11. Logitech MX Air Mouse

We’ve been building and using media PCs for years now, so when we first heard about the nifty MX Air mouse from Logitech, we knew it would be fun to play with. Basically, the USB sensor stick for this mouse can "read" movement in three dimensions, instead of two, so you can go airborne with this mouse any time you like, and it will keep on happily translating your motions into appropriate cursor motion on the screen. It’s also incredibly sleek, and both cradle and mouse are simultaneously attractive and unobtrusive enough to make themselves at home in your living or family room.

As the amber backlit elements on this photo attest, the MX Air’s secrets are in its buttons.

The mouse is equipped with standard right and left top mouse buttons, activated by gently flexing the plastic housing with your fingertip. The real secret to this mouse, though, is in its center buttons, which include (from left to right from the photo) a volume control (VOL), a pause/play key, a menu button (MENU), a back button (BACK), plus a long scroll up/scroll down button that you push on the bottom to scroll down, and the top to scroll up. In short, it’s got all the vital remote keys built right into it, which enables this device to act like a remote control while also giving it the ability to control cursor movement. Way cool!

The MX Air also includes a brand-new version of the Logitech SetPoint software (4.0 to be precise), which gives you the ability to control all kinds of 2D and 3D motion with this device. It works on Windows XP and Windows Vista with equal facility, and offers a surprising degree of precision that should make the MX Air attractive to gamers as well. Besides, this wondrous widget gives people the ability to move in three dimensions while playing or working on their PCs, without having to buy a Nintendo Wii! In fact, the MX Air can interpret gestures, so that you if you hold the volume button down and move left the volume decreases, whereas if you do the same and go right it increases. If you depress the play/pause button and make a counter-clockwise circular motion, it repeats the current track or goes back to the previous one, whereas a clockwise circle skips ahead.

The charging cradle includes a tiny transformer on the wall-socket end, but it’s narrow enough in profile - and intelligently rotated so that the big part sits parallel to the contact prongs - so it can plug into a crowded power strip without having to resort to an octopus for another outlet. You even get a microfiber polishing cloth to keep this mouse clean and shiny, even though it doesn’t pick up fingerprints nearly as well as countless notebook PCs and LCD screens we’ve imprinted over the years...

In short, this attractive little mouse is a sweet piece of gear that should elicit a positive reaction from your back-to-schooler. At a price of $150 or so, it’s by no means cheap, but it is a great gadget for serious gamers or mediaphiles. Any back-to-schooler should love it!

For more information, please visit the Logitech product page for the MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air mouse.