Digital Trends

Logitech MX Revolution February 9th, 2007 | by Brandon King

Use and Testing

The Revolution MX and its little, more portable brother, the VX, sport the first flywheel scroll wheel design. The idea is simple: rather than scroll in discrete increments, like 3 lines per wheel click, let the windows flow smoothly, with the wheel spinning like a rollerblade wheel. So, instead of drumming your finger down the scroll wheel, with the windows jumping in 3-line increments, the scroll wheel is free to spin. Want to scroll a little? Just give the wheel a little flick. Heading to the end of the page? Give a good quick flick and let the wheel spin until you reach the end. This operation is markedly different between the MX and VX, as discussed below.

But what if you want to use traditional scrolling for some programs, and flywheel scrolling for others? The SetPoint software package features application awareness, and will switch the mouse wheel between modes depending on which program has priority. What’s even more fun is the manual shift option. When enabled, the mouse acts like any other mouse while scrolling. But, give it a strong flick and the flywheel engages, allowing for smooth scrolling. To switch back, just slow the mouse down and the gears re-engage. For applications set to flywheel mode, switching is as easy as pressing the scroll wheel down.

It’s difficult to describe how much this adds to the user’s interaction with the computer, but we absolutely loved it. It feels natural to spin the mouse quickly when you want to scroll further, and the whole process feels fluid and controlled. There is next to no learning curve, since you’re still scrolling as with other mice, and once you get in the habit of using the flywheel design, it is frustrating to switch back to a normal mouse.

The SetPoint software allows customization of which applications engage which scroll modes. One small annoyance we found was that if the scroll mode is switched from the default, and then you switch applications, when you return, the scroll mode is reset to the default. Not a major issue by any means, but slightly annoying. Otherwise, the software performs similarly to Logitech’s other mice, showing battery level, offering online updates, and allowing an almost unlimited level of customization of mouse buttons.

Image Courtesy of Logitech