Canon U.S.A. recently introduced new models that should go on sale by September. These new models include the ImageClass MF8050Cn and MF8350Cdn all-in-one color laser printers, the Pixma MP560 and MP490 all-in-one inkjets and the Selphy CP790 dye-sub printer.

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The Canon ImageClass MF8050Cn ($499 list) and the MF8350Cdn ($699 list) all-in-one multifunction color laser printers appear to be targeted toward the small office/home office with color printing needs. Like many newer printers these two models feature both a USB 2.0 connection and an Ethernet port. The MF8350Cdn is faster, as you might expect. Both seem to support both copying, duplex printing and faxing but the press release is a bit slack on the specifics. As I get more details I’ll fill these in or post a full review.

The Canon Pixma MP560 ($149.99 list) is an all-in-one multifunction color inkjet printer intended primarily for the home photo printing market. It uses the 5 individual ink tank system, supports duplex printing and works with PictBridge-compatible digital cameras. It has the standard USB port plus Wi-Fi 802.11b and g protocols. I think they should have added in the ‘n’ protocol as well to differentiate themselves from competitors in the same price range. The Canon Pixma MP490 ($99 list) looks like a stripped down, entry level model. It’s unclear from the press release what features this printer has, aside from a 4 tank printing system, but I’ll be filling these in as I get them.

The Canon Selphy CP790 (list $179.99) is dye-sub compact photo printer. This printer is a bright green and comes with a whimsical plastic bucket to carry the printer and accessories. It features the ability, with the addition of an $80 battery pack, to go completely portable. It will be interesting to see how long that battery pack lasts in the field while printing. It looks like this printer is intended for teen and young adult market, although it seems a bit on the pricey side for that in the current economic climate.

According to the press release from Canon, all of these new printers will work with PCs, including Vista and Windows 7, and Mac. They’re also supposed to be ‘green’ if that’s a concern for you.

Based on what I’ve seen from other Canon printers the MF8050Cn, MF8350Cdn, MP560, MP490 and CP790 should be good printers. I’m looking forward to testing them out sometime in the next few months. When I do, look for my full review of these printers.

In today’s review we’re taking a look at the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS Digital Camera. For the most part, I’ve liked other Canon point-and-shoot digital cameras I’ve reviewed. What did I like and not like about this 12 megapixel Canon camera?

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The Canon A1100 has all of the usual features you would expect in the $150-$200 price range: 12.1-megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom, an optical image stabilizer, face recognition technology,  contrast and red eye correction, scene presets and PictBridge compatibility. It also has additional enhancements for interfacing with Canon Pixma printers. The LCD is 2.5 inches. It doesn’t have any onboard memory but you’ll find it packaged with a 128MB SD card so buying a larger SD card is a must with this camera. It runs off of 2 AA batteries. You can find this camera in blue, green, gray, and pink.

One thing I noticed about the PowerShot A1100 camera right away is the bulk. It’s much fatter than some of it’s comparably price competition, mainly because of the AA batteries. So if you’re looking for an ultra-thin camera, you need to look elsewhere. It won’t slip easily into a pocket or purse and you’ll feel the bulk.

The AA batteries used by the A1110 and some other Canon models as well are a trade off to me. I’ve found that you get less life out of them than you do with a standard Lithium Ion packs but you can find replacements anywhere and you don’t feel upset if you lose it like you do when you lose a $30+ battery pack. In the test shooting I did with this camera (a returned unit), I got about 100 shots before the previously unused batteries died completely.

The LCD screen on the PowerShot A1100 camera seems a bit on the small side and lackluster as compared to some other cameras I’ve used recently. The user interface is almost exactly like other Canon digital cameras so if you’ve used one before you’ll be comfortable with this one as well. You can’t go completely manual with this camera but, for most camera users in this price range, this isn’t a problem since the automatic modes will generally do much better. One cool thing about this camera is that it does have a viewfinder, a rarity today and something appreciated by us ‘old school’ photographers.

The picture quality of the Canon PowerShot A1100 is everything I’ve come to expect from Canon digital cameras. The image quality was great, especially for close-ups. My observation has been that sometimes you have to tell these cameras which scene mode to select since odd lighting conditions can confused them. Depending too much on auto modes can result in poorer pictures sometimes.

