Performance and Anywhere Mouse MX from Computer accessories maker Logitech

Computer accessories maker Logitech on Wednesday unveiled two new mice that can be used on any surface, it triggered squeaks of protest from competitor Microsoft. Logitech’s newly announced Mouse MX products use dark field laser tracking to let them navigate on smooth surfaces such as glass.

The Technology: A new lasering scheme called “Darkfield Laser Tracking”, which gives the mouse enough fidelity to illuminate even glass (as long as it’s more than 4mm thick). The laser (or standard optical) illuminates the different terrains on a surface, which the mouse can then track to see which direction you’re moving your hand in. The more differences the mouse can “see”, the more fine-grained the movement. The Darkfield tech works by blocking out light from the central area, then allowing light to enter at an angle, which is more refined in seeing abnormalities. Both these mice use two lasers to help track dust, scratches and other identifying features.

The Performance Mouse MX is full-sized, and the Anywhere Mouse MX is a compact device.

Both offer hyper-fast scrolling, and have a click-to-click mode that gives users more precise control when they navigate lists, photographs and slideshows.

The Performance Mouse MX is shaped to the user’s right hand while the Anywhere Mouse MX fits into either hand. Both have four customizable thumb buttons and software-enabled force-sensitive side-to-side scrolling. The Anywhere Mouse MX comes with a travel pouch.

The Logitech Darkfield mice use dark-field microscopy to detect the dust particles on a piece of glass and use them as reference points to measure motion. Dark field microscopes illuminate only the sides of objects being studied and not the entire area, thus improving image contrast.

The Unifying receiver supports up to six compatible Logitech keyboards and mice simultaneously. These include the Logitech Keyboard K350, Logitech Keyboard K340, Logitech Marathon Mouse M705 and the Logitech Wireless Mouse M505.

Both mice will be available in the U.S. and Europe this month. Suggested retail prices are US$99.99 for the Mouse MX and $79.99 for the Anywhere Mouse