When I first got wind of Logitech’s latest notebook mouse, I couldn’t help but be excited. The VX Nano sports the smallest USB receiver I’ve ever seen, finally a receiver I could just leave in and forget about. With such a small receiver I had my doubts about performance. So I dropped by a local electronics store and shelled out the $70 premium.
After spending two weeks with the VX Nano I’m ready to share my impressions. The build quality is excellent, shaking the mouse I hear some slight movement inside, but not enough to raise any concerns, for the most part, the construction is solid. I’ve used plenty of mice that have a rattle to them, which drives me crazy, especially when playing a first person shooter, where quick mouse movements are a common thing.
The VX Nano comes with a carrying case, made of a spongy cloth mesh and USB dock, which acts as an USB extension cord for desktop users.
I liked the rubber grips located on both sides of the VX Nano, it has a good texture to it, reducing the chance of slips. Although I do miss the sunken thumb grip of the VX Revolution, the VX Nano’s thumb grip is just slightly sunken. The rear of the VX Nano is rather flat in comparison to the VX Revolution, depending on your hand size, most likely you’ll be holding the VX Nano with your finger tips. If a comfortable palm rest is important to you, you may want to forgo the Nano for the Revolution, I found the Revolution more comfortable to use over long periods of time.
On the bright side the VX Nano’s low profile and over all smaller size makes it easier to slip into notebook carrying cases.
VX Nano and Revolution USB receivers compared.
Not all USB slots are created equal, some make the Nano Receiver stick out…
The scroll wheel can be used in two modes, free-scroll and notched, free-scroll allows the mouse wheel to spin with little friction, while notched is what we regularly use. I used free-scroll most on long documents and notched for everything else. When I first used free-scroll it wasn’t all that useful to me, I’d fly straight to the end of long documents, which I could have easily done by simply pressing the End key. I found using free-scroll takes some practice, over time you will able to skim large documents and stop the wheel just at the right spots.
right behind the scroll wheel is the search button, pressing it will open up your default browser, you can also customize it to use your favorite search engine. Another neat feature I found was the ability to search highlighted text. For example if I found a word I didn’t understand or wanted know more about, instead of typing it into the search box, I’d simply highlight the text and press the search button and magically the search results appear! Ok maybe I’m getting a little too excited about this feature, I just thought it was clever of Logitech to add this.
Besides the standard left and right mouse buttons, there is also a pair of forward/back buttons located on the left of the left mouse button.
Even though you could easily leave the VX Nano receiver plugged in due to it’s miniature size, Logitech designed the mouse with a slot to house the USB receiver.
I could detect no movement lag, the mouse performed like a superstar. I could definitely see myself using this mouse on a daily basis, which is what I have been doing for the past two weeks, it’s very comfortable to use in my opinion. If you plan to game, I’d still prefer a higher DPI mouse. Logitech doesn’t state the actual DPI of this mouse, but I did notice some pixel skipping when playing first person shooters.
Some may argue, what’s the point of having a small receiver when you could have no receiver at all and just use Bluetooth. I have to agree with this statement, but in all fairness, the VX Nano does provide lag-free response, something we’ve come to expect from RF mice, BT mice on the other hand I’ve had poor experiences in terms of responsiveness, I’ve always noticed a bit of lag. So if mouse responsiveness is important to you, the VX Nano may just be what the doctor ordered.
I definitely recommend this mouse to any notebook owners willing to put up with the $70 price tag. As always if you have any questions, please fill out the comment form, thank you for reading.
29 Comments
Does the fact that the sensor is off to the side rather than in the middle make the motion feel weird compared to a normal desktop mouse?
Andrew,
The off-centered sensor didn’t seem to have any real impact on usability. The mouse really performs just as well as any other mice I’ve used (Logitech G5 / Razer Diamondback), but I’m still not ready to drop my corded mice for the Nano when it comes to gaming.
Oh I almost forgot to mention, if you are worried about the Nano sticking out, before purchasing, I’d recommend testing your notebook’s USB ports with a USB plug, such as from a keyboard or mouse. This will show you if your notebook’s USB slot will make the Nano stick out more than it should.
Thanks for dropping by Andrew, if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask.
I am interested if these mice you tested can work with each others receivers?
I ask because I would like to use my old Logitech mouse (I think VX200) with this micro receiver.
Nemanja,
I wasn’t able to interchange USB receivers with mice (VX Nano and VX Revolution). The only way I could see this being possible if there was some pairing procedure, like we see with bluetooth devices, but there is no option for pairing in the Logitech Setpoint software as far as I could tell.