What I didn’t like about the Canon A1100 Digital Camera? One complaint I’ve had about other Canon’s is the comparatively slow shutter speed and recovery time between pictures. This camera could benefit from a rapid shutter mode. The hinge on the battery door might be an area for concern since it will end up being operated so much with the batteries. I’ve had cameras like this break at this point with long term use.

Do I recommend the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS Digital Camera? I’d give it a guarded yes. I like the picture quality, especially for indoor and close up shots where lighting can be controlled. The AA batteries are a trade-off for the purchaser to consider. The viewfinder is a big plus for old schoolers. At the list price of $199, I think there are some better choices out there. However, you can find discounts around if you look, sometimes lower than the average street price of $169.

In this last in the series on our vacation to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee I’m reviewing the Hollywood Star Cars Museum  and Hollywood Wax Museum, both located in Gatlinburg. Are these two attractions worth visiting? Read more to find out…

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Hollywood Star Cars Museum

This museum, which is located right next to the Ripley’s Haunted Adventure in Gatlinburg I mentioned in an earlier article, features famous cars from movies. My son insisted on visiting this attraction because the Bumblebee Camaro from the Transformers movie was displayed there. You can see a lot of the cars up front without going in but some of the better vehicles are in the second story area. Don’t let Christine scare you if you go up the stairs!

The more interesting cars to me were the TV series and movie cars like the Ghostbusters Ecto-1, The Munsters Drag-u-la and Barney Fife’s police car from the Andy Griffith show. One nice thing about many of the exhibits is that they had video clips that showed the popular scenes that the cars were in. For example, Barney’s police car featured a clip from the show where Gomer does a “citizen’s arrest” on Barney. The stars cars weren’t all that interesting to me since if you’ve seen one Elvis owned Caddy you’ve seen them all pretty much.

The staff at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum was friendly and will take a group picture of you in front of your favorite car with your camera. They will also try to talk you into having your picture taken while sitting inside of certain cars and having a souvenir photo taken by them. This isn’t too expensive to do but you do have to keep your budget in mind while vacationing. These little extras can add up over the course of several attractions.

I enjoyed this museum and so did my son. Even my wife wasn’t too bored with it. Some younger kids may not know about the TV shows and movies the cars are from and, if they aren’t into cars, they might get bored. The price isn’t bad, about $12 a person with tax when you use a coupon. If you buy the combo ticket with the Hollywood Wax Museum that’s across the street you can save a little more on both attractions.

Hollywood Wax Museum

As the name implies, this is a wax museum that features likenesses of celebrities and movie scenes. You can’t miss this museum as you go down the main strip in Gatlinburg because of the King Kong bust in the front. The big monkey is actually part of the exhibit as you’ll find out after taking the stairs (or elevator) up to the start of the museum. You can have your picture taken as if you’re in Kong’s grasp which is pretty cool. My son did this. Just remember, this is an extra cost item, about $10 for the basic photo plus any extras.

The wax museum is pretty interactive. You can go into most of the displays and pose next to your favorite star or movie character. You can stand next to Brad and Angelina on the red carpet, sit on a bench with Forrest Gump, play piano with Ray Charles or beam down with Kirk and Spock. There are several great photo ops throughout the museum. The horror movie section is especially creepy. I actually found it more chilling than the Haunted Adventure, perhaps because of the scenes it brought to mind.

The likenesses of the wax figures isn’t always perfect. I thought the fantasy and movie character figures were better than the straight up celebrity ones. Still, it was a lot of fun jumping into scenes and getting a snapshot of it. (Sorry, I don’t post personal pictures on this blog). The staff at this museum was friendly too.

I think that most movie buffs will enjoy this museum a lot. Make sure your camera is charged up so that you can get some good pictures. Younger kids might not do so well in this museum though. They might either be frightened by the wax figures or might get too touchy with them.

In today’s review I’m taking a look at the Panasonic LUMIX FS7 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera. This camera is packed to the gills with features and promises to make picture taking easy. How well does it fulfill that promise? Let’s find out…

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The Panasonic Lumix DMC FS7 looks like a pretty typical pocket sized digital camera in the $100-$200 price range. It features a base of 10.1 megapixels with a 4x optical zoom. It’s available in several different colors ranging from basic black or silver to a colorful pink or green. It’s powered by a lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack. The LCD is 2.7 inches. The camera features several automatic photo modes and presets like portrait, scenery, party and so forth. It also has built-in optical stabilization which is something that sets it apart from many other comparably priced digital cameras.

