Introduction

Ah, the simplicities of the ball mouse. How I miss thee. While these worked, it had a tendency to get dirty and wasn't always very responsive. Next came optical mice, and while costing a little more than a ball mouse, it provided a vast improvement over the ball mouse.

Before I get to the review, I would like to provide some background on Sunbeamtech.

Sunbeam Company, a true art innovator in the field of PC modification and accessories at all aspect, targets on providing the top quality and state of art computer products to high tech PC users. We dedicate outstanding high quality control as our number one priority and deliver the products with the highest level of excellent Performance, as well as the coolest Innovation and an Appearance that draws your attention.

Launched as a promising new company in the field in 2000, Sunbeam Company specialized in developing cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL), and furthermore extended to manufacture various modding equipments. Throughout the years, we now expand our product coverage to provide pioneering and fancy computer application at all aspects, while focusing on, but not limiting to, cooling systems and computer cases. Our mission is to satisfy PC players all over the world who are tired of boring traditional computer impressions and longing for experiencing the excitements of revolutionary hardware designs.

Sunbeam Company is headquartered in Taipei County, with manufacturing factories located in Dongguan City, China. In order to provide exceptional product quality combined with superior customer support, we keep updating and advancing ourselves to meet the diverse changes and increasing market demands. We strive to continue designing and developing ground-breaking, exciting, and appealing products as well as being the one stop resource and solution for all computer enthusiasts seeking to turn their ingenious visions into the coolest and fanciest reality.

Features & Specifications

Contents, features and specifications can be found on Sunbeamtech's website.

1300 <-> 650 switchable dpi.
300% more precise than 400 dpi optical mice.
Super bright LED and low heat output.
Sleek ergonomic design.
Non-slip side rolls with special light effect.
Super large non-slip button.
Super wide mouse wheel.
Plated max-conductive USB connectors.

Packaging and Contents

Click images for a larger view

The Sunbeamtech X-1300 is packaged in a nice container that shows the mouse. Like I've said before, I love this, as it is great to see what you are actually buying, rather than just a picture. There are no other contents inside the packaging besides the mouse.

Flash Off and On: Click images for a larger view

The Sunbeamtech X-1300 comes in two different models, X-Sharp and Sensor-X. We will be looking at the X-Sharp today. Both mice have the same specs and features, they each just have a different design. The X-1300 has a hard wired switch that controls the resolution of the mouse. You can adjust it from 650DPI to 1300DPI with the flick of a button. Unfortunately, that button is on the bottom of the mouse, which would make it almost impossible to switch while gaming. It would have been great to see this switch on the top, possibly two buttons one above the scroll wheel and one below for each setting, so we could change resolutions while playing. The X-1300 is also lit with red LEDs on the inside.

On major drawback that you may have already noticed, is that the X-1300 is a two button mouse. Gamers are used to many more buttons, such as the many buttons on the Logitech MX series.

Testing

Click image for a larger view

To test out the Icemat 2nd Edition I pulled out there different types of mouse pads: free cloth mouse pad, Icemat glass mouse pad, and the Razer eXactMat aluminum mouse pad. I'll be playing a wide selection of games, including Counter-Strike: Source, Battlefield 2, and Unreal Tournament 2004.

The mouse was used at both resolutions to see how it performed. There were no noticeable problems with during any of these tests. During gaming, with the mouse set at 1300DPI, movements were very fast and accurate. After changing the setting to 650DPI, movements became a bit more controlled. For an desktop use, I'd recommend using the 650DPI option, because 1300DPI is just too fast for desktop use.

Conlusion

Using a mouse is mostly subjective; everyone has different opinions on what they want in a mouse, all varying on sensitivity, weight, price and reliability. The X-1300 can satisfy a user who doesn't care about response, or a high degree of accuracy, while still pleasing thoughs who do.

Taking into account that this mouse is not designed to be a replacement for a good high-end mouse such as the Logitech M X-500/518 or the wireless MX-1000, it would be a great replacement for most other mice, like the MS IntelliMouse, or other generic optical mice, especially considering its low cost.