Let me say this up front: if you want a great wireless mouse in this price range, get yourself a Logitech MX Revolution.
http://www.epinions.com/content_262231789188 That one is a joy to use. This one, I would absolutely recommend AVOIDING to anyone who remotely cares about ergonomics.
In the box Nothing special here - typical Logitech bubble packaging holds the mouse, two hot swappable batteries (one of the only cool things about this mouse), CD with Setpoint software, instructions, and charger.
Setup As with most Logitech mice, you'll need to install Logitech's glonky Setpoint software to enjoy full functionality. The charger has a USB port for the wireless transmitter, so you have the option of plugging this transmitter into the charger on your desktop, or some other USB port elsewhere.
Ergonomics and Aesthetics First of all, the grip and ergonomics are horrid. I've never used a mouse more difficult to grasp and move, mainly because of the cheap, matte plastic casing used for the sides. They almost feel teflon-covered like the feet; your just doesn't find purchase on the thing.
For $70, a mouse should have nice grippy rubber sides, like most other Logitech mice do.
Compounding this, the sides curve very smoothly into the top, so there's no place to hook onto. When you try to recenter the mouse, your hand just slips right off. You can see this in the photo above; I'm talking about the green part. See how there's no corner or protuberance? In fact, it's worse than it looks, because that photo makes it look like there's a pushed-in area where your thumb rests. It's
slightly pushed in but not that much.
I just can't emphasize how heinous it feels trying to grip and use this mouse normally.
It is an attractive mouse, sort of, if you like the garish phony carbon fiber look. I'm not being sarcastic: it's a handsome mouse, a bit loud perhaps. I believe the above photo refers to an earlier version of this mouse, because all the ones I've seen have charcoal colored sides instead of green, and a black/silver checkerboard faux carbon fiber look on top.
Buttons Here again, Logitech strikes out. First of all, other Logitech mice in this price range (or even cheaper) have two side buttons where your thumb rests. These function, by default, as Forward and Back buttons. These are extremely handy for web browsing or Windows file browsing. But for some reason, this G7 only has the Back button. There was plenty of room for Forward, so what gives? Having just a Back button is essentially useless, because using these buttosn takes a little adjusting, and who wants to keep switching between two methods?
The left and right click buttons are fine. So are the speed sensitivity buttons, which are the second of two cool things about this mouse.
The scrollwheel is chintzy and on my mouse, possibly defective: a normal amount of downward force doesn't even register. You have to press so hard that the button wiggles under the pressure and you're just as apt to tilt the thing left or right when you're trying to press straight down. I would be curious to hear other users' comments on this; if it appears to just be defective, I'll update this section.
A mouse in this price range should have more buttons, and they should work smoothly, with a light, solid and precise feel.
Movement The G7 is extremely accurate and responsive, because of the laser sensor. The on-the-fly speed switching would come in very handy if say, you're playing a First Person Shooter and you pick up a sniper rifle. It would also come in handy for drawing and painting in programs like Photoshop. I'd love to see this feature on some other Logitech mice.
The teflon-coated feet let the mouse slides nicely over most surfaces. I was unable to enjoy this because of the terrible ergonomics, and other mice like the MX Revolution DO have this feature.
Conclusion This mouse has a few great features not found elsewhere, but none of that means diddly when the ergonomics render the thing unusable. I can see that I'm the only one to rate the mouse this lowly, and I'm honestly bewildered that nobody else hates the ergonomics this much - though several other reviews do mention the bogus grip.
I suggest you skip this mouse, but if you really want the speed switching or hot-swappable batteries, at least make sure you hold this thing in your hand first.
As is stands, I prefer using my Cordless MouseMan Optical, circa 2002, with just three buttons, over the G7.
Postscript This isn't the first time Logitech has screwed around with basic functionality of a mouse. The MX Revolution, which I love, totally bastardizes the middle click. I love the innovation in these mice, but I really hope they quit mucking up the basic stuff.
