Logitech

The best mouse ever manufactured is the Logitech MouseMan multiprotocol mouse. Not the new one, with the ridiculous shape, but the one that came before, that looked like a triangular bar of soap. It fits nicest in the paw, is reliable as hell, and doesn't look bizarre. In fact, I heard they stopped manufacturing it because it was so insanely popular, its sales were detracting form the sales of other Logitech products. Bullshit, I say. If it's selling so well, they only have to raise the price and can make more money. NO need to discontinue a good thing.

What I consider to be the most classic Logitech mouse is the C-7 Series mouse. I bought one used from a
coworker or my father's in 1987. About that same year,
they had a limited edition version of the same mouse which
featured a see through case and neon colored electronic components within. I still have my C-7 Series mouse, in a
box in my closet. It still works, doesn't have too much mousepad crud on its mechanisms, but I can't find a
version of Microsoft Windows or appropriate XFree86
settings for my Linux systems that can use it properly.

Some Logitech hardware that I have known and loved:

Logitech Mouseman Cordless

This one was weird back in the day. It's a radio mouse (one of the first of them, I think), and it was shaped like a hand. The only really bad side was that it used a 3-volt battery that was rather hard to find (found only from the local photoshop, and it was costly there).

Logitech Scanman/32

(I'm not sure of the model number... must check.) This was a 32-grayshade hand scanner that I have used much more than flatbed scanners. Put simply: It just rocks. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it interfaced with the computer using a proprietary ISA-card-based interface. (Back then, the degree of standardization was what it was...) For a long period of time, I was unable to use the scanner because I didn't have a driver... then I finally found the patch from Logitech's web site when the Internet came about.

Logitech PilotMouse+

This mouse rocked, probably the best non-optical mouse I've used. Light wheel, accurate, relatively easy to clean... much better than "regular" Microsoft wheelmice. I finally needed to replace this when I got fed up with PS/2 connection and the fact that optical mice didn't get clean. Plus, my Intellimouse looks zillion times cooler. (Microsoft, as usual, competes using eye candy factor. However, Intellimouse Optical is a nice mouse, but I digress.)

Logitech QuickCam Express

Ah, the Quickcams. Folks love Quickcams. I like mine, even when the picture is smallish (well, what can you expect from this price class?) The only problem was finding the Linux driver - only the parallel port Quickcams were supported in Linux, and the USB Quickcam driver had to be hunted separately (it works fine, even when it's alpha).

Logitech Wingman Extreme Digital 3D and Logitech Gamepad

I previously had Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro, and it worked fine until I got this new machine - apparently new machines have really crappy PC joystick interfaces on board. So, logically, I got an USB stick. While this stick has one button less than MSSW3DP, it IMHO has better button placement. I shall control my 'mechs with this nice joystick.

The Pad, then, was a cheap replacement for my Microsoft Sidewinder Plug & Play gamepad, which was nice but made for smaller hands (sometimes it hurted) and had ridiculously low amount of buttons. This new pad is bigger, and it has 11 buttons (incl. "Start" and "Select" and L/R trigger buttons - though Linux jstest program, for some reason, says it has 15 buttons!

Logitech Soundman SR-30

Okay, any set of speakers is probably better than my old speaker set, and as a "weekend hifist" I can only say that this thing sounds divine even on two channels... Seemed that the headphone jack on the thing only outputted some weak signal and couldn't be amplified without quality loss, but I just screwed up some controls. Blame me. I guess the headphones I use with my computer are useless with these ones (background hiss gets through), I need to use my CD player headphones instead... Well, at least Microsoft can't come up with set of speakers that looks cooler, because I like the design (dark blue/black plastic and gray metal) and the subwoofer part looks rather nice.

Summarization (preceded by gradual realization and cold sweat):

Great hardware.
Sometimes somewhat challenging interfacing with other parts of hardware.

Under my desk I have a box of (computer) mice that have passed on over the course of the last decade, which looks like something from the bizarre trophy room of a Predator with a desk job. None of these mice are made by Logitech. The mice I use on my two PC's, however, are both made by that fine company.

The old one is a Logitech Pilot three-button serial mouse (1996). This mouse is a very comfortable symettrical shape, and is very precise - in fact, Silicon Graphics machines come with a rebadged version of this mouse (or did at one time), so it must be good. The only problem with mine is the microswitch on the left button is a bit dodgy (but then, microswitches are only supposed to last for something like 1,000,000 uses anyway, not 5 years of near-continuous use).

The new one is a Logitech Wheel Mouse Optical, which looks fantastically cool, is about the same shape as the Pilot (but slightly better) and is cheaper, lighter, and more precise than the bloated Microsoft equivalent.

I also use a Logitech Deluxe Keyboard (which has a sensible wrist rest and textured keys).

No-one ever got RSI from buying Logitech.*

Logitech also make a wide range of game controllers (the Wingman range), alternative pointing devices (such as the TrackMan Marble) and more recently speakers and headphones (I think they bought Labtec). They also manufacture the official Gran Turismo 3 steering wheel for the PS2.

* slogan is for marketing purposes only, and furthermore entirely fictional