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| Date Reviewed: 11/04/2006 |
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Strengths: Bluetooth, laser, rechargeable, aluminum top, good for lefties because symmetrical.
Weaknesses: A little hard to pick up with a dry hand.
Summary: 2006-11-29 18:29:14 [Note to Bluetooth users: Please see the update at the end of this review.]
I bought this mouse because I had been looking for a Bluetooth mouse, and this one seemed the best of the few that are available. Why Bluetooth? Because I figured a Bluetooth mouse would work with the Bluetooth hub inside my notebook, and so I wouldn't have to use the USB transceiver "dongle" that comes with most cordless mice. Having to attach a USB dongle to my notebook every time I pulled it out of its bag seemed to me scarcely better than having to plug in a mouse cord, so I wanted to avoid it if possible. I had never used a Bluetooth mouse before. Or any kind of cordless mouse, for that matter.
So, the mouse does indeed work with my built-in Bluetooth. No dongle needed, although one is included (for Bluetoothless computers, I figured). But here's the catch: if you don't use the included dongle, the IntelliPoint mouse driver that comes with the mouse doesn't recognize the mouse as a Microsoft mouse. Under Device Manager, the mouse shows up as a "HID-compliant mouse"--that means a generic. And that means the driver disables the special IntelliPoint features, such as accelerated scrolling with the scroll wheel. If you do use the included dongle, the mouse shows up as a "Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000" (as it should), and all the IntelliPoint features work.
Otherwise, the Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 is a very nice mouse. If you're considering buying this mouse, I'm sure you know its specs, so I won't repeat them here. My subjective opinions: The mouse feels very solid and weighty. It is, in fact, the heaviest mouse I have used. I rather like the weightiness. On the downside, the mouse can be hard to pick up with dry hands. Although there are rubber grips on both sides, the sides are not shaped such as to always provide a positive grasp when lifting the mouse. It would be better if the sides of the mouse did not slope inwards toward the top, or if the sides were more concave. When your hands are slightly sweaty, however, there's no problem.
The unique aluminum surface on the top of this mouse, where your palm rests, feels cool to the touch. I like it.
Occasionally, the mouse gets laggy. That is, the pointer starts to lag behind your hand motion, so that it feels like it's swimming in molasses. I'm not 100% sure, but this appears to happen when there's particular heavy traffic going through the WiFi network in my office. (Both WiFi and Bluetooth are 2.4 GHz.) Anyway, it doesn't happen often enough to bother me too much.
Another, minor complaint is that the side buttons are a little hard to push -- especially the right-side one if you're right-handed.
UPDATE
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I've found a solution to the Bluetooth recognition problem mentioned above. It turns out that the particular Bluetooth software that was in use on my computer was responsible for not identifying the mouse as a Microsoft mouse to the mouse driver. I had been using the Toshiba Bluetooth "stack" (the combination of drivers and programs needed to use Bluetooth on a PC) that came preinstalled on my Sony notebook. When I uninstalled the Toshiba stack in order to use the Microsoft Bluetooth stack that comes with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), voila! -- the mouse was correctly identified as a Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000.
However, getting the Microsoft Bluetooth stack to work with my notebook's internal Bluetooth radio was not straightforward. The MS stack was designed to work only with a select number of radios, and mine (an Alps UGX Bluetooth USB Controller) was not on the list. The solution, found on the web page hellalame.com/bluetoot..., was to edit the file bth.inf (located in C:WINDOWSinf) to add my BT radio to the list of approved radios. For details, check out the link.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/03/2007 |
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Strengths: Very fast, bluetooth is detected very quickly, smooth design, rechargable.
Weaknesses: almost a little too sensitive.
Summary: I bought this mouse after buying the HP a1730n computer. This mouse is Vista compatible and Microsoft's latest mouse. I am very pleased with this purchase. The mouse only takes an hour to charge, and after plugging in the bluetooth wireless into the USB port, I was ready to go.
The mouse feels very smooth as you move it and the wireless detection appears very strong. I like the fact you can recharge it when it is not in use.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/20/2007 |
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 Works Great but I don't like it Strengths: Very nice-looking, ergonomically fits my hand, rechargeable, comes with NiMH battery.
Weaknesses: Too big and heavy to easily maneuver, can't press the middle mouse button without scrolling, battery life is short.
Summary: Although I do love Microsoft electronics, this one isn't as appealing when I use it. I bought it so that I could have wireless Bluetooth freedom with the capability of recharging the mouse. I have had problems in the past where batteries wouldn't last in wireless products. And although this came with a NiMH battery, it doesn't last as long as my last wireless mouse. I've found that the battery begins to die after about two to three hours of use and the cursor gets jumpy. From then on I had to stick the mouse back on the charger and plug in my USB mouse.
The feel of the mouse is very comfortable and slides gently. The buttons are easy to press and scrolling is nice. I haven't figured out the tilt wheel yet with Vista. The scroll wheel doesn't have any feedback. I'm unsure of whether or not I'm scrolling unless I look at the sroll bar. It's almost too unnoticeable. And if I try to press the middle mouse button, I often scroll half a page. The middle mouse button is the only one that's hard to press and it gets irritating.
