Able to leap from computer to computer in a single bound, up to 3 computers and back.

Having to work on long proposals and pile loads of research, with many tabs opened, flipping through them, back and forth every now and then. It gets really crazy when they are so many tabs opened that I can’t see the headings.

To solve this “problem”, work on two additional laptop computers; one which I can refer to the proposal requirements (usually fairly long and complex); as often as I want to and I usually do so often enough to ensure I am on track. The other will solely be my research stuff. The big screen linked to the third laptop is where I write / type the results in. Problem solved…well, sort of… I am used to working with a mouse and a wireless keyboard even though I use laptop computers. I dislike the laptop trackpad because it does not seem to be in the right place…at least to me, it does not. It’s cramped in together with the keys. I suppose it’s alright if one does not have a lot to do and / or if you need to lug your laptop around without additional things to carry, when you are on the go. Have you wondered why when you buy a new laptop; one of the freebies for certain would be a mouse? 🙂

I have the keyboard on my lap, which means the laptops are on the table and a bit of a distance away from me. I usually sit at a less than upright position, more relaxed…sort of. Now, you have a general idea of how I use them.

MX Master 3

This has to be one of the most sophisticated mouse(s) / mice available in the market. Just looking at it makes you think, “Whoa! This ain’t just a left click / right click, scroll up and down, line-by-line mouse only.” Sitting on the table without doing anything…it’s a mean looking beast. strong resemblance of Darth Vader. Is that why, it has a 141gm weight to boot, especially for a non-gaming mouse?

The saying, “beauty in the eye of the beholder” …well, yeah. This just does not have the looks and pizazzz only, it is a well thought out, fully functionable packed device that works from the word, “go”. It’s shiny, double-wheel ribbed metal scroller on top and double-barrel, ribbed metal scroller on the left side, adds to the premium look it already has. The steep-angled, sort of nose-dive front, the shape rises to the top, the highest point being my fore finger and palm fits snugly over it and gently drops to the back, ending with a 4mm – 5mm “lip” (similar to that of a sports car design). The top right side, sort of angle-drops gently.

One can be forgiven for thinking that it incorporated a thumb rest in its design. The “thumb rest” or flap that falls outwards on the left incorporates a small hidden “gesture button”. It can do a whole of tricks like dancing the tango (it does, really – Star Trek’s “Mission Control” for the Mac and dreary “Task View” for PC, moving forward; and App Expose moving backwards). It does a bit of a mean salsa, too – switch between desktops. Or is it a Scottish jig – Captain James T. Kirk : “Scotty, Is the teleporter ready?” Scotty : “It is ready, with full power.” Captain James T. Kirk : “Beam me up, Scotty!” Scotty : “Sir, something has gone wrong. You’re not all together here, not here.” Captain James T. Kirk : “Quick, call Elon of SpaceX. He’ll know what to do. Social” Towards the top of the “thumb rest has two thin buttons in a line, just before the ridge which house the Gatling gun-styled scroller. These buttons perfect the tango with moving forward and back. The Gatling gun-styled scroller or thumb wheel scrolls horizontally. I have great fun playing around with this scroller. It seems to have over-the-top usefulness. Just behind it is a light indicator which is mainly a battery / battery charge indicator with a green / red light. It momentarily flashes on when you first begin to use it in each session. The whole thumb section is a tight fit with the buttons and scroller laid out in a tight formation. You are highly unlikely to press the wrong keys even with the snug fit. It may not be a good fit for the giant from Jack in the Beanstalk. What gives it an overall nice feel is that the “thumb rest” section is made of a soft, rubbery-like material over the ribbed body frame. Yet it continues to the main body in a single piece without the rubbery feel – a sort of rubber fused with high quality plastic as one.

Back to the topside towards the front of the mouse. It has the usual left / right side buttons right in front. In between them, the ribbed metal scroller with a groove in the centre creating a double wheel look; can scroll 1,000 lines a second on free-wheeling mode. ’em lines must be pretty thin as I don’t think I have managed to achieve that on Excel. It may achieve that claim with small print articles in Word or other similar software. the wheel is weighted so it can move fast. It is silent, too. The lock / release button is just above the wheel.

First look at the under-carriage and you will think it is a racing sidecar. Notice that it does not have any sharp edges, just smooth flowing from the top to bottom – a blob…and a big one at that. The centre is like a runway or airstrip, that has the power on / off button in front, the sensor light in the centre and the manual toggle switch that has the numbers “1, 2 3” on top to indicate which computer the mouse is at.

The four black rubber pieces elevates the mouse slightly above the surface. The downside is it tends to pick up dust around the edges of these rubber strips. This makes it look a bit tacky, like the edges of the rubber strips have worn out. It does not seem to affect the travel performance. This ‘hovercraft’ on rubber strips can glide smoothly across almost any surface.

The front sports a radiator grill or air intake dam. Actually, it’s the type C port for fast charging. On a full charge, this baby cans go on and on and on for 70 days before the a recharge. How cool is that? (a line I borrowed from Supercar Blondie).

K380

This has to be one of the nicest keyboards around. Its compact size of 124mm height x 279mm width just gives me so much space on my desk for all my notes, forms and other stuff that usually loiters on an office desk; it just does not get in the way of anything.

The keyboard is available in several trendy colours such as black, pink, white, blue I think, did I say pink? The F1, F2 and F3 keys are in yellow (a nice contrast to the rest of the keyboard) on my black keyboard to manually switch to a different computer or device that it is paired to; yes, it can be paired to three devices at the same time. It has a nice finished body on four roundish rubber mounds which sit perfectly on the desk. No unevenness that causes even the slightest rocking when thumping on the keyboard. This rocking can cause an annoying rattle. A case in point was the Philips keyboard I used at the beginning of last year. It was a very minor issue , fixed with putting some paper under the corner just to make sure all four sides sit equally.

User experience

The MX-3, with all its sophistication, is an easy device to use. It is so customizable. Download its app to your main device, configure all the buttons to the way you like it, hook up the keyboard to the app and you are ready to go. With the “Flow” function, the MX-3 and K380 flows from (in my case) one computer to another and back effortlessly. You would have to designate the main computer, second and third computers. The cursor can unintentionally cross / flow / float to the next computer when it is towards the edge of the screen. Where did the cursor go? Must have fallen off a cliff. There is supposed to be a way to lock it; I still have not managed to doing it after several attempts. The mouse comes standard at 1000dpi. It can be adjusted up to 4000dpi.

The keys on the K380 have a soft, high quality, rubbery feel to it. Its travel is pretty decent. So far, I find that this keyboard is flawless. The K380 can work as a standalone bluetooth keyboard as well. There are several other Logitech keyboards that work with the MX-3 using the Flow. But this keyboard is so trendy and cute.

The whole idea of me getting this duo of devices is for me to work long hours with them without having the fatigue. Good decision, if I don’t say so myself.

Pros The MX-3 and the K380 are totally dependable Mod day Stylish with premium look and feel Great battery life for both devices (the MX-3 is rechargeable)

Cons The MX-3’s price is slightly on the on the high side, depends on what you compare it with The dust that collects at the edges of the rubber strips on the MX-3 does make it pieces look worn out.

This article is in no way meant to be politically correct.

Alan Atkinson, 16 January 2021