Building a Better Mouse

One thing people and computer mice have in common: life begins when you cut the cord. Chances are, your mouse is still tethered to your computer by a cable, but for a couple of years mousemakers have been selling wireless mice that use radio waves to replace that clumsy cord. The freedom of a wireless mouse is heady — for starters, you'll never knock over your coffee with your mouse cable again — but it comes at a price: most wireless mice eat AA batteries the way real mice eat cheese. That's where Logitech's new MX700 mouse ($80) comes in. The MX700 runs on rechargeable batteries. Plop it into its base station whenever it runs low, and it will be good as new the next day. The MX700 also has racy wind-tunnel styling, and it's studded with useful dials and buttons for scrolling and switching applications on the fly. True, $80 is a lot to pay for a mouse, but freedom is never cheap. The time has come. If you love your mouse, set it free.