Logitech MX Revolution performs less than adequately under MAC (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

support for any of their high-end keyboards or webcams.

The perfect example of how Logitech once again has alienated Mac
owners is clearly evident with this mouse. Look at the drivers disc
that is enclosed with the packaging and you'll notice it's windows only.
In order to get Mac drivers for this mouse, you need to go to the
Logitech website and wade through several pages of support material.

To make matters worse, the drivers do nothing to enhance the
mouse experience. I have not found any way to control tracking
speed (though fortunately the default speed is fast). Additionally,
if you want to set up specific commands for this mouse such as
"one button search" with Google, you'll find it doesn't work. The
option that lets you scroll horizontally doesn't even work. Quite
simply, the drivers for Mac don't work here.

So, what remains for me is rating this product as an ordinary
mouse. Sure, it's a very light and comfortable mouse that fits
snugly around the hand, but not much more elaborate than most
other cordless mice I have used as of late. There's a "turbo wheel"
of sorts that allows super fast scrolling through webpages, but I
have yet to figure out how to make it work. You are supposed to
configure it through the Logitech Control Center, but the instructions
are rather complicated as there are several modes of scrolling and
clicking that need to be set up, and the instructions are rather vague
as to how to do it correctly.

Many people have complained about the wireless range of this
mouse. Supposedly, based on many reviews I have read, this is
a huge problem. I am happy to report that the USB receiver is hidden
behind my Mac Pro about 2.5 feet away from the mouse and I have
no issues with signal loss. The mouse is extremely responsive.

The Logitech MX Revolution comes with its own charger that is
greatly streamlined from those that came with older high-end mice.
When you place the mouse in the charging cradle, there are small
lights that indicate how much charge is left in the mouse. This is
one feature I greatly appreciated.

Beneath the scrollwheel there is a small button that I think most
people have mistaken for being a scroll speed enhancement.
Unfortunately, it's just a simple button that you can push to perform
a search function. In Mac, the button brings up SPOTLIGHT search.
However, as I have stated previously, attempting to set the button
up for GOOGLE search or the like will not work on Mac.

The bottom line here is that the Logitech MX Revolution, as with
most Logitech products, is probably best suited for Windows users.
Mac users have grown to learn that Logitech just isn't fond of OS X
and goes out of their way to deny driver support for that OS.

Mac users beware! Yes, you are getting a wonderful mouse that
is light, comfortable and very chic! However, you are also getting
a product that is barely usable above being an ordinary cordless mouse.

*** Note: It has been brought to my attention that PERHAPS these
defect issues are only relevant to the Mac Pro.

 

[DaveF]

Ron, this is discouraging to hear. I've been counting my pennies and watching prices, hoping to get the Revolution. I want it for all its buttons, for all sorts of magical OS X uses (spotlight, expose, quicksilver, dashboard, etc.)!

This is bumming me out, that I can't get a great keyboard and mouse for my Mac. The Microsoft Laser Keyboard and Mouse for Mac (a Mac-version of the Laser 6000 combo) was exactly what I wanted, except the wireless behaved poorly in my house. And I don't like any of the Apple keyboards or mice.

I'll probably buy the Revolution anyway, and return it if it doesn't work as expected.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Dave,

Perhaps it will work better for you. I have been reading
a few reviews where these problems are perhaps limited to Mac Pro.

 

[DaveF]

I installed my new MX today on my MacBook Pro, and I'm pleased to say that it works flawlessly, as an initial impression.

This device is so advanced, I'm a bit bewildered as to how to use it optimally. I was an early adopter of multi-button mice, but I've never had this many features. It has something like 10 buttons: standard scroll wheel with sideways scrolling and push click, a search button below that, standard left and right buttons, a thumb quasi-wheel and thumb forward/backward buttons!

It clicks, right clicks, triggers Spotlight, switchs applications, navigates web pages, and has two distinct scrolling modes. Every button is user configurable, including custom keystrokes. And it supports application specific settings, if you needed additional choices. This mouse is the antithesis of Apple mouse design from the past 30 years, and that is excellent!

The big feature is the scroll wheel, which toggles between smooth and clicky scrolling. In auto setting, it will do it on the fly. It's strange having a mouse switch gears, and hearing the little "thunk" coming from inside it.

The MX operates at 2.4 GHz, with a small (but not "nano") USB dongle; mine is plugged into my USB hub. It works just as it should. Contrast this to my prior go with a MS Laser Mouse, that works at 28 MHz -- or rather, didn't work in my (it seems) crowded RF environment.

This is my first wireless mouse and already the difference is apparent: not tugging at a cable is a distinct improvement. And with the desktop charger and the mouses battery-indicator lights, I don't have to worry about batteries.

Unless you've got a Mac Pro, it seems, this is a good mouse with good drivers for OS X. What I've seen and read of the Revolution VX and VX nano, the new Revolution lineup from Logitech gives great choices for the Mac user.