Another thing that sets it apart from it’s competitors is the flexibility of the LCD screen. While I’m kind of old fashioned and prefer a viewfinder or SLR, the Panasonic FS7’s LCD makes itself very useful by allowing you to adjust it so that you can see the screen if the camera is held above your head, such as when you’re in a crowd. The size of the screen font can also be changed for those of us who have trouble seeing stuff up close.

The body of the FS7 seems solid enough for everyday use and didn’t feel flimsy. The battery life was typical of what I’ve seen with other digital cameras in this price range.

I found snapping photos with the Panasonic LUMIX FS7 to be quite easy in its ‘Intelligent Auto’ mode. It did a good job of adjusting for changing conditions. The menus were a little tricky if I wanted to work around these settings but I don’t think the average person who wants to just point and shoot will be too concerned about this. Another thing I liked was the speed of the camera as compared to others in this price range

The photo quality of the Panasonic FS7 was quite good. The automatic mode did a good job of adjusting to some tricky, high contrast, lighting situations. Of the cameras I’ve reviewed recently it is certainly one of the best if not the best.

Did I find anything I didn’t like with this camera? Not really, especially considering the price. It’s not comparable to a digital SLR but you aren’t buying it for that but for it being pocket sized and snapping great pictures quickly. If I hadn’t already purchased a Nikon pocket sized digital camera recently I would have made this camera a permanent addition rather than a temporary loaner.

The Panasonic LUMIX FS7 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera is a relatively new camera, having just entered the market this spring. This makes deals on it that discount more than a few dollars from it’s $159 price  a little hard to find right now. But, if you’re willing to wait, you may find a deal on one on eBay or other discount camera or electronics retailer.

Continuing my series on printers, today I’m taking a look at the Ricoh Aficio GX3050N GelSprinter Color Network Printer. Probably like you, I’ve known the Ricoh brand from small to mid-sized office copiers and I hadn’t really paid attention to their printer line aside from hooking up a copier as a printer to the office network. However, it turns out they’ve been moving into the Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) printer market for a while. Does this printer live up to the job or not?

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Ricoh Aficio GX3050N isn’t strictly an inkjet since it uses a fast drying gel rather than ink. This makes it faster than inkjets in the same price range. Functionally, it’s your basic printer with 4 ink/gel cartridge system and USB and RJ-45 network connectors. I tested this printer with an XP desktop in a service facility. Drivers for Vista and Mac are available as well from what I understand. The paper capacity is 250 sheets and an optional 100 sheet secondary feeder is available as an extra. The printer doesn’t have any internal photo printing capabilities.

Speed-wise, the GX3050N really kicked out the paper. While it wasn’t quite as fast as monochrome laser printers I’ve recently tested, it was considerably faster than comparably priced inkjets. It will do duplex printing and does it well, especially for an inexpensive printer.

The recommended duty cycle for the Ricoh GX3050N is 10,000 pages a month. The cartridges aren’t cheap, running about $50-60 on average for a replacement set. While printing out fast is a plus you do need to keep in mind the minus of how much your gel ink will cost you for this luxury. The build on the printer seemed sturdy and well suited for a SOHO environment. It didn’t have a flimsy feel to it like some other printers I’ve reviewed recently.

The printout quality of the Aficio GX3050N is what I’d call just OK. It isn’t as sharp on black text as a good monochrome laser printer nor is it as good as a 6 or 8 ink inkjet photo printer output. It’s sort of a jack of all trades, doing a good enough job but not a great job. If you need the quality output for things like sales presentations, photo printing and formal reports this isn’t your printer. However, it would be just fine for standard inner office printing like memos, rough drafts and cute ‘clean out the fridge’ signs.

Overall, I’d say the Ricoh Aficio GX3050N GelSprinter Color Network Printer is good, inexpensive, choice for low volume internal office color printing. I wouldn’t recommend it for general home use, especially where photo printing is desired, or for office situations where formal quality output is a necessity. As always, be on the lookout for deals since you should be able to find this printer for under $100.

