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1. Logitech G7 Mouse ($80)
Microsoft has successfully challenged and overtaken its competitors in
every market it has focused on ranging from operating systems to web
browsers. Even the Xbox 360 looks like it will be providing Sony with fiercer competition than anyone could have predicted 5 years ago. Still, there is one market where Microsoft has never been able to win – the computer mouse. Since 1981, Logitech has been producing the best mice on the planet. Logitech continues to outsell Microsoft and as most gamers can confirm, Logitech mice are virtually bullet proof. I have a Logitech mouse myself that's over 10 years old and is still running strong. Logitech's new G7 mouse is the best product to come out of Logitech's design team for some time.

A few months ago, I described building the Ultimate Gaming Rig. If you recall, I recommended finding a discontinued MX700 over the new MX1000 due to size and balance. Well, it seems like Logitech's design team had the same ideas as I did because the G7 has returned to the MX700 ergonomics, and brought back some of the proven ergonomics of the MouseMan+ such as the single thumb button. The distinctive feature of the G7 is the 2000 dpi Laser sensor and "gaming grade" modifications such as the extra-large Teflon feet which provide a smoother glide. The mouse also features two buttons which allow you to alter the sensitivity of the mouse without having to enter a control panel. This means that you can keep the mouse in the default mode for day to day Windows use, then decrease your precision when you're working in Photoshop and finally increase your precision when playing games. This happens in hardware and on the fly without needing to go into the mouse control panel. Before using the G7, I would have called this feature a gimmick but after using the G7 as my primary mouse for an extended period of time, I now realize that this is one of the best features of the product.

With the MX700, users were expected to charge their mouse in the cradle each evening. This became a problem and I ended up using my own high capacity 2200 mAh NiMH batteries and a 15 minute charger to deal with the power-thirsty mouse. With the G7, Logitech includes two battery packs where the second battery back is always charged so that it's possible to swap a used battery for a new one in a matter of seconds. Depending on your use, the G7 batteries last anywhere from 2 to 4 days



Ever since the original bear-claw design, Logitech has always a popular mouse of choice for gamers. Over the years, Logitech has made evolutionary changes and the G7 represents the best mouse from Logitech I've seen since the MX700. The balance is spot on and so there's no need for counter weights, and the wireless signal works with the same fluidity that you expect from a wired mouse. (It samples at 500Hz) The attention to detail that Logitech has put into the G7 is even seen through small touches such as the way the mouse shows you the current sensitivity whenever the mouse is moved and fades to the current battery level when the mouse isn't moving.

Check out the G7 in action

I can think of no other product I've reviewed in the last 7 years that has impressed me so much. A few years ago, I gave the MX700 a 97% score and an Editor's Choice Award. The G7? It's a 99% Editor's Choice product. As you know, FiringSquad is typically tougher when it comes to handing out scores – the 99% means that the G7 is truly that impressive. There are no gimmicks – just pure performance. If the G7 was a bit lower in price, it would probably be the second product in FiringSquad history to receive a perfect score. Of course, I'm assuming that you're not left-handed.

Summary

I spent the most time detailing the Logitech G7 and Monster Music SuperDisc because they're truly the best of the bunch. In fact, I would be just as happy in my Holiday Buyer's Guide talking about just those two products. There is no right-handed PC enthusiast who wouldn't enjoy using the Logitech G7 and no audiophile (who enjoys Christmas music) who wouldn't want to own "40 Years, A Charlie Brown Christmas."