I purchased the VX Nano to replace a defective G7 which I just requested warranty service for a defective scroller.
I’d like to add that the feet on the VX Nano slide more smoothly than my G7 on my tabletop without a rat pad. In fairness, this could be due to extreme wear, but it’s definitely a plus for the VX Nano — feels as smooth as the free scroll. :)
I try to avoid setpoint when possible because I prefer the windows acceleration. I have not tried the new version so it may be possible to retain that feel. I would like to comment on the Search and other buttons on the VX Nano for those who prefer built-in drivers.
By default on Vista, all the buttons are functioning without drivers. The scroll wheel left/right functions as horizontal scroll, but I found that this does not work with all applications — I’m sure SetPoint would make this work for applications that don’t support the default (haven’t tested this). Back and Forward buttons (on the left side) function on Vista (file) Explorer, Firefox, Itunes, and Office 2007 (OneNote). The search button defaults to middle click without SetPoint (as documented in the fine print). Great functionality right out of the box! :)
Instead of searching words, I remapped the search button to [Ctrl + LWindows + Tab] using AutoHotkey. Now it brings up Vista Flip3D. yay
Wonderful rat, I will be eBaying the G7 upon it’s repair.
Great review, Iron Cook.
Nick,
Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with the VX Nano. As a consumer myself I always love to hear more details on products. Take care Nick!
As both the Nano and Revolution are still available for purchase, which would you recommend as a right handed user? Assume we could ignore the convenience of the nano receiver.
Jeff,
Being a right handed user and taking the nano receiver out of the equation, I’d personally prefer the Revolution, it has a more comfortable grip in my opinion. The Revolution has a larger hump in the back which gives my palm more support than the Nano does and I how sunken in the thumb grip is on the Revolution.
Hey, Just read your review. Excellent! Very detailed, and it was exactly what I wanted to know about to make the leap to get the mouse. I’m a roving IT admin and it would be perfect to take to job sites. Thanks.
I own many Logitech MX518 mice for my various computers. I’m quite certain I’ll want to continue using the MX518 on my laptop even if I purchase this one, because I need all the extra buttons on the MX518. So I see that both of these mice use the SetPoint 4.0, but how will they react when using both mice? Will the driver recognize which mouse is acitve and switch to the settings for that mouse.
Thanks. Great reveiw too!
I’m also deciding between the two
I’m currently using the MX Revolution at home for my HTPC, and would like a mouse with similar functions for my Thinkpad.
two things are in the way of my decision:
I really like the small receiver on the Nano, because the USB port on my Thinkpad happens to be recessed so that the receiver won’t stick out at all when plugged in, there by allowing me to keep it plugged in at all times. Yet I also find the thumb buttons on the Revolution to be indispensable.
Hanning,
If I were you I’d go with the VX Nano. A recessed USB port sounds like a great match for the Nano reciever. Give the Nano the good old 30 day trial, that should help you reach your final decision on whether the VX Nano is right for you. If you do, be sure to drop by and share with us your personal thoughts on the mouse.
I appeciate you taking the time to read the review take care, Hanning.
Hi,
I recently purchased the VX Revolution. The VX Revolution I can attest is an excellent mouse for a palm grip user (people that grip with and rest their whole hand on the mouse). It reminds me of my desktop mouse - the MX1000. Both the MX1000 and VX Revolution also have buttons on the side that can be utilized via thumb as well which makes them extremely comfortable to use, and I can repeatedly press these buttons in rapid succession with no problems at all (I find myself using these buttons quite often).
Just today I purchased and used the VX Nano which I thought I may like, but the grip I have to adopt is more of a bent finger style (I read somewhere else refer to it as a claw style grip), which due to my very extended use when I use my laptop, is very uncomfortable (many hours per session - daily). As well, the buttons that were on the sides of the VX Revolution and MX1000 that I used to press with my thumb, now are on the top by the index finger button. These buttons, which may be easy to press for a claw grip style user, for myself are uncomfortable to use due to the way I grip my mice (this was the VX Nano killer for me - learned that I absolutely must have these buttons in the position to be pressed by thumb). Also, the lack of being able to press the center of the scroll wheel in, to activate the normal depress feature of most mice, instead switches it between ratchet mode and free wheel (I do not like this “feature” at all - sure I can have the button below the wheel assigned to do the same function but that is counterintuitive to most mice - I wish Logitech stuck with the switch between freewheel/ratchet to being on the bottom of the unit as the VX Revolution). The only part I absolutely love about the VX Nano is the receiver. I wish there was a way to purchase just the receiver from Logitech and use it as a receiver for my VX Revolution.