In today’s product review we’ll be taking a look at the Canon imageCLASS MF3240 All-in-One Laser Printer. There are some good deals floating around right now for this printer. I got a chance to check out this printer recently (a returned refurbished one awaiting repackaging). I’ve liked Canon Pixma inkjets I’ve tried but does this inexpensive Canon all-in-one laser impress or depress…

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The all-in-one functions that the Canon MF3240 has are printer, scanner, copier and fax and obviously targeted toward the home office environment. The printing in monochrome so if you need color printing for photos and such this isn’t the printer for you. The scanner is flatbed and the printer comes with ScanSoft OmniPage OCR software. Yes, although the printer is monochrome the scanner supports 24-bit color. The fax is, well, a standard fax. The printer works with Windows, including Vista. I couldn’t find any mention of this printer being supported for Macs.

Printing is good, but not great, on the MF3240. I found it a bit slower than the Oki laser I tested out recently and the print quality to be less precise, especially on PowerPoint graphics print outs. If you’re printing out pure text though it does fine. It does not support double sided printing which is a bit disappointing but kind of expected in this price range for laser printers. Warm up time was reasonable and it wasn’t overly noisy during operation.

The scanning with the Canon MF3240 is good and compares well to other all-in-one scanners I’ve tried in this price range. The OCR software works nicely. Copying documents also worked well and was easy enough to use. I didn’t test the faxing but it seems like working this would be straight forward too.

The durability of the Canon imageCLASS MF3240 is something I would worry a bit about. This printer, like many other inexpensive all-in-ones I’ve used, felt flimsy. I think it would hold up OK in a light duty home office environment but I think you should look elsewhere for a standard duty office printer. Cartridges run about $20-30 each, and, from what I understand, toner can be refilled. They should last about 2500 pages.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the Canon MF3240 is the lack of an automatic document feeder for the copier/fax/scan. This limits its usefulness for copying and faxing multi-page documents as well as OCR-ing documents since you have to place each sheet individually on the scanning bed. If you only occasionally do copying, faxing or OCR this may not be a problem for you but, if you do, this might be a negative for you.

The bottom line on the Canon imageCLASS MF3240 All-in-One Laser Printer is that its a decent mono laser all-in-one printer that you should be buy for less than $100 if you shop around and wait for the right deal. Just remember that buying a unit at such a low price comes with some significant trade-offs in terms of functionality and long term durability.

I wanted to take the time to review a few other attractions we visited in the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee during our recent vacation there and today I’m going to take a look at WonderWorks, the upside down house that’s an interactive science museum. Is this attraction, located in Pigeon Forge, worth visiting? What were our impressions of it? Read more to find out…

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As I mentioned, WonderWorks is essentially an interactive science museum that’s a lot of fun for kids and adults who like science. The unique exterior is an upside down building facade so it’s not easy to miss although it’s surrounded by other buildings dedicated to the popular dinner shows.

The exhibits I found the most fun were the environmental sciences area, which featured the ‘Quake Cafe’ earthquake simulator, the space exhibit, which had a space shuttle landing simulator and the mental tricks section, my favorite. In that section I got to lay on a bed of nails. A hint for you, these are real nails, are moderately sharp and will be a tiny bit painful if you’re wearing shorts. The other fun part in that area was the mental powers game where the more relaxed you could be was tested by measuring your brain waves. Yes, I won that game.

The art exhibit upstairs was interesting as was the functioning restroom that had a window that became opaque when you closed the door. Don’t worry though, a real restroom awaits in the overpriced snack bar area just around the corner if you’re shy. Next to the snack bar was the laser tag game and a number of arcade and redemption games. The laser tag game was fun but watch out for the robot gunners hidden in the panels and wall. They take away a lot of your points when they shoot you and they moved me down from first place to third. The snacks are priced like a movie theater so you may want to wait to eat after you leave. The prizes are typical of other redemption game places in the area, nothing special there.

We found WonderWorks to be fun and rather reasonably priced at about $30 a person assuming you buy the laser tag combo pack with a commonly available coupon. If you add the “Hoot N’ Holler” dinner show it gets more expensive. We didn’t take in the show but we heard that there were better shows around from other vacationers. The admission is for the day and you get your hand stamped to allow readmission. Unfortunately, the ink is red and will come off on your clothes so be careful. It seems like they could use an invisible ultraviolet ink like Chucky Cheese and many clubs do these days.

