The ball mouse design has long since dropped from the design specifications of hardware companies, replaced by the optical mouse. This is hardly news, but what is interesting is the level of technological advancement that has followed, with companies like Logitech, Razer and Microsoft pushing the envelope and taking optical designs to the next level.
Product segmentation has also become very popular, and many mouse controllers are designed for a specific target market, such as hardcore gamers, professional desktops, and portable or laptop users. Both the MX1000 Laser Cordless and MX518 Gaming Grade Optical mouse controllers illustrate this strategy quite clearly, and service the high-end of the wired and wireless markets.
The Logitech MX518 Optical Mouse is basically an upgraded version of the popular MX510 optical mouse, which itself was a revised MX500. The MX5xx series share many similarities, such as in the areas of aesthetics and performance. These are standard corded USB/PS2 models, but the Logitech MX518 is the next evolutionary step up for the Logitech optical mouse, and includes some definite enhancements.
The base specifications have certainly been improved upon, and the Logitech MX518 features an upgraded MX Optical Engine capable of 1600 dpi resolution (double that of the MX510), a capture rate of 5.8 megapixels/sec., and a maximum acceleration tracking of 15 G's. As with the upgrade from the MX500 to MX510, the Logitech MX518 represents a significant advancement when it comes to tracking precision and performance.
In terms of physical design, the Logitech MX518 shares a lot in common with the MX510. Both have the same basic shape and molded grip, as well as an outer metallic cover on the top of the mouse. This metallic top shell also ensures that the left and right buttons are of a one-piece design, with no groves or splits to be found. The Logitech MX510 is available in either red or blue, while the MX518 is only found in silver. This outer shell is also a bit more radical than previous designs and sports a true "dimpled metal" aesthetic that gives the unit almost a 3D look.
The MX518 is a standard mouse in many respects, and includes left and right buttons, along with a scroll wheel/middle button. The scroll wheel functions as an up/down (lockable using the middle button) viewing format, but there is no left/right scroll mechanism. There are Back and Forward buttons located near the thumb position, and an Application Quick Switch button (emulating Alt-Tab) right above the scroll wheel. All of these buttons can be adjusted using the Logitech software, either to switch the default functions, emulate generic Windows commands, or create totally new keystroke combinations.
The big upgrade found on the Logitech MX518 is the presence of quick-shift controls for the mouse resolution, allowing you to change between 400, 800 and 1600 dpi settings. This is accomplished through "+" and "-" buttons on the top and bottom of the scroll wheel, where the Cruise buttons were on the Logitech MX510. By default, with no software loaded, the Logitech MX518 mouse can be set at either 400, 800 or 1600 dpi tracking, but as we'll cover later, these can be further customized into five user-configurable dpi settings.
