me well over the past two years, but it was showing its age and my mousing habits had changed sufficiently that a wireless mouse looked more appealing.
The nano, on the other hand, is light and portable. It comes with a handy zippered travel case, and its USB wireless receiver protrudes no farther than the thickness of a Tylenol. The Nano is only 3.75 inches long, and everything about it seems to have been somehow miniaturized. It’s like a regular mouse, only, well, Nano!
The mouse itself
The Nano is the latest mouse in Logitech’s newest family marked by an unusual scroll wheel design. Called “MicroGear” in lame marketing-speak, the scroll wheel has two distinct modes. One is normal in that it’s ratcheted and produces audible clicks as it’s rotated. The other, though is frictionless; think of spinning a bike tire off the ground—it just keeps on spinning. This makes it a snap to scroll to the end of long documents, but the precision afforded by not having to stop on discrete steps makes the frictionless mode far smoother for ordinary “slow” scrolling as well.
To switch between modes, you deliver a heavy click to the wheel itself, which depresses slightly and produces a satisfying mechanical pop. It’s a nice touch to have made this feature mechanical rather than software-controlled, which would have thusly depended on using Logitech’s driver software and only Logitech’s driver software.
Now, because of this mechanical scroll action, you can’t middle-click by clicking on the wheel, which is what most scroll wheels do and thus what most people are used to. Thankfully, there’s a button immediately beneath the scroll wheel which I’ve mapped to middle-click. Problem solved.
The Nano’s scroll wheel also tilts from side to side—another nice touch. Throw in two more buttons within easy reach of the index finger, and this mouse is exceptionally powerful despite its size.
The primary and secondary buttons are generously large for such a small mouse, but the left button requires a very firm touch, and occasionally ignored clicks that were overly gentle. You might have to retrain yourself to click harder if your previous mouse only needed a feather-touch like mine did. It’s by no means a big deal, but it does take some getting used to.
Well, what about gaming?
The Nano’s tracking is magnificent in Windows. I’d heard horror stories of wireless mice being horribly unsuited for quick movements or gaming, but the Nano is wonderful for just that. One of the first things I did after getting it set up was play some Team Fortress 2, and it was the best match I had ever played. Easily, hands down, no questions asked–I was 50% more frag-tastic with a diminutive wireless laptop mouse than I had been with an ultra-percise gaming mouse. In Windows, the Nano’s tracking and movement are generally wonderful.
However, its tracking in OS X is a little bit short of that. The cursor moves far too fast when the mouse itself is thrown about, but it’s quite sluggish at the slowest speeds. Sadly, this is simply a philosophical difference between the way Mac OS X handles mice and the way Windows does, which allows you to move your actual hand farther without causing the cursor to fly out of control. Now, most Mac users are used to this difference and many actively prefer it, but I am not one of them. What to do? Drivers to the rescue!
Developers developers developers developers developers!
…Except not Logitech’s. In the Mac world, Logitech has a horrible reputation for its abysmal driver software, and this mouse was no different. In fact, Logitech even uses an unsupported framework for third-party hacks called APE, rather than the standard Apple-senctioned method which would be easier for them and produce better software. APE has recently gained a good deal of negative publicity for being the culprit in many failed Leopard installations, and it’s inexcusable of Logitech to rely on such an unstable framework for something as crucial as a mouse. This is just not anything a professional company should do; if it was some backyard tinkers or a company new to the Mac platform who pulled this, it would be forgivable, provided they shaped up mighty quick. But Logitech!?!. Disgraceful! Needless to say, I opted not to install Logitech’s software.
Instead, I used a third-party universal mouse driver called SteerMouse, which is quite excellent. With SteerMouse, all of the Nano’s buttons—including the side-scroll ones—were programmable, and I set up different functions for them depending on what application I’m using. But SteerMouse’s real power it derived from its ability to let you tweak the acceleration curve of your mouse. In my case, I wanted to make it more Windows-like. Compared to in Mac OS X, a Windows mouse cursor basically moves faster at slow speeds, and slower at fast speeds. Whipping the mouse around makes the cursor move fast, but not at bullet-train-esque speeds, which is the problem I and many others have with the Mac curve.
It took a lot of tweaking and testing, but I finally managed through SteerMouse to get a setting that feels the most Windows-like to me. Sadly, this setting only works for the VX Nano, as every mouse has its own internal mechanism, so you would need to use a different set of values for all other mice. But if you happen to own a VX Nano and SteerMouse and want a Windows-like acceleration curve, here’s how:
Set the Tracking Speed (SteerMouse’s word for acceleration) to 0.0625 and the Sensitivity (which is actually base speed, confusingly enough) to 450. That ought to do it.
Sadly, SteerMouse isn’t free. It costs $20, which is intensely annoying if you need the more advanced functionality from your mouse but hate Logitech’s shitty Mac support–it’s like adding on twenty bucks to the cost of the mouse! I believe it’s worth it, though; SteerMouse unlocks so much of a mouse’s power, in addition to the indispensable ability to edit its acceleration curve. Until Logitech stops treating Mac users as second-class citizens, though, we’ll just have to live with the “SteerMouse tax.”
Portability
The Nano unfortunately doesn’t use Bluetooth to communicate with a computer, necessitating an external receiver. Fortunately, this receiver is practically invisible, barely longer than its USB plug that disappears into a port. It’s actually pretty cute! There’s no problem in keeping it attached to your laptop when you pack it up due to its stunningly small size, but the paranoid can store it within the mouse itself while in transit, and while it’s inside, the mouse automatically powers off. Nice. Not as nice as Bluetooth because it uses up a USB port, but about 90% as nice.
A major benefit is that the Nano uses standard AAA batteries rather than the built in lithium-ion battery its two-scroll-wheeled big brother uses. This means there’s no bulky charging cradle to keep on your desk and use up an outlet, and you can also replace the AAAs when they die as opposed to just watching anxiously as the built-in LI-on battery slowly loses its ability to hold a charge. It also means you can easily keep the mouse in service by keeping two spare AAAs handy; with a sealed battery, you’d have to return the mouse to its charger and wait until it built up enough power before you could use it again.
The generously included traveling case is pretty svelte, and fits the Nano perfectly. Another nice touch.
The verdict
The Logitech VX Nano is a wonderful mouse. If you’re looking for extreme portability, robust wirelessness and, well, cuteness, this is your mouse. Though the terrible Mac drivers are a liability, SteerMouse can make up for them if you’re willing to spend a bit more.
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