The other downsides of this attraction? While some staff members were friendly and helpful, especially the ones in the mental games area, I found a number of employees here to be a bit on the surly side. I don’t know why this was but the employees at other Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg attractions we visited were a lot friendly as a group. Maybe it was a bad day or something.

All in all, I think WonderWorks is a good place to visit during a Pigeon Forge vacation. I think that since it can be fun for both kids and adults it makes a good family outing. However, I do also think that they need to improve their customer service skills.

Any time a major celebrity dies, especially in an unexpected manner, this creates a rush for memorabilia and such is the case with Michael Jackson. In this buyer’s guide we’ll take a look at what Michael Jackson items will hold value over the long term and which items to avoid.

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While my personal musical taste doesn’t put Michael Jackson on the same level as Elvis, his pop icon status has already created quite a ‘gold rush’ to cash in on his death since he had so many fans even the wake of his molestation trial and general weirdness. Overall, I think his eccentric lifestyle may weaken his legacy some but there will be a strong market for a while. In the long term, the question is if his memorabilia will be marketed with the vigor that Elvis memorabilia has been over the years.

One of the hottest items so far have been Michael Jackson domain names. As anyone who knows how Google likes to rank sites in search results understands, domain names that exactly match search terms get a big bonus. These are really short term, opportunistic, items. While they may make short term money, long term they’re likely to be the subject of trademark and copyright lawsuits from the Jackson estate, no fun at all.

Of course, everyone and their sister’s brother’s cousin is printing up Michael Jackson T-shirts, posters and buttons. Will these have any long term collectible value? No, not really. There are so many of them out on the market now that only something really unique will stand out. Buy one if you want to salute Jacko’s life but don’t buy them to be collectibles.

What about Michael Jackson action figures and bobbleheads? Same thing, everybody has one and the market is saturated with them. While some of these might have a little better long term prospects, I wouldn’t bet on it. Also remember that people who’re selling these items may encounter legal trouble too unless they’re officially licensed prior to Jackson’s death.

What about Michael Jackson record albums, CD’s and the like? Unless they were special before his death, I don’t see them holding much more value now. There may be a temporary boost in the price of the more collectible items but I’d recommend selling now rather than holding for the long term.

So, what Michael Jackson memorabilia might be worthwhile to own? Your best bets are items with proven authenticity, aka provenance, that have a direct connection with the singer. Perhaps the biggest one is Neverland Ranch but good luck getting ahold of that! Of course, authentic items from the ranch might have some value if provenance and legal ownership can be established. Other items with a direct connection to Mr. Jackson that can be proven will also have long term value.

For ordinary folks of ordinary means and luck, items like original concert merch, concert ticket stubs or intact tickets for Michael Jackson concerts may be good. Those who hold tickets to his London show that he was rehearsing for should be able to do well with them. Items from his 80’s concert tours when he was in his prime may also be of good long term value.

If you’re thinking about buying Michael Jackson memorabilia right now make sure that you look for real deals on real stuff that are being sold by reputable sellers. Just don’t get caught up in the gold rush mentality and spend a lot of money for junk.

Today Kodak announced that they’re taking Kodachrome away, to borrow the phrase from the Paul Simon song. As a buyer and seller of collectible items, should you collect Kodachrome film or just let it fade away. In this buyer’s guide, we will take a look at the potential for this film being a collectors item and if you should buy the film for resell.

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Kodak has been making Kodachrome for 74 years and photos taken with it have been among some of iconic over that time period, not to mention a staple of family slide shows from the 1950’s and 1960’s. What doomed Kodachrome as a product, beyond the transition from film to digital photography, was that the film used unique materials in manufacturing and photo processing. Kodak only produced the film in a single run in a year and only one company still processed the film, Dwayne’s Photo located in Parsons, Kansas. This high cost of production in conjunction with the shift to digital meant an end to the film that gave us the ‘greens of summers’.

So, as a collector of vintage items, should you buy Kodachrome film or not? Will it have collector value?

On the plus side for buying now is that the film will rise in price over the short term, especially as vintage film photography buffs try to snap up what they can before the film’s supply is exhausted. If you’re able to buy now you may be able to resell the film at a higher price on eBay or elsewhere in 6 months to a year from now when the supply is even shorter. I expect the price of the film to greatly increase over the next few months. Also, Kodachrome does have a long shelf life, roughly 20 to 30 years on average, as long as it’s kept in the proverbial cool, dry, place.

