In the first photo below, you can see both of the MX Revolution's scroll wheels. Just below the main scroll wheel, we find the button that provides their "one-touch search" capabiltity. Simply highlight a word or phrase, & press the button. Search results from your favorite internet search provider will then pop up in your browser window. I found that, without the Set Point software installed, pressing the one-touch search button simply opened up a Windows Explorer search window. Handy, but not nearly as it would be with Set Point installed.

Snug fit on the charger

Resting on the acrylic back

The MX Revolution's main scroll wheel is no ordinary affair, let me assure you. Logitech has souped-up this baby with their "SmartShift Technology," which allows you to scroll through a lengthy document with ease. The wheel operates in two modes: click-to-click, & free-spin. Click-to-click mode is the usual mouse scrolling that everyone is familar with: a line-by-line scrolling action. Free-spin mode, however, is a completely different animal. Once activated, free-spin mode releases the wheel from its regular ratcheting mechanism, & the mouse wheel will spin as if it were a well-oiled skateboard wheel. Zipping through lengthy documents or web pages in free-spin mode is effortless & extremely fast. Free-spin mode can be activated either automatically, via the Set Point software, or manually, by pushing down on the wheel itself.

Set Point will auto-activate free-spin mode using the "SmartShift Technology," which will choose the scrolling mode according to which application is currently active. The examples for this automatic selection are free-spin with a Word doc, & click-to-click with an IM contact list. Logitech also says that if you spin the wheel fast enough, it will automatically switch to free-spin, though I didn't experience this so much in my use. Manually switching modes by pressing down on the wheel works just as advertised, but has the negative affect of removing the "middle mouse button" that I'd grown so accustomed to (opening links in new tabs in Firefox, bringing up the scope in CS:S/BF2).

Maybe you're thinking, "why would I want to use the mouse without SetPoint installed?" Well, friends, I'm here to tell you that when running Logitech's SetPoint software with the MX Revolution, the "Advanced Game Settings" section that Logitech users are familiar with from the G5/G7 days is not present. Setting game profiles, creating custom macros, changing DPI settings, etc, are all not possible with the Revolution. So now you're thinking, "Ok, well, I suppose that's ok. Doesn't having the other features available kind of balance out the lack of game settings?" Unfortunately not.

In order to get CS:S and BF2 to "see" the two side buttons on the MX Revolution, I had to un-install Set Point. With SetPoint running, CS:S and BF2 both only allowed me to configure one button in the controls setup. So, if you are a gamer like I am, & want to use both side buttons, the only way to do so is without SetPoint. Remember: the presence of the second side button for controls in-game is important with the Revolution, because the "middle mouse button" (depressing the wheel) doesn't exist.