The mouse has been around nearly since the humble beginnings of personal computing and, unlike the PC and its software, this tiny peripheral has changed little. But time and technology eventually catch up to even the simplest of objects and the lowly mouse is no exception.

We have witnessed the introduction of cordless versions, first with USB dongles and later with Bluetooth technology.  Buttons have changed, scroll wheels have appeared, lasers replaced track balls and countless other small, but meaningful, progressions have taken place. Mice have evolved from a simple input device to a specialized mouse – from desktop, to gaming, and even travel varieties.

It all leads to today’s innovations in peripheral technology, which Logitech is exploiting in its latest release – the Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630.

In a market becoming divided by user behavior, the T630 falls squarely into the category of travel, thanks to its compact design. There is nothing fancy here – no software need be installed and there are none of the click buttons contained in today’s high-end gaming mice.

This is purely about form and style conquering added, and mostly unneeded and extraneous, features that simply are not a necessity to today’s busy traveler. The T630 is all about compactness and ease of use.

This is a mouse you grab from your travel bag, pop on the desk and get started with. There is no need to worry about the extras – there are none. It just works.

Design and Style

The T630 is tiny, measuring in at a scant 3.25 inches in length, 2.25 inches in width and 0.5 inches in depth, though that tapers quite significantly towards the front end.

The little wedge-shaped peripheral is black on the top, with metallic silver sides and a small Logitech logo running across the rear of the top surface. No buttons or scroll wheel are visible, giving the mouse a very clean and sculpted look.

Several small buttons are present on the outside of the T630, but these are carefully hidden on the underside so as not to subtract from the good looks.

Setting up the T630

Unlike the more sophisticated gaming mice on the market, the Logitech T630 Touch Mouse comes with no software to setup, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tricks to getting underway – they simply are not complicated steps.

First, and fairly obvious, is that you must make sure your computer supports Bluetooth, but that is not a stumbling block for much of today’s hardware. You will also need to enable the service, which is frequently off in laptops due to battery-drain concerns.

In Windows 8, head to the Charms menu and hit Settings and then Change PC Settings. Next, tap Wireless and, under Wireless Devices, you will find the option to toggle Bluetooth on and off.

If you are using Windows 7, then first you will need to turn on the Bluetooth device and then look for it under Device Manager. It’s not uncommon to find the item marked with a yellow warning triangle, requiring you to right-click and update the driver.

With these minor procedures behind us, turn the T630 belly-up, where you will discover three buttons. One is a channel-switch marked “1” and “2”. This allows you to pair the mouse with two different computers and move back and forth by simply toggling the little switch one position to the other. Choose the side you wish to begin with and then flip the on-off switch to “on” – it will now show green as opposed to the previous red.

Lastly, press the tiny button marked “connect” and turn the device right-side-up. At this point you should see a tiny pin-prick of light shining from a hole near the top-rear of the mouse – a spot so small you really can’t see it until it suddenly lights up. This will blink a blue color as it searches and turn solid one it has paired with your PC. After a few seconds it will go out. You are now connected and the mouse should work immediately.

If you do not see any light during this process then the mouse may need to be charged. It works with Micro USB and you will find the port on the bottom, near the rear end. A small cable ships with the T630, but today’s phone charging cords can also be used. The light will come on, this time in green, as the mouse charges. When the light is out then the device is fully charged.

Using the T630

As previously noted, the top surface of the peripheral is smooth, but the buttons are still present, though the clicking action, which is still audible, is actually carried out on the bottom of the device. Both left and right are located in the same positions as on any typical mouse.

Scroll wheel functionality is located in the center, just ahead of the Logitech logo. Click once to enable and again to disable.

This peripheral also has several gestures that make it simple to use. For instance, while many of us are used to a scroll wheel, you may find scrolling up and down a page easier on the T630 Touch Mouse by simply swiping a finger towards the rear of the mouse for page down and towards the front for page up.

If you are using Windows 8 then you will encounter two additional handy gestures – swipe in from the right to access the Charms menu or in from the left side for the list of open apps. A slower swiping motion allows for side-to-side scrolling of a wide page.

Finally, tap two fingers simultaneously near the center of the mouse to gain easy access to the Start button, though this may be a Windows 7-only option, as it did not seem to work under Windows 8.1, which does have a Start button, though it’s less functional than its ancestor.

Final Conclusion

I should preface this by telling you that the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630 is likely not for everyone. Users with large hands, for instance, may experience problems. In fact, despite that my hands are pretty average, using this mouse took some getting used to – it, at first, practically felt as if there was nothing at all under my hand. I came from a Logitech M185, which is a typically shaped mouse, though smaller than a standard “desktop size” mouse. The T630 dwarfs it.

When it comes to functionality, the Logitech device contains everything you expect from a basic mouse — left and right buttons and a scroll wheel. But it comes with several useful bonus features, such as swipe scrolling (a feature we’re all used to from today’s mobile devices) and easy access to the Windows 8 side menus.

Setup is also simple enough for any user – the Bluetooth links up to the computer with no hassle and adding a second paired device is just as easy. An on-off button allows you to save on battery when the peripheral isn’t in use, and recharging the battery can be done anywhere thanks to micro USB compatibility.

If I had to give you one complaint about the T630 then it would be sensitivity. Namely that the little device has too much of it. I find that the slightest movement of my finger has me scrolling down a page when I am not expecting to do so.

The bottom line here is that the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630, which has just gone on sale for $69.99, is a great mouse, providing you can adapt to using such a tiny device. For those just looking for an easy fit in a travel bag, as opposed to daily use, it excels, but may be a bit pricey for limited use scenarios.