Logitech MX Air review

Gyroscopic mice have been around for years – they pioneered the technology used for the Wii’s flail-tastic controller – but they’ve never made much of an impact, probably because they never looked as good as this.

The MX Air is designed for the high-tech living room, a black-and-silver teardrop obviously from the same family as our media keyboard of choice, the DiNovo Edge. On the desktop it’s a serviceable wireless mouse, marked out by its touchpad scroll rather than the usual spinning wheel. But it’s on the sofa that the hefty price tag is justified.

Put your hands in the air

Simply wield it like a TV remote and the mouse pointer follows suit, from up to 30ft away. You can adjust the volume by flicking from side to side, and tracks can be skipped by rotating.

Not quite Minority Report, but it works well and doesn’t require the rock-steady handling demanded by earlier motion-sensing kit.

The built-in controls – volume/mute, scroll pad, and back and select buttons – glow orange to the touch, so they’re easily found in the gloom of the screening room, and they look sharp. Back on the desk, the Air slots into a recharger that tops up the built-in battery.

Take care of business

The same features that work so well for media are well-suited to the conference room too, making this a particularly flashy aid when you’re attempting to wow the board with your Q4 sales projections.

The Air’s main limitation is how self-conscious you feel using it. Rattling through your album art still feels slightly awkward, even if you’re a dab hand at Wii Sports. But if you can no longer stand in front of a screen without flailing your arms around, this is the mouse for you.