Holiday Buyer's Guide 2006, Part 7: More Mobile Stuff

Introduction

Your friends at Tom's Guide bring you another round of the hottest, coolest and most unique gifts for friends and family on the go. Click in and see what Ed, Justin, Barry and our favorite model Sarah have in store for you this time.

Logitech G5 Laser Mouse

Logitech is a leader and trendsetter in the input device market, where their expertise shows clearly in their mice and keyboards. The G5 Laser Mouse is an exceptional piece of work in terms of both ergonomics and engineering. Its form, fit, and finish make it an ideal choice for any graphic artist, PC gamer or CAD wizard on your Christmas list.

The G5 we received for review is a corded, full-speed USB 2.0 compatible unit designed with a right-hand bias - sorry lefties! It's built around a 2000 dpi / 6.4 megapixel per second engine that endows it with lightning-quick response and an incredibly reflexive feel on-screen. Polyurethane feet on the G5's underside deliver non-stick gliding action across many desktop surfaces. No trackball mouse can come close to its performance, never mind standard ball mice. Using the G5 for any computer application that requires sensitive movement or optimal response also exposes the feebleness inherent in ball-driven mice.

If you care about aesthetics, the G5 Laser Mouse offers a distinctive matte black trim with a destructed-looking brown-on-gray insert overlaid on the top side. This gives the G5 a much less clinical look than an ordinary lab mouse.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this design is an adjustable weight cartridge that rests on the underside of this mouse - a feature that should appeal to any hardcore mouse enthusiast. That's right: you can adjust the weight of your G5 mouse by up to 36 grams, to improve its responsiveness on a per-application basis. Not only is the unit weight adjustable, you can also switch sensitivity levels on-the-fly from 400 to 2000 dpi to provide accelerated movement for pixel-precision work or fast-twitch maneuvering.

At an MSRP of $69.99 - we saw prices as low as $45 from low-cost online retailers - the G5 makes an ideal and attractive gift for any computer-loving individual among your friends and family.

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Ed Tittel

Ed Tittel is a long-time IT writer, researcher and consultant, and occasional contributor to Tom’s Hardware. A Windows Insider MVP since 2018, he likes to cover OS-related driver, troubleshooting, and security topics.