I decided I’d follow up the V450 review with a mouse I’ve had a bit longer but use for my home laptop, the Logitech V270 Bluetooth.

The V270 looks a lot like some of Logitech’s earlier wireless notebook mice. It is almost a dead-ringer for the earlier “Logitech Wireless Notebook Mouse” that debuted several years ago. The difference is that this model uses Bluetooth and has a new color scheme, other than that they are identical in operation (as far as I can tell) and looks.

The V270 Bluetooth, for those unfamiliar with this style of Logtech notebook mouse, is larger than the V450 model, but much easier to hold. The mouse is neither right nor left-handed, and is very comfortable.

The mouse uses 2 AA batteries. It has an ON-OFF switch on the underside, which is vital for battery saving.

I use the V270 with my MacBook. Setup and configuration are nearly automatic with the Mac’s Bluetooth setup program.

This is a pretty simple mouse, simple setup, and no extra receiver sticking out of your laptop’s USB ports to snag on. I’m happy.

Pros:
+ True cordless, Bluetooth
+ Comfortable for larger hands

Cons:
- Not as good tracking as Laser
- Less compatible than RF notebook mice
- Presumably less battery life than RF notebook mice

I recently got to try the Logitech’s V450 Cordless Laser Notebook mouse due to my work letting me order a few in for my PC workbench. I was trying to cut down on cable clutter, as I can have several laptops on the bench at one time and I have enough cords (power, ethernet) that are already in the way.

I decided on this mouse over several other notebook mice for a few reasons.

First of all, this mouse is the only wireless notebook mouse Logitech makes at the time of this writing that is Laser.

Secondly, it is a standard RF mouse and has infinite compatibility with any kind of computer (Mac, Linux, Windows) without the need for special drivers or Bluetooth.

The benefits also don’t stop there. Since this is an RF mouse, the battery life (on the included 2xAA batteries) is claimed to be “up to one year”. I haven’t had this model long enough to test that claim, but it hasn’t ran out of batteries yet. Laser mice tend to draw less power than optical in general, though. The unit automatically shuts itself off if you store the receiver in the mouse, it also has a power button on the underside.

The mouse is small, almost too small for comfortable use for prolonged periods of time, but it works great for what I use it for. If you ever need to travel with a mouse, you want it to be as small as possible, and this one succeeds at that. It comes with an extremely small receiver (pictured) that slides into the underside of the mouse for easy storage. The USB receiver does stick out the side of your laptop, though, albeit a very small amount. It is very easy to lose it.

Additionally, the benefit of laser mice in this form factor is versatility in handling the variety of weird surfaces (glass, glossy wood, etc) you might encounter while traveling that throw off the sensor on even the best optical mice. Laser mice don’t have nearly the amount of tracking issues on these surfaces.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with the unit, other than a few small complaints. I am eager to see if Logitech releases a Bluetooth version of this mouse at some point.

Pros:
+ Great battery life
+ Works on many surfaces optical mice can’t
+ Great compatibility
+ Small

Cons:
- No Bluetooth – Receiver takes up a USB port and sticks out
- People with adult-sized hands may find it to be too small
- No carrying case