Logitech V550 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks Review

Notebook mice certainly offer more control and comfort than a touchpad or pointing stick, but it's easy to understand why many people never bother to invest in one. Mini mice aren't easy to keep track of, especially on cluttered desks. Logitech's new V550 Nano mouse attempts to address this issue by providing a home for your mouse when it's not in use--a hook on which to hang it.

Design

From an overhead view, the V550 Nano is a sleek mouse with a chrome-outlined scroll wheel and a button that performs Alt+Tab-like toggling (Logitech calls it Document Flip); a thin line divides the left and right mouse buttons. The back end of the mouse curves up slightly to rest comfortably in the palm of the hand. Unfortunately, the top of the mouse picked up some minor scuffs after only a few days of use.

The rear of the device houses a button that unlatches the bottom part of the mouse to reveal two AA batteries and a slot for the Nano receiver. However, the USB receiver is so small that it protrudes barely a quarter inch from its USB slot, meaning that, unless you need the port, you mostly likely won't have to remove the receiver. On the underside of the V550 is the power button and the attachment for the Clip-and-Go dock.

The V550 comes packaged with a small tin box for holding an extra Clip-and-Go dock and the tool to remove the dock from your notebook. There's also a corded USB extension stand for the Nano receiver to plug into for use with a desktop machine.

Unique Docking Solution

The V550 Nano's distinguishing feature is the Clip-and-Go dock, a little square with a round nub in the center. Slide the mouse up onto the dock and it automatically shuts the mouse off and holds it in place on the lid of the laptop. The overall design of the mouse is clean and modern-looking, but we can't imagine clipping the mouse to the dock and then trying to place it in a notebook sleeve or padded case. On the other hand, for business users carrying their notebooks to meetings or armchair-surfing warriors who lose their mouse as often as their TV remote, this feature will definitely come in handy.

Performance

For a notebook mouse, the V550 Nano felt good in our hand for a while but became uncomfortable after a few hours of use. The mouse worked fine out of the box, but downloading Logitech's SetPoint driver added horizontal scrolling and the ability to switch among documents using the Document Flip button.

The scroll wheel on the V550 Nano is fantastic. We loved its quick and smooth response on vertical scrolls. It makes a very small clicking noise when scrolling, which didn't bother us. The horizontal scrolling was equally smooth and quick. We wish the scroll wheel allowed us to click on objects, too. Both mouse buttons were very responsive but not so sensitive that they caused accidental clicks.

Verdict

The V550 Nano performed very well overall. While its compact size might become tiresome after long computing sessions, we like its excellent scroll response and sleek design. For frequent travelers, the Clip-and-Go dock isn't the best option. But if your notebook primarily resides on a cluttered desk or coffee table, the dock is a great way to keep the mouse from getting buried under a stack of papers.