Turn your desktop into a vibrant, clutter-free space with Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse. Wireless technology, a wider, clear scroll wheel, and signature red optical glow combine... more...in a fun design.
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No rollerball, no cable, simple to install, Alerts when low battery or interference, Very comfortable to use .
Disadvantages:
Limited to recent Windows and Mac Operating systems only, Some may find it a little large or heavy .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Hello. Is anybody reading this?
I only ask because I know that in the high-tech world of PC's mice aren't exactly the most exciting things. Think about upgrading and improving your PC and you'll probably consider memory, hard drive capacity, processor speed, graphics card ... in fact pretty much everything apart from the mouse.
Few of us give much consideration to this particular item yet whatever we do on the PC, be it surfing the net, editing photos, creating home movies from camcorder footage or playing the latest games, the chances are we will be using a mouse to do it and it's important to have one that you find comfortable to use.
Most of us soldier along with whatever came with the PC it but if you take a look around you'll find there is quite a bit of choice when choosing a replacement. I've always been pretty content with the basic design apart from two annoying gripes.
The main problem I found was that the little rubber ball underneath the mouse seemed to clog up quite regularly. As the ball picks up surface dirt it stops rolling smoothly which means that the pointer on screen doesn't go where you want it to go and it's very, very annoying.
The second issue was the cabling. There is either not enough of it or too much. On top of that it also has a habit of getting tangled up in things, hooked around things or jammed between things. And god help you if you've got a glass of water anywhere nearby while you're using one.
A couple of years ago I bought an optical mouse. These do away with the ball and instead rely on a sensor underneath the body of the mouse that calculates in which direction and how fast the mouse is moving. They are not fussy about the kind of surfaces they work on, flat or horizontal, and there are no moving parts to get clogged up. This made a huge difference but unfortunately it didn't solve my problem with the cable.
But now that wireless technology is getting cheaper and more reliable I recently decided to treat myself to a new mouse. I still wanted an optical mouse but was also looking to wave goodbye to the cables as well. I ended up with the Microsoft wireless optical mouse.
Love them or loath them Microsoft do produce some decent hardware although they do tend to carry a price premium. The RRP of this mouse is around £40 which does seem a little expensive. However Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk) are currently selling it for £25 which makes it much more attractive.
On opening up the packaging you get a quick set-up booklet, a CD containing the software, a two-pack of AA batteries, a USB to PS2 adapter and the receiver unit. Oh and the mouse itself, fortunately.
The mouse comes in a range of colours. I chose blue for no particular reason other than it was the first one I came across but you can choose from periwinkle (blue), metallic red, steel blue or blue moon if you so desire (plenty of choice there if you like blue). You will need to install the software on your PC first before attaching the mouse but it's a simple task and only takes a few minutes. Pop the CD in the drive and follow the instructions.
The receiver is an oval shaped unit that looks a little like a mouse itself. It attaches to your PC via a USB connection or, using the supplied adapter, a round PS2 connection. You have a couple of feet worth of cable to play with in order to position this receiver unit in a suitable location. The manual recommends placing it away from monitors or power supplies in order to avoid interference and it should be at least 8 inches away from the mouse itself. Since the whole reason I went wireless was, unsurprisingly, to cut down on the mass of cables so I though I'd disregard the advice and just leave the cable tied up and the receiver sat directly at the rear of my PC.
Once the software is installed, the receiver plugged into the PC and the batteries inserted into the mouse you are ready to go and on powering up I was pleasantly surprised to find that it all worked straight away.
The mouse has two standard buttons and a scroll wheel, which also acts as a third button. This scroll wheel also tilts from side to side enabling you to scroll horizontally as well as vertically.
As soon as it's up and running you'll probably want to tweak the mouse properties a little. During installation a new item is set-up in your start menu to access these. It allows you to assign a range of functions to each button but I was happy with the default selection and only needed to increase the pointer speed to get things as I like them.
After a few weeks of use I really don't want to go back to using my old mouse. This is one of those gadgets that you think you don't really need until you try it and then you wonder how you ever managed without one.
The mouse itself is a little larger than most I've used but its symmetrical design means it should be suitable for all users whether left or right handed. The arched body and contours down both sides allow you to get a firm but comfortable grip.
It's powered by 2 AA batteries that fit in a compartment underneath the unit. The batteries obviously add to the weight but I find it's nicely balanced . It will be down to your own personal preference but I prefer a mouse with a little weight behind it rather than a lightweight model.
There is no delay in response (so those gamers among us won't be able to blame poor scores on the controller) and it works perfectly within the operating range, which Microsoft claim is 6ft (1.8 m) away from the receiver.
The one aspect I've yet to test is the lifespan of the unit. Microsoft claim one set of batteries can last over six months based on average use, whatever that is, although I'm willing to bet I fall into the above average use category.
To save on batteries the mouse powers itself down after a period of inactivity and re-activates as soon as it's moved. One very nice feature is that you can set-up the software to alert you when the battery is starting to fail or if it detects interference from other devices.
The mouse is designed to be used on Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Mac OS X systems only which is a bit of pain if you are running a slightly older system although it's worth pointing out that the mouse will still probably work on older operating systems, you just won't be able to access the more advanced features such as the tilt wheel.
Yes, it may cost a bit more than you would expect to spend on a bog-standard replacement mouse but at £25 it's not going to break the bank exactly. It may seem a bit of a luxury item but if you spend a lot of time on your PC it's important to use a comfortable mouse and the cordless and ball less nature of this model should mean that it's a much more pleasant experience as well.
The very fact it's wireless may put off some people because it sounds complicated but it really couldn't be easier to set-up and use. As I've said I've yet to test the battery life (which sounds excellent) but otherwise this is a highly recommended purchase. Go on treat yourself. After all it is nearly Christmas.
Requirements ----------------- Windows 2000 Professional (133Mhz or higher processor, 128mb RAM, 35mb hard disk space)
Windows XP (233Mhz or higher processor, 128mb RAM, 35mb hard disk space)
Mac OS 10.1 to OS 10.2.x (15mb of hard disk space)
Some websites worth a look ----------------------------------- Microsoft hardware site - http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/default.mspx
Microsoft wireless optical mouse at Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000AKML7/qid=1070053561/s r=2-1/ref=sr_2_27_1/026-3931503-2106809
More details
Range of extra features / functions
Manufacturer Support
Instruction manual
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