When picking up the mouse to move it, I'm always lifting the front and the back stays put. It's just too big and heavy for quick and easy moving.
I like using the mouse when surfing the internet but when I use programs like Excel or playing video games it becomes complicated. I would really like to see the same mouse in about 1/2 to 2/3 the size with a Li-Ion battery and a better scroll wheel. Maybe even the option of a USB charger instead of the AC plug. For the price, I expected something better.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/08/2008 |
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Strengths: sheak, comfort, and cutting-edge technology
Weaknesses: n/a
Summary: I used it about 2 weeks. I like it, and I like it a lot. It is 4-in-1, bluetooth, laser pointer, presenter, and media controls. Particularly the laser, it makes you scroll so easy and so responsive. I highly recommend this.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/16/2007 |
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Strengths: Precision, 4-button, customizable, Mac friendly
Weaknesses: sensitive while sleeping
Summary: This is a great mouse and works with iMac and iBook built-in bluetooth, after loading the Microsoft driver. A full 4-button mouse, unlike Apple's Mighty Mouse. The buttons and features can be customized in a Preference Panel. Battery life is not a problem, at least a month. The only issue is the sensitivity while sleeping. Even walking across the floor causes enough movement that the mouse wakes the Mac.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/21/2007 |
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Disappointed by quality
Strengths: Bluetooth connectivity, even without the dongle;
Cool looks;
Weaknesses: Buttons are not sturdy;
The scroll button is too tight and feels awkward;
Summary: I bought the Wireless Desktop 7000 and really like the quality of the keyboard but the mouse is disappointing. It is a definite downgrade from Logitech MX1000. The only reason I got the whole set rather than just an additional bluetooth keyboard was that I wanted to connect entirely via bluetooth and the set did so even without the dongle to my Fujitsu laptop.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/28/2008 |
- shawaxc
- Member Since:
Jul 2008
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Reviews
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Strengths: Bluetooth synced perfectly with my laptop and comes with a bluetooth usb transceiver if you don't have bluetooth already. rechargeable, side-scrolling, 5-button configuration, and battery indicator
Weaknesses: Bluetooth transceiver is small, but not as discrete as competitors. The back and forward buttons (located on either side of the mouse) are difficult to use
Summary: I would recommend this mouse to anyone who has bluetooth on there laptop and wants a good laser mouse without the wires and any usb transceivers..... also has software to customize the buttons
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| Date Reviewed: 05/31/2008 |
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Strengths: smooth, precise movement of the mouse and of the mouse pointer too
Weaknesses: when used with the Apple Macintosh, the mouse pointer jumps badly
Summary: Microsoft tells us that the mouse is useable with the Apple Macintosh and MacOs X too. That is right, but you may probably notice strange jumps/warps of the mousepointer. This is caused by the way MacOs likes to save energy. To solve the problem, let the Mac do some work in the background. Start the "PhotoBooth" or "EyeTV", and the movement of the mouse pointer in MacOs will be smooth.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/11/2008 |
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Strengths: Hard shell carry case, multiple programmable buttons
Weaknesses: Slightly erratic cursor, uses disposable batteries
Summary: This mouse goes well with my Dell 710m laptop, with nearly matching trims. I have no use for the laser but then again I didn't get this mouse for making presentations. I really like being able to make the side buttons function as back and forward commands when using a browser. As a student I appreciate the hardshell carrying case to tuck it away in. I wish it was rechargeable but will have to see how long the batteries last. Microsoft did provide batteries.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/08/2008 |
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Strengths: Pros: Bluetooth connection. This was very convienent if you have bluetooth built in b/c you don't have dongle sticking out your laptop. It took me all about 5 mins to install software and connect it.
Weaknesses: None so far. Love the laser too!!
Summary: I would recommend this to anyone that has a bluetooth built into your laptop. It is small and compact for travel. The plastic case is a plus when you are in a hurry and want to stuff it into your case.
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| Date Reviewed: 02/29/2008 |
- leshan
from AL
- Member Since:
Jun 2004
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Reviews
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Strengths: Good touch feeling, Good quality, Good tracking
Weaknesses: Only 5-button, Battery is not Li-ion.
Summary: This is my second bluetooth mouse. The first one is presenter 8000. I feel it's too small for long time use. This is a full size one.
battery life is ok
perform well on most surfaces I've tried
response speed is ok
work with my notebook buld-in bluetooth.
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| Date Reviewed: 02/20/2008 |
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Strengths: Good battery life, nice wheel functions, good ergonomic feel.
Weaknesses: The included drivers were from 2006, and they didn't work on the latest updated version of Windows XP. Had to download newest drivers from microsoft.
Summary: This is a very nice mouse. Easy to charge the AA NiMh battery on the base. Should be easy to replace the AA rechargeable 1.2V battery if needed. Laser is very accurate. The bluetooth dongle works with other bluetooth devices, supposedly, but I haven't tried it, yet.
Overall, a very good wireless, bluetooth mouse!
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