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What's your mouse of choice?

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Paul Keith:
Thanks again app.

With regards to the smooth wheel, as someone who hates it, I can't really say it's analogous to an old TV knob but I might be thinking of a different model.

It's really just a mouse scroll wheel that goes from really stiff to really really loose so if you do tons of scrolling, you could theoretically "drive" the precise scrolling motion with your fingers where as a normal scroll wheel it would be up a page then up a page then up a page.

I think the best way to get a feel of it is to middle mouse click on either Opera or Firefox. The cursor should change to a 4 sided icon and you can quickly scroll with the mouse around except imagine doing this without moving the actual mouse but just moving the scroll wheel.

Edit: Also IMO it feels different from a two sided trackpad but I've never used one of those. I'm just trying to imagine their feel by basing it around the Ipod's touch circle. Also IMO the lighter touch is set back by the heavy mouse and the larger than normal scroll wheel but I'm referring mostly to the MX Revolution model since that's the one I tried.

steeladept:
sounds nice
if you spin it does it keep going - is there that little resistance?
-tomos (February 21, 2009, 10:08 AM)
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No, not like that, but it does take much less effort and a much lighter touch to move it. After using a smooth wheel for about 2 years, using a normal mouse wheel has a certain "ewwww" factor that feels "cheap" to me.
-app103 (February 21, 2009, 11:00 AM)
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Actually, on my VX Revolution (I forgot that part before - Thanks TucknDar), it does mean exactly that.  On long pages I have sent it spinning with a quick little flick and it kept going to the bottom of the page (or up as the case may be).    You can see what it looks like here:



EDIT:  Wow, that attachment was harder to do than it should have been!  Anyway, I guess it does have several more buttons.  I never use them though. :-[

Paul Keith:
Yep, I think the MX Revolution model is the same hence I originally coined it "loose" but after reading app's post, I think she might have a gentler touch and that's the reason it works extra well for her. It could be that the resistance is enough that once she goes past the "zone of tightness" she's not really pushing on the wheel as much as driving it. (The wheel has two phases. The first being a slightly more tighter scroll than I'm used to for when moving in short areas and only once you continue scrolling will smooth scrolling activate)

app103:
Yep, I think the MX Revolution model is the same hence I originally coined it "loose" but after reading app's post, I think she might have a gentler touch and that's the reason it works extra well for her. It could be that the resistance is enough that once she goes past the "zone of tightness" she's not really pushing on the wheel as much as driving it. (The wheel has two phases. The first being a slightly more tighter scroll than I'm used to for when moving in short areas and only once you continue scrolling will smooth scrolling activate)
-Paul Keith (February 22, 2009, 01:53 AM)
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I am completely clueless as to what you are talking about. What zone of tightness? What 2 phases?

There is no real difference between my mouse wheel and a normal one other than the fact it doesn't click..it has no bumps*. I don't know what your mouse wheel is like but mine is just as I described in my 2 different tv knobs comparison.

The stuff you are talking about is YOUR mouse, or some other brand & model of mouse I don't own.

Remember, mine is an Evoluent VM2, not a Logitech.

On long pages I have sent it spinning with a quick little flick and it kept going to the bottom of the page (or up as the case may be). 
-steeladept (February 22, 2009, 12:17 AM)
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Nope, mine doesn't do that, and to be honest I am really glad it doesn't.


*The proper term for it is detents, which my mouse wheel doesn't have, and therefore it's smooth.

superboyac:
Let me clear up Logitech free-spin scrolling:  There are two versions of this technology.  The first was introduced with the MX Revolution.  The second was introduced later, like on my MX 1100.  Here are the differences, and I'll try to be clear because they are subtle:

MX Revolution:
The scroll wheel has two-modes.  It can scroll click-by-click like most mice, or it can scroll with a free-spin (think of lifting a bicycle off the ground and spinning the front wheel, that's exactly how it is).  But how do you switch between the two modes?  Well, one way is that the mouse detects it automatically depending on how quickly you flick the wheel.  If you go really slowly, it will just click-click as usual.  But if you give it a quick flick, it will go into free-spin mode.  The other way is to set the wheel middle-button click to switch between the two modes.  The disadvantage to that is that you lose the ability to program the middle-click for another function.
I think this information is correct, but since I don't own the Revolution i may be off.  but I used it in stores.

The problem with the technology above was that, apparently, many users just wanted to be in one mode or the other.  They didn't want the mouse to automatically determine which mode is best.  maybe some users want to flick the wheel hard, but don't want to go to free-spin mode.  So, Logitech changed the technology.

MX 1100:
OK, this is the one I have (and love).  On the MX 1100, the auto-recognize spin mode was taken away.  If you want to switch modes, you simply press the little button located behind the scroll wheel.  In the Revolution, this button was some kind of "quick search" button where you can highlight a word, press the button, and have the word automatically googled or something like that.  Anyway, so that's it.  The wheel is either completely in free-spin mode or in click mode.  No more hybrid, auto-detect mode.

I love the free-spin mode and use it 99% of the time.  The control you have with it is exceptional.

I hope that clears up the technology.  i was confused for a while also.  i had to read a lot and go to the stores to try them before I understood completely.


I also want to clear up another point of confusion.  The Logitech free-spin mode is more than just not having the click.  I used to have the Microsoft wireless mouse and it didn't have a click either...it was smooth.  but it wasn't free-spin.  There was a viscosity to it.  Free spin is just like the bicycle example I mentioned above.  Other mice may not click and be smooth, but they probably can't keep spinning with a flick.

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