Logitech V550 Nano Review

by Jerry Jackson

The Logitech V500 Nano is the newest compact cordless notebook mouse generating plenty of buzz among laptop users. The V550 uses the same “world’s smallest USB receiver” found on last year’s VX Nano, but the V550 brings something new to the table: the ability to clip directly to your notebook for easy travel.

Before we take a closer look at what the Logitech V550 Nano has to offer, below are the key features and specs for this cordless laser mouse:

• PC (Windows XP or Vista) and MAC compatible
• Cordless/storable USB 2.4 GHz receiver
• Left and Right hand usage
• MicroGear precision scroll wheel
• Laser technology
• Clip-and-Go dock
• Estimated 18-month battery life
• Low battery life warning
• 3-year warranty
• Price: $59.99

Design and Features

Although the V550 Nano is certainly a compact mouse, Logitech managed to keep the size and shape comfortable enough for everyday use. While some notebook travel mice are physically smaller than the V550, none of the smaller mice I’ve used are as comfortable under my hand.

The V550 isn’t as contoured as last year’s VX Nano, but the V550 is still comfortable to use for either right-handed or left-handed users. The MicroGear alloy scroll wheel allows for hyper-fast page scrolling. Beneath the scroll wheel is a one-touch search button for rapid Google searches.

Logitech includes a software CD so that you can adjust some settings on the V550 Nano, but the mouse is designed to be plug-and-play so you don’t need to install the software to use the basic features of the mouse. However, without the software you will be unable to customize the buttons.

Despite the compact size of the V550, the mouse is powered by two standard AA batteries rather than two AAA batteries which are typically found in smaller mice. The benefit of the larger batteries is improved estimated battery life. The old VX Nano has an estimate battery life of six months while the new V550 has an estimated battery life up to 18 months with average use.

While the V550 Nano mouse is certainly impressive in its own right, the real story is the Nano receiver and the Clip-and-Go dock. Calling this receiver small doesn’t do it justice. The tab on a can of soda is larger than this thing! When you first remove the Nano receiver from the packaging it hardly looks like a USB receiver at all. As pictured below, the receiver just looks like a USB plug with a tiny piece of black plastic on the end.

That said, don’t let the size fool you. I was able to control my Windows desktop using the V550 from across the room … so the reception range is still impressive.

Logitech includes a small metal case with two Clip-and-Go docks (one silver and one black) as well as a dock removal tool and two alcohol cleaning wipes. The Clip-and-Go dock is basically just a hard plastic tab with 3M tape on one side. You clean the surface of the notebook, peel the tape from the back of the Clip-and-Go dock, then apply it to your notebook. If you want to remove the Clip-and-Go dock all you have to do is put the removal tool around the tab and firmly twist in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion.

The 3M tape used on the back of the Clip-and-Go dock seems to firmly hold to the notebook, but I’m not sure how long the tape will stay secure after months and months of constantly clipping and unclipping the mouse.

Unlike many other Logitech travel mice, the V550 Nano doesn’t come with a travel case. Of course, there really is no need for a travel case since the V550 is designed to be clipped to your notebook when traveling.

Usage

Everyday notebook computing with the V550 was simple and less complicated than with other mice I’ve used. Rather than having to plug in the receiver every time I wanted to use the mouse I just left the receiver plugged into my notebook’s USB port. Leaving the receiver in the USB port isn’t an issue since the Nano receiver sticks out less than a quarter of an inch from the USB port.

I cannot overstate how impressive the receiver is. You never need to remove the receiver! Just leave it plugged into the notebook and remember to bring the mouse with you when you travel.

As for the V550, it turns itself off automatically when the mouse is connected to the Clip-and-Go dock and likewise turns itself on automatically when the mouse is removed from the dock. There is also a power button located on the base of the mouse in case you want to take manual control over the mouse’s on/off functions.

The battery compartment and alternative

storage for the receiver. (view large image)

One minor annoyance I ran into while using the V550 was the durability of the plastics on the bottom of the mouse. Since the V550 is constantly clipped to the Clip-and-Go dock the bottom of the mouse is always rubbing against the hard plastic nipple on the the Clip-and-Go dock. Unfortunately, since the base of the mouse is made of softer plastic than the Clip-and-Go dock the bottom of mouse is scratched every single time you connect or remove the mouse from the dock.

As you can see from the image below, scratches are obvious to the naked eye even after just using the mouse for the first 24-hours.

Another minor issue I ran into while using the V550 is the durability of the silver paint on the top of the mouse. After sliding my notebook in and out of a laptop bag the silver paint started to pick up a few scratches. This isn’t a major problem … but it makes the brand new mouse look a bit old after about a week.

Conclusion

The Logitech V550 Nano packs impressive performance and convenience into a tiny mouse. Although there are smaller mouse designs on the market, none of the smaller mice have such a convenient way to store your mouse with the notebook.

Size does matter for notebook users. The V550 cordless mouse and receiver combo is easy to live with and works extremely well. While I would have liked some tougher plastics and paint, the V550 is an excellent mouse. As of this writing, I think it’s safe to say that Logitech has given us yet another great mouse for notebook users.

Pros

• “The world’s smallest USB receiver”
• Excellent scroll wheel
• Great laser sensitivity
• Glide feet help the mouse move smooth
• Auto-off feature when mouse is clipped to notebook
• Auto-on feature when mouse isremoved from notebook

Cons

• Plastic base of mouse is easily scratched
• Clip-and-Go dock seems to hold firm … but for how long?
• Silver paint is easily scratched
• More color options would be nice (black rather than silver or gray? )