A thing of beauty

By Bennett Ring;
January 29, 2005
The Logitech MediaPlay Cordless Mouse.

The Logitech MediaPlay Cordless Mouse.

Logitech MediaPlay Cordless Mouse

Price: $99.95

Rating: * * *

Website: www.logitech.com

Logitech's latest pointing device is business at the front, party at the back, merging a standard pointing device with a media player remote control. As a simple mouse, the MediaPlay is a beauty. It's thinner than most others, fitting perfectly in the hand. Accuracy isn't a problem, and the wireless USB connection makes it a cable-free affair. Unfortunately, it doesn't include a rechargeable battery pack, but battery life is quoted at six months so it's not really a deal-breaker.

The side-scrolling wheel is a nice addition, but there aren't quite as many shortcut keys as we would like.

The media buttons and MediaLife software make this mouse special. MediaLife looks remarkably similar to the Windows Media Centre Edition (MCE) interface, although it lacks MCE's more in-depth features. It allows you to browse music, video and picture files, but that's about it. When playing music, there's no ability to tweak equaliser or speaker settings, and the same applies to the bare-boned video player.

Play, shuffle, volume and a select few other media controls are built into the mouse, enabling you to sit on your couch and use it as a remote control for the MediaLife software. Well, provided your couch is quite close to your PC, as it's limited to a range of about 2.5 metres, which is much shorter than regular remotes. If you'd rather not use the MediaLife software, it's possible to assign the buttons to your chosen media software, but Windows MCE users will find that it doesn't come close to the functionality offered by the MCE remote. The placing of the buttons also means that it's quite easy to accidentally hit the wrong function.

It's a cheaper option than purchasing a separate mouse and PC remote, but it doesn't quite offer the convenience that dedicated couch potatoes demand.