However, there is a downside. Dwayne’s Photo, the only processor of Kodachrome, said that they will end processing in 2010. This will mean that unless some other company steps up or if Dwayne’s doesn’t change their mind, the exposed film can’t be processed. If this is the case this will limit the value of the film for resell to diehard film photographers. There is a chance though that boxes of the film will retain long term collectible value. The market will probably be smaller but intact, well cared for, boxes may do well on the vintage collectors market 20-30 years from now.

My advice is try to buy the film at a good price now before stockpiling becomes too prevalent. The current retail supply for Kodachrome should have been enough to last until the autumn of 2009 but with today’s announcement it’s likely to run out before that. You can find it in the US at specialty photo shops, typically those that cater to film camera aficionados, but it may be more widely available in chain photography stores in Europe. Also look for people selling in bulk lots on eBay because you can break them down into individual sales and make a nice profit that way. Lastly, don’t forget those garage and estate sales where you might find a roll tucked away in a vintage camera bag that someone is selling for a dollar.

What are your thoughts on Kodak ending production of Kodachrome?

In today’s review I’m taking a look at the Logitech V450 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks. I’m looking for a new cordless mouse as an accessory for my HP G60 DX-235 laptop and I had the opportunity to try out this mouse with it. I’m kind of picky about the mouse I use and I’ve already returned one ’store brand’ generic wireless mouse. Will this one be a ‘keeper’ or will I keep looking…

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Like usually, let’s start with the basic specs for the Logitech V450 Nano. It uses the standard 2.4GHz RF technology for wireless communication. It uses a laser rather than a red LED which improves the accuracy and tracking on more surfaces. It’s powered by 2 AA batteries and there’s a dedicated on/off switch to help you conserve battery power as well as a power status light. For the computer side there’s a mini sized USB receiver. It’s compatible with XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X.

Connectivity is something to consider with any wireless device and it was one of the first things I checked with the Logitech V450. My home office has 6 to 8 wireless devices operating there so if a device has a problem with interference it will show up there. The V450 worked great with no connectivity issues. One consideration for some people might be that it uses 2.4GHz and not Bluetooth. For me, since I swap hardware around a lot for testing, I like the ability to do quick switches without pairing.

One thing I really liked about the Logitech V450 Nano was the USB receiver’s size. It is quite small and only sticks out about a quarter of an inch (about 7-8mm) unlike the other wireless mouse I tried where the USB dongle stuck out the typical 2 inches (50mm) or so. Having the receiver almost flat against the laptop makes it easier to use in tight situations, like when traveling or using it on a laptop desk. This is a big selling point to me. Another neat feature is that the receiver will fit in a slot in the mouse itself. This action turns off the mouse plus it makes it easy not to lose it accidentally.

Another thing I look for in a wireless mouse is responsiveness and tracking. In this department the V450 Nano also worked very well. I found the laser tracking to work very well on surfaces that a regular red LED optical mouse would tend to skip or fail entirely. This is quite handy for the traveler who may be working on a variety of surfaces. While I’m not a hard core gamer, I did appreciate the responsiveness of this mouse on the games I do play.

While I haven’t used the V450 long, I’ve been pleased with other Logitech products I’ve bought in terms of durability and battery life. This mouse seems to be constructed well and I suspect the battery life will be about the same as other’s I’ve tried, about 3-4 months, maybe longer if the on/off switch is used. The mouse I tested was a customer return but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.

Now, let’s get to the comfort factor of the V450 Nano. I like a flat, well contoured, mouse. I really liked the sculpted buttons and rubber sides on this mouse and the wheel felt comfortable and responsive as well. However, I thought the rear end of the mouse was rather fat and heavy. Over time, felt a little uncomfortable to me. I suppose this bulk is due to the AA batteries. Another consideration with the flatness is how well it fits in a laptop bag. I thought it tended to bulge out a bit in our case.

My bottom line on the Logitech V450 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks is that it’s a very good mouse for laptops. The rear end bulk and lack of flatness were the only things I didn’t like about it. It’s pretty close to what I’m looking for so I may end up keeping it, a little more time will tell. If you’re in the market for a new laptop mouse, remember that you can get great deals on a laptop mouse if you take the time to check out returns, refurbs and such from local and online discounters as long as they have a good return policy so that you don’t get stuck with a high tech ‘brick’.