I was planning on buying a cordless optical mouse for travel use. As I was browsing for reviews in the internet, I came across Logitech and A4Tech.

A4Tech offered power saving mice but then I was concerned with quality and support. Although my home desktop has been using an A4Tech 3D mouse for 3 years now, I was still concerned of its rigidness for travel use.

My previous office mouse wasn’t exactly a mouse and it wasn’t meant for business travels. It was a Logitech Cordless TrackMan Wheel. It was basically a trackball in steroids. I had to change batteries almost every 3 months. Now most of my officemates also use Logitech mice and saw how useful it was for them. Okay so I gave in to peer pressure. I narrowed my search to Logitech mice.

After browsing around Amazon.com, I have chosen 3 Logitech mice: V320, V450, V470.

Quick List:

• V320
  • Cordless Mouse that uses a USB receiver
  • Optical Mouse
  • 6 months battery life
• V450
  • Cordless Mouse that uses a USB receiver
  • Laser Mouse
  • 12 months battery life
• V470
  • Cordless Mouse that uses Bluetooth
  • Laser Mouse
  • 4 months battery life

After comparing the features, I immediately went out and bought the Logitech V450. As a matter of fact, I’m using it right now.

The packaging is easily opened and can be reused to keep the CD and documentation. Logitech also included 2 AA Duracell batteries. I placed the batteries inside and plugged the USB receiver in my notebook. After a few seconds, the Logitech V450 was already working. I didn’t install the included Logitech Setpoint software because it was only meant for Windows XP and Vista. And my office notebook uses Windows 2000 Professional. The documentation stated to download the Logitech Setpoint software for Windows 2000 from their website. But I didn’t bother. I don’t need the other features. Most features that I need like the scrolling wheel already works fine without Setpoint. In short, it was really plug-and-play!

I’m really impressed with Logitech V450. It’s cheap and does what I need. And what I like best, I didn’t have to bother changing batteries often. Check out the Logitech V450 for yourself.

Features:

Storable, wireless micro-receiver
Plug-and-play USB micro-receiver tucks away neatly inside the mouse for easy transport and shuts your mouse off to save power.

Ergonomic comfort
Soft rubber grip, finger grooves, and contoured shape offer support and effortless control with either hand.

Laser precision
Outperforms optical mice. Laser technology delivers smoother cursor control and precision tracking on virtually any surface. You’ll be more productive–whenever you use your laptop.

Side-to-side scrolling + zoom
Tilt Wheel Plus Zoom is perfect for viewing digital photos and spreadsheets. Instantly zoom in and out; scroll horizontally or vertically.

Unsurpassed battery life
Keeps on going with up to one year of battery life, minimizing the hassle of changing batteries Use the “On/Off” button to save even more power. Battery indicator light, visible from the top of the mouse, eliminates surprises.

Uninterrupted cordless performance
Experience a powerful and reliable signal with 2.4 GHz Digital Cordless. No delays or dropouts even in the busiest wireless environments.

Package Contents:

• Logitech V450 Laser Cordless Mouse for Notebooks
• 2.4 GHz micro-receiver
• Installation guide
• Logitech SetPoint software CD
• 2 AA batteries
• 3-year limited warranty

System Requirements:

• IBM or compatible PC
  • Windows 98, 2000, Me, or XP
  • USB port
• Macintosh system
  • Mac OSX 10.2.8+
  • USB port

My colleagues in Ericsson and I bought new guns… The Jing Gong (JG) M4 S-System!

The estimated out-of-the-box FPS is 415-420FPS. When my colleagues did a chrono on their newly bought guns, it registered 418FPS on average while some guns even went up to 480FPS.

I wasn’t able to chrono my own gun since I was in a hurry to leave. But they estimated mine to be roughly around 418FPS as well.

I did some target shooting on the rooftop of my pad and I was really surprised. The sound was similar to high-end AEGs (Automatic Electric Guns).

The trajectory was not impressive at first rounds of bullets. It was scattered with BBs flying all around. However, after several rounds (Approx. 800 bullets) and a few adjustments on the hop-up, the trajectory and target spread became quite impressive. It had around 3-4 inches diameter target spread on a 20~25 meters distance. This was quite normal for new AEGs as the hop-up and the silicone oil was also adjusting.

This gun is so much heavier than my trusty Jing Gong (JG) A47-Beta Spetsnaz (Ak-47). The M4 S-System has metal rail system as part of stock.

I like the M4 S-System for our usual Jungle Scenarios. However, for CQB scenarios, I won’t be able to use the M4 S-System as it might fail the bottom-can test and bore a hole on the can. I will need to use my Spetsnaz. It only dents the bottom of the soda can.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with my new M4 S-System. However, I’ll update this post once I get to use it in combat this Saturday.

Edited: May 29, 2007

My M4 S-System now has a vertical grip, Brons Red Laser and a Bushnell Illuminated Scope. I also upgraded the stock barrel to a more efficient custom tight barrel. I changed the stock battery to a 11.1V Li-poly Battery.

The M4 S-System is very reliable in any situation. Although most people believe it’s not very effective in CQB, it has helped me numerous times during CQB missions. There were several times when I would be the last man standing and I would defend the fort with the M4 S-System. I would pinch enemies here and there until my ammo runs out.

JG has definitely made a very cost-efficient gun.