Logitech G5 & G7 Mice: Gaming rodents

There are plenty of traditional ways to impress someone on Valentine's Day, be it flowers, chocolates or a big heart-shaped balloon, but the true lover has to show some class and put some real effort into choosing that perfect present, something that will improve their life on an everyday basis for the rest of the year. Which is why we hope certain people -- you know who you are -- are reading Crave today.

We've been using the new Logitech G7 for over a week, and if Logitech never asks for it back we can see it easily replacing our standard-issue Microsoft mice. The G7 is a wireless laser mouse that features a four-way directional wheel, a 2,000dpi laser tracking system and two rechargable batteries that deliver 10 hours of power each. The package even includes a dock for the batteries that recharges them from the USB port, so if you keep one of them in the dock you should never run out of juice.

But the real point of the G7 is that it's a gaming mouse. When you've finished writing up that document in Word, you can boot up Doom 3 (as we will), click the 'running man' button on the mouse, and suddenly it becomes far more sensitive than before. And if you're doing some ultra-fine man-management in Civilization IV then you can click the mouse into ultra-sensitive mode. We found that the range of the 2.4GHz wireless system stretched well over 15m, so if you play games on a media centre PC and a huge flat-screen display in your living room, you can sit as far back from the screen as you like.

The G5 mouse is a corded version of the G7, with most of the same features but a much nicer matte finish on the sides, and a smooth plastic finish on the buttons. The biggest difference is that instead of a battery port on the bottom, you can load the mouse with up to 36g of extra weights. The result is that the mouse glides across the desk when you push it so you get a smoother, more exaggerated experience.

While the Mac-heads of the office squirmed over using the G5 after the flatter Mighty Mouse, we thought that the comfortable finish and polytetrafluoroethylene feet (try saying that after a bottle of champagne) make this the most comfortable corded mouse we've used. Speaking of which, the USB cable has also been treated with care and attention -- the rope-like finish is flexible but hard-wearing. 

If your lover works with a computer, then the brutal irony is that they'll probably spend a lot more time fondling their mouse than they ever do fondling you. Give them a special treat this year, and have a happy Valentine's Day. -GC