Logitech Bluetooth Mouse M555b

Last week I wrote about The RIght Mouse for the Job, and mentioned that Logitech had a new Bluetooth mouse which was not yet available in Switzerland. Sure enough, a couple of days later the Logitech Bluetooth Mouse M555b showed up in stores here. So, now I have one and I have been testing it for a few days.

I have mentioned the advatages of a Bluetooth mouse before - no cord, not even a USB receiver on Bluetooth-enabled systems, which saves a USB port and removes the danger of breaking off a thumb-sized reciver or losing a Nano-sized receiver. The disadvantage is that there are not as many different models to choose from, and in particular the high-end, feature-rich models seem to be missing. The M555b is a small step in filling that gap, but there is still a way to go.

The M555b seems to be a very typical Logitech notebook mouse. It is an "ambidextrous design", so there is no right- or left-hand bias; it has the standard two buttons plus a small third button in the center; it has a scroll wheel that can be switched between step/click mode and "Hyper-Fast" (free spinning) mode; the scroll wheel also moves from side to side for horizontal scrolling; and it has an on/off switch to preserve battery life.

Connecting to my netbooks and notebooks, under both Linux and Windows, was easy and reliable. Once paired, the connection is automatically established after reboot or power cycle of the computer or mouse. I had no problems with reception, range or outside interference.

It was not necessary to load the Logitech SetPoint software for Windows - thankfully! Who the heck is going to download and install 53 MB of software just for a mouse??? I'm not entirely sure what functionality I might be giving up by not installing SetPoint, I assume it is something like the "Application Select" button not working, or being able to reprogram some or all buttons. But based on my past experience with SetPoint being a Royal Pain, I'm perfectly happy to do without it.

Under Linux there is no special software necessary (or available), it is simply recognized as a cordless mouse. The small button in the middle of the mouse is recognized as "Button 2", and the scroll wheel works for both vertical and horizontal scrolling. The xev utility revealed some interesting information. The left and right buttons are read as Button 1 and Button 3, and the small middle button is Button 2, all as expected. However, tilting the scroll wheel left and right is reported as Button 4 and Button 5, and rolling the scroll wheel forward and back is reported as Button 6 and Button 7. Hmmm. Some interesting possibilities there for someone who is good at redefining mouse button actions under Linux.

What really struck me about the M555b, though, in spite of how nice it is, was the things which were missing from it. First, when I opened the package, there was no pouch or travel case included. Seems like a silly omission, since most (all?) of the other Logitech notebook mice come with one. Likewise, it doesn't have the clip-and-go dock system that the V550 has. So I guess you are left with the mouse bouncing around unprotected in your bag. Then, the mouse itself doesn't have Forward/Back buttons. Some people consider this to be a "fatal" omission, and will not even consider a mouse without them.

When all is said and done, the M555b is a good Bluetooth mouse - probably a bit better than their alternative, the V470 because of the superior scroll wheel and the third button, and it seems a bit more sturdy than the V470 as well. But if Logitech would make a Bluetooth version of the VX Nano, I think they would have a nearly perfect notebook/netbook mouse.

jw 9/7/2009