Logitech’s T400 comes in Black or Turquoise as well.
The Logitech T400 is the third of 3 pointing devices launched for the touch friendly Windows 8. I have reviewed the T650 and T620 previously. While the T650 has been the best experience so far, it requires users who are more used to a mouse form factor to use a touchpad. The T400 is on the other end of the spectrum with a full mouse body and two separate physical clickable buttons that are not touch based like the T620. This mouse retails for S$59.00 as compared to S$89.00 for the T620 and $109.00 for the T650.
Hardware
If the T650 or T620 has left you confused with its touch heavy focus, the T400 delivers a familiar mouse experience. The rubberized sides of the mouse is a great touch. It is firm and solid while providing a solid grip. The mouse is rather small but is able to cater to both kinds of mouse users. You can rest your entire palm on it or use it by pinching the sides. It works great both ways. The mouse has a rather low profile so you won’t be expecting to arch your palms as compared to other models.
The T400 differentiates itself with a glass touch strip and rubberized grips.
The differentiating part of this mouse is a slender finger wide glass touch zone that sits where the third mouse button / scroll wheel sits. The material it is made of is similar to the T650 and not the T620. This is positive as the T650’s glass surface performs a lot better than the T620’s full plastic surface. I believe the reason for the different materials used is down to whether the surface is curved or not. The touch surfaces for the T650 and T400 are flat and so glass can be utilized unlike the curved T620.
The glass touch strip senses touch movements in four directions and also provides clickable top and bottom portions. It’s an intuitive set of functions built into a tiny strip. You can expect to use this mouse just like any other and be able to do a little bit more.
It is very hard to find any fault with the hardware. Logitech’s experience in peripherals shows clearly and this is a simple but well constructed mouse.
You can expect to use this mouse just like any other and be able to do a little bit more.
Software
The T650 and T620 utilizes the same Logitech SetPoint software and the T400 is no different. As you would expect, the T400 has a lot less functions and customization comes mainly on the clickable areas glass touch strip. You can choose to perform any 2 of the following functions on the upper or lower ends of the touch strip.
- Launch the Start Screen.
- Flip between applications.
- Traditional third mouse button
There isn’t much to customize and one thing to note is that the mouse will switch between horizontal scrolling and back/forward actions based on the application you are using. The horizontal flick gestures that you perform on the glass touch strip will be read as back / forward actions when used in web browsers. In all other applications, horizontal gestures are read as horizontal scrolls. This can be frustrating at times since a back/forward button is important in using Windows Explorer and you can’t horizontally scroll in web browsers.
SetPoint: Could have done with a little more options.
SetPoint works flawlessly with the T400 but one wishes Logitech would provide more customization options to allow users to specifically set their back/forward vs horizontal scroll preferences per application.
Conclusion
The T400 is the lowest end of the 3 but in many ways I prefer it to the T620. It was easier to handle and more solid to touch. The glass strip was of a higher quality than the plastic touch surface of the T620. In all, the product was well thought out and better executed than the T620 which felt more confused than hybrid.
For it’s price, the T400 is one of the better touch sensitive mouses as compared to the competition within that price range. The build quality is great and the extra added functionalities useful.