Maybe I just need the comfort and functionality of the VX Revolution due to my usage (full time engineering student and am on my laptop a lot). The VX Nano seems to be more of a mouse I could use for very brief sessions on the go, where all I would need is a left and right mouse click (but on a laptop, I would just be as well off using the touchpad for this application - or the free wired mouse that came with the laptop which I believe is a rebranded Logitech from Asus).
Logitech could make some extra money if they would be willing to sell the Nano receiver to those of us with other mice such as the VX Revolution. Heck, I would be more than willing to shell out money for the receiver. At the moment I am searching the net for a software hack/crack to allow me to use the nano reciever with the Revolution unit.
Hope this info helps.
Best,
Alex
Alex,
I didn’t realize how much people relied on the side thumb buttons, I’ll have to pay more attention to those kinds of details in future reviews.
I’d have to agree on what you said about the middle mouse button, in some of the games I play, the middle mouse button is vital, and that did drive me nuts not having that scroll wheel act as a button.
Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment.
How do you change between the scroll modes? MX revolution does by pressing the scroll wheel, VX Revolution uses a swith underneath… So?
Can you use an older 2002 model with Logitech SetPoint? I have the receiver and it has been installed, but SetPoint just doesn’t seem to recognise it.
I have this mouse and really like it. Until this am. Cursor moving erratically. Always worked on couch fabric. Will not move cursor at all now. On a white surface moves almost ok. Vertical is now a diagonal. Works backwards on black mouse pad. Move it right cursor moves left. etc. No vertical on mouse pad either. New batteries and cleaned with Q-tip… Any suggestions?
Great review and loved the pictures. Your review helped me decide to purchase this mouse.
Thank you.
Thanks for the review - I found it very useful.
Of the two mice you have compared - VX Nano and VX revolution, which do you think would be more suited to left handed users - I am a full time engineer who travels regularly and uses a laptop
thanks for this review. gizmodo and engadget had the shittiest reviews ever. the only decent reviews that came up in google was this one and one from skatter tech http://skattertech.com/2008/03/logitech-vx-nano-mouse-review/
i am getting this mouse for sure! i got a $25 circuit city gift card
thanks for the review… and i’ve a question, i heard that the scroll wheel doesn’t act as a third button, is this true?
awaiting for your response… Thanks again
lol sorry i read the comments above and my question is answered there.. haha sorry and thanks anyway
can i ask you something- this mouse support the middle button function?t
Robert,
The middle mouse button switches the mouse between free scroll and notched scrolling, no middle mouse button sorry.
I’m searching for the perfect mouse to meet my simple needs. This one sounds good but I’m still hesitant about the left-hand side backward/forward navigation buttons. Frankly, they look quite small and in the photos, they appear to be located on the top-side of the mouse rather than on the sides. Does one use the thumb or index finger to use those?
Melissa,
Pressing the 2 side buttons feels most natural using your left index finger. It’s not so bad once you get use to it. I just wish they didn’t make it a ridge, yes it gives it a more attractive appearance but it sacrifices some ergonomnics in return, I guess you can’t have it all.
Thanks for dropping by if you have any other questions just let me know.
for anybody needing buttons assigned to ANY option that set pointy can’t do, look at the add on called “uberoptions” a simple google will locate it on wikipedia. the programs a godsend and unlocks all functions of the mouse, assign any button to mute is a awsome feature, on the vx revoloution i literally did away with all the search and zoom in functions and tied them to launch programs and mute. so have fun with a ne tool to your toybox. p.s. i have used it with no problems on vista to.
I have just been given an I Mac for my birthday (fabulous machine by the way) but being left handed I am having a problem using the mac lazer mouse. It has some amazing features available on it but doesn’t respond well to the left hand. When my husband tried it - it worked fine, but because it is seems extremely sensitive to the pressure of the finger I have to keep clicking, most frustrating.
Anyway my question is do you think the nano is suitable for the left handed, as this mouse seems to have plenty of features and changeable, programmable buttons.
Thanks Iron, brilliant review.
Hey Pat,
Before you go purchase a VX Nano, I’d double check to see if it’s compatible with your Mac, I’m a uncertain if it will need special software to work or not. But then again you always have 30 days to try it out, so I guess there really is no major risk.
The VX nano would be suitable for lefties, a lot more so than the Revolution that’s for sure. Excuse the late reply, and thanks for dropping by Pat.
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