Summary: I have evolved through THREE generations of Microsoft Wireless Notebook Mice:
1) The original BX3-00008 with a "J" shaped USB receiver. The optical resolution is 400 dpi.
2) The second-generation BX3-00008 with "I" shaped USB receiver (aka Microsoft Notebook Receiver 2.0.) The optical resolution is 1000 dpi.
3) This Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4000 (which shares the same "I" shaped receiver with the 2nd-gen BX3-00008, the Microsoft Notebook Receiver 2.0.) The optical resolution is 1000 dpi.
I like to use this one most. Why? There are many kudos to the engineering improvements of this model over previous models. First, the shape and aesthetic design. Not only it's an eye candy from any angle you look at it, but it handles and feels better than the older ones. It has a lower profile like the intrinsic Logitech design (at last Microsoft learns from their competitor for once!) which helps maneuver with less tethered feeling under your palm. This translates into tireless usage after long hours. In comparison, the first two generations (which share the same shape) are a bit taller that fills the room under your palm. Some may find this feature comfortable, but resting one's palm over smaller mice at this scale is really not what these products promised to deliver (and they don't deliver true ergonomics after long hours of use, either.) One should find desktop type of mice for that purpose.
Secondly, it's about the middle button. It's a tiny, smooth wheel that scrolls freely without any clicks or stops. The wheel button also offers left and right clicks that moves the browsing pane sideways so one can read the out-of-window content without needing to find the bottom scroll bar to toy with. This has been a very common feature on the desktop mice so I won't address how it works. The point is that Microsoft has finally designed a working scroll button that makes sense now. This is not to say that this mouse can do sideways while the old ones can't (which is a fact), but it is more about ergonomics and maneuverability. IMO, the design & quality of the older models' scroll button is a fiasco. It has the following drawbacks: A) It's very hard to find one with a *tight* scroll button that sits snugly in place. In other words, it slips and squeaks off its place while you're scrolling it. For the FIVE mice that I ever used, both 1st-gen and 2nd-gen together, only ONE of them doesn't have a loose scroll button. And it seems to me the 2nd-gen mice has even worse quality control on that. Why is it bothering? Because I spend a lot of time browsing web forums and reading long documents, thus scrolling up & down is a main mouse usage point for me. A loose control with imprecise scrolling is a major pain at that. And this adds to the next drawback: B) The inconsistent click quality. Again, it's also very hard to find one that "clicks" comfortably. This is in particular talking about scrolling upwards. Most likely you get one that either clicks too loudly, which shakes your finger as well (read: not comfortable for long-hour usage), or you get one that skips steps esp. when you scroll faster. If you actually try the scroll button out at electronics stores or office supply stores, you will find that almost every single one of these models has a different feel - this shows their inconsistent build quality and quality control for them. The final drawback is C) it's all too easy to accidentally clicked the scroll button. Like I said earlier that the older mice have a loose scroll button seating, the "push" is also loose in that it is easily clicked before you are even aware of it (hence it activates the autoscroll function, annoying.) This is mostly seen when you scrolls down faster.
Amen to this Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4000, none of the above happens. Yes, there is no more nightmare while using this new, smooth, and free scroll button that no longer causes the above agonies. The scroll button now seats righteously in place (where it must be as it needs to leave equal room for both left and right sideway scrolls), doesn't slip nor make any squeaky noise, and it will never skip any step thanks to the all new design. Further, the new scroll button makes it more difficult to click so there is no more accidental autoscroll. All in all, the new scroll button design is a bliss to my usage.
I know some people may still prefer to hear or feel that click & sound from the scroll button, but to get that from the early models, it comes with a price of clumsiness as stated above. I for one would not go back again, after I've experienced this new model.
Lastly I want to compliment on its battery chamber. It fits like a little drawer and doesn't fly out when pushed open. And unlike the old ones it doesn't open from the back cover (hence the cover might be loose to hold in palm if you're unlucky.)
I highly recommend it for its overall improvement to perfection!
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