As laptops are growing ever more popular, more people are looking for a notebook mouse. It's perfectly possible to control a notebook with its trackpad but everyone who has used a notebook for a couple of hours will know that these trackpads aren't really convenient. A real mouse is still a lot more comfortable to use and therefore more and more people are in the market for a notebook mouse.
As not everyone wants to spend a lot of money on one of the more expensive notebook mice like the Logitech VX Revolution or the new VX Nano, I'll take a look at one of Logitech's cheaper offerings: the Logitech V220 notebook mouse.
The V220 is a small mouse with a 1000 dpi optical sensor. Logitech describes it as a mouse with an ergonomic design with soft rubber grips and a convenient mini-receiver which snaps into the mouse for easy transport.
The Logitech V220 Cordless Optical mouse arrives in this box:
The box is quite small and features the mouse, the USB receiver, one AA battery and the installation guide. A CD-ROM with the Logitech SetPoint software isn't included, if you want to use this software you'll have to download it on Logitech's website.
Before we move on to the review he's a quick look at the features of the V220:
Comfort and Control
Ergonomic design with soft rubber grips: Increases your comfort with non-slip rubber side panels that also add control. A ridged wheel provides a better grip for scrolling.
Convenience
Extended battery life: Enjoy up to 6 months of battery life (and longer with automatic on/off). Battery power indicator eliminates surprises.
Easy transport: The mini-receiver snaps into the mouse, turning it off.
Performance
High-definition optical technology: The 1000 dpi optical sensor makes the Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse two and a half times more responsive than standard optical mice.
Side-to-Side Scrolling plus Zoom: Perfect for viewing digital photos and spreadsheets. Instantly zoom in and out; scroll horizontally or vertically.
Now lets take a closer look at the mouse.
This is the USB receiver, just plug it into your laptop and you're ready to go. It's not necessary to install the Logitech SetPoint software but it's recommended so you can use the more advanced features like horizontal scrolling or if you want the change the function of the mouse's buttons.
Like most notebook mice the V220 is quite small but it fits pretty well in my hand. Unfortunately the mouse doesn't feature a lot of buttons, it only has a left and a right click button with a ridged scrollwheel between them. The thing I'm missing a bit are two extra buttons on the left side of the mouse which you can use for tasks like previous/next or minimalize/maximalize.
The scroll wheel is multifunction and can be used for horizontal scrolling. Or if you don't really need horizontal scrolling you can use it for other tasks like to adjust the sound volume or zooming.
Both sides of the mouse feature non-slip rubber for better control.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-06-25 06:27:39 My Score: 10/10
Very nice laptop mouse. Re: difficulty finding the battery compartment: This is a feature for the V220, It's cheap enough where it can be readily disposed after the b attery runs out. No need to replace it yourself! Check on ebay for a used one with the battery already installed.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-06-16 08:41:20 My Score: 10/10
I bought this mouse to use with a brand new laptop and I luv the mouse, it is exactly what I was after !!
The battery compartment is very easy to access and downloading the software was a doddle !!
The software also lets you know wht the battery status is which I find a bonus !!
Would recommend this mouse to anyone who needs a small portable, easy to use mouse !!
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-06-15 03:23:52 My Score: 9/10
I cannot seem to download the software to use zoom & side to side scrolling. HELP. I want to use the most of this mouse but can't
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-06-02 19:10:50 My Score: 10/10
I can open the compartment fine its the getting the battery out that's the prob. It's lodged in there so tight I cant get it out without tearing the wrapping off my battery.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-06-02 05:40:57 My Score: 10/10
The mouse works great. No skips, freezes, etc. I love it. I did have some trouble getting the battery door off as the button on the bottom was not releasing. I am not computer illiterate. It was a mechanical malfunction, which I was able to fix and open.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-28 07:43:26 My Score: 10/10
wow i cant believe people can t open the battery compartment. the button on the bottom is the first thing i pushed and the compartment popped right off. Must be computer illiterate folks. I havent used it too much yet and was just looking for some reviews on it. My girlfriend bought it for me today and i love logitech products so lets hope i have no problems with it.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-20 23:20:44 My Score: 10/10
The mouse worked fairly well for a while. I dropped it and after that I had major problems. So I bought a new V220 mouse. Guess what I'm still having problems with freezes, erratic movement and left mouse clicks not releasing not working properly. I installed the Setpoint software and it didn't help a bit. Like one of the other posters, I'm ready to bounce the little bugger off the wall.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-05-16 06:55:27 My Score: 6/10
I'm having a lot of trouble with consitency--as the last commenter wrote...freezing, erratic, non-responsive. Battery is good. Is it the optical eye? Is there a remedy? It is very frustrating to use. Worked well first few months, now is so bad, we do work-arounds (use arrow keys when possible). Big pain.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-04-03 17:35:59 My Score: 10/10
Can anyone tell me my "wonderful Logitech" mouse skips, hesitates, freezes, and in general is a frustrating pain in the ass to use? First 3 days out of the box was OK, then the "honeymoon ended" and I feel like throwing it off a wall just to watch it smash into pieces. Note: nothin in the world pisses me off more, or faster than a mouse/keyboard that works erractically.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-03-30 13:31:55 My Score: 10/10
I love it ! its 1000dpi response is more then enough for work. I got 2 months of usage a single duracell battery, (avg use 32-35hrs a week!!)
for those who have no idea how to open the battery cover you should push the button that looks like a battery. I hope that helps and i jsut wanna take the oppurtunity to say that drugs are bad for you...
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-03-28 14:11:33 My Score: 9/10
I bought my V220 mouse yesterday. I think it's great, although, I don't agree that the range is about 3 meters. I would say that at 1.5 meters it loses contact. Ok, so what, you ask. I do power point presentations and hoped my pocket didn't have to stretch as far as a proper remote. Ho Hum!
Down load the software is a serious 20 minute Mission, and then if you say you don't need Bluetooth, it says you are on the wrong program! Logitech needs to waken up!!!
Nine out of ten for the mouse.
one out of ten for the software, which I still can't access!!!
Any shortcuts to access the software, please?
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Thomas De Maesschalck on 2008-02-10 18:53:48 My Score: 10/10
Yeah the battery life of the V220 is amazing. Most mice give only a couple of days or a week at most but this mouse can go on for months on a single battery.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-02-10 18:47:06 My Score: 10/10
I initially had the same problem with being unable to open the mouse compartment to replace the mouse. I would flip the mouse over and cradle it in one hand while pretty the release button with the other. The way I was holding it was preventing the lid from popping up. Once I gripped it on the sides and then pressed the release button, the compartment popped right open.
LOVE this mouse! I have 2 of them. The battery life is far superior on this model than an earlier Logitech wireless notebook mouse I owned.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-02-02 17:02:03 My Score: 10/10
Can someone tell me why I cant right click on my otherwise wonderful mouse
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2008-01-13 14:16:37 My Score: 10/10
What are you guys talking about? All you have to do is press the battery button on the bottom of the mouse and the battery compartment will pop right open.
I love this mouse. Works great for traveling.
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2007-11-25 22:26:27 My Score: 1/10
It is impossible to open the mouse to change the batteries. Ted Jacobsen @ tedjacobsen@rogers.com
Logitech V220 Cordless Notebook Mouse Posted by Anonymous on 2007-08-20 05:37:45 My Score: 2/10
I bought a V220, it came with a V200 manual. The method of opening the battery compartment are different. Logitech doesn't post manuals on the web. The picture in this post is the best I've found; but I can't seem to get the batter compartment open. The inability to change batteries makes this unit useless.