 

[DaveF]

Followup after a weekend of use. The wireless connect is flawless for me. No indication of interference.

I've contacted Logitech Tech Support for a bug, though. The "Keystroke" action does not work on the Thumb Wheel. I don't care for the Application Switch function and want to assign keystrokes for web-page Forward / Backward / Reload. But nothing happens in that mode. I verified this on a 10.3 G5 machine. And found that it works fine in WinXP. (so I think it's software, not hardware)

Still a good mouse. I think that Logitech's drivers need a bit more tweaking for the Mac. But even without the thumbwheel, it gives good functionality.

 

[DaveF]

Two weeks later, and i need to amend my thoughts on the MX Revolution.

The mouse is an 8/10, but the drivers for the Mac are 6/10. The hardware promises everything I want, but the Mac drivers prevent it from keeping that promise.

In particular, the ThumbWheel controls are needlessly limited and the available options don't fully operate. FIrst, you can't assign any Expose commands to the ThumbWheel. This is a strange and shortsighted limitation. Second, Keystroke action just doesn't work. I wanted to assign Cmd-Right and Cmd-Left (web page forward / backward) to the Thumbwheel, but it just plain doesn't work. I've tested this on a new MBP and a 10.3 G5 system and the behavior is the same. But, it works fine in Windows (Bootcamp), demonstrating it's a software problem, not a driver. And there are some other software quirks as well.

Regardless, I'm keeping it. There's no other mouse, Mac or otherwise, that gives me the same set of features.

- Wireless. And a good connection at that.

- Recharger. I don't have to worry about buying and replacing batteries

- Clicky / smooth scroll wheel. It uses the normal clicky scrolling, until I scroll fast, like in a long web page. Then it goes to free spin and the page cruises by. When I stop scrolling, it reverts to clicky.

- SO many customizable keys. I've assigned: Expose (all windows), Expose (desktop), and Dashboard to various buttons. I also have Web-page Back and Reload assigned. And the silly thumbwheel gets volume controls.

I re-considered the Apple Might Mouse, but it's only a four-button mouse; I need at least five, and the MX gives me 7+.

Others have commented on the VX, the portable little brother to the MX. I suspect that would also be a good mouse, in some ways better than the MX. But that darn thumb wheel is still a teensy bit useful, and the VX lacks it.

The MX has some compelling features. For Windows, it's a no-brainer. For the Mac, buy it from a store with a good return policy in case the driver quirks prevent you from using it as you need. But, you might find that despite some flaws it's still the best mouse around.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Dave,

So the problems, as I originally reported, are not exclusive
to the Mac Pro.
I like the mouse within itself. Great mouse and it scrolls well.

Problem is, the extra driver functions are worthless on a Mac.

 

[DaveF]

The drivers haven't been "worthless" on my system, but they are imperfect and not as robust as the Windows drivers. And I've read some very bad experiences, including system crashes, on the Logitech forum. But I have no software crashes; just missing functionality in some places.

And so, I'm surprised the VX works for you while the MX didn't. I think they use the same drivers, the LCC 2.2.2 from Logitech.

So any Mac user should prepare for a Test Drive of a Logitech mouse before tossing the receipt

This is biggest downside I'm encountering with my Mac: significantly weaker product selection and vendor support in important areas.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

For me, at least on the Macbook Pro, I can assign a SEARCH
button (Google, etc.) to the VX.

Can't do it on the MX on my Mac Pro.

In general, Logitech does not do Mac products very well,
nor does it seem they have an interest in doing so.

 

[Richard Sharpe]

Guys -
I feel your pain. My story in a nutshell:

- Intel Mac Mini, running OS X 10.4.9, then 10.4.10.
- Logitech MX Revolution ordered from Amazon

Real problems getting the additional functions (thumb wheel, click/smooth scroll wheel, etc) working. Sent the first mouse back for a replacement.

Second mouse arrived - exact same problem. On a whim, I tried the mouse on my Windows XP laptop - and it worked perfectly.

I cannot tell you how much better the mouse 'feels' on an XP machine with drivers that WORK. So much so, I could never go back to using the 'crippled' version on my Mac. So back it went to Amazon.

Two lessons I learned:
- Logitech can't support Macs (just check out their forum links below).
- Amazon has fast and very understanding customer service.

You can hear the screams at:

http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/...ard.id=macmice

My particular issue is observed by many and ignored by Logitech here:

http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/...&thread.id=121

cheers
Richard

 

[DaveF]

Ron & Richard: is your mouse mouse wheel slightly loose, so that it can wobble slightly to the left and right? My is. I also saw this in a review.

I'm doing an RMA for this issue. Despite the driver quirks, the mouse works quite well on my Mac. The search feature worked, but I don't use it. I mapped Expose (all windows) to the search button and Dashboard to the mouse wheel click. My thumbwheel compromise was Expose (desktop) and Volume Up/Down.

Richard: I've read & posted in the Logitech forum. It's a discouraging place.