I think it’s fair to say that Microsoft has a much better reputation for its hardware than its software products. And I admit I’ve been a fan of Microsoft mice and keyboards for years now.
Being wireless, the Laser Mouse 7000 comes with a single AAA-sized NiMH battery and a cradle where you attach the supplied AC adaptor so you can charge the mouse.
Unlike some mice with non-removable batteries, Microsoft’s solution using a standard-sized AAA battery means that in case you’re on the move and away from the cradle, you can still pop in a regular AAA-sized alkaline battery when the juice runs out.
The mouse is pretty standard and easy to set up - just insert the USB transceiver into an available port, pop in the batteries into the mouse and you’re actually good to go.
I’ve tried it on various operating systems including Linux and it works flawlessly without any drivers.
However, if you install the supplied drivers, you can get more options - such as being able to map other features to the buttons.
Nevertheless, by default, the thumb buttons are not mapped to the usual functions of back and forward.
If you’re using Vista, the thumb button closest to your palm is mapped to the Flip3D function whereas the Forward button is mapped to the magnifier.
Although it is on the large side, I actually found the Laser Mouse 7000 actually fit my hand - the mouse is a right-hand only affair, so left-handers can forget about this one.
However, I did have a problem with the shape of the mouse - for some reason, the right side of the mouse only allows your little finger to rest there, instead of being able to ‘hook’ under a little overhang like most mice.
While it’s comfortable enough in use, the problem is that it makes it difficult to lift up the mouse since there’s no place to hook your last two fingers under the mouse to be able to easily lift it up.
I found this little shortcoming quite disconcerting since I often lift up my mouse when I run out of mousepad space and only being able to grip the mouse with a thumb and forefinger in order to lift it is pretty difficult.
One other complaint I have is a more personal one - I know there’s a trend towards having mice without indents in the scrollwheel for smoother scrolling of webpages, but I’m a middle mouse-click person.
That is, I tend to use the scroll wheel as a middle mouse button a lot and the problem with a wheel with no indents is that it makes it very difficult to use as a middle mouse button.
The other thing, of course, is that playing first person perspective (FPS) games is also a lot harder without indents to indicate a single weapon switch.
Overall, the Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 is actually not a bad mouse to use - the mouse functions well and the shape is suitable for variety of right-handed people (if you don?t mind not being able to hook your little finger under the mouse).
However, at RM229 list, the price is a little hefty and at this level, you could find a better wireless mouse with more features than this.
Pros: Easy to set up; relatively comfortable; uses AAA-sized batteries.
Cons: Expensive; mouse wheel lacks indents.
Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000
2.4GHz wireless mouse
Tracking: High definition 850nm laser sensor, 1,000dpi.
Number of buttons: Five
Other features: Runs on one AAA-size rechargeable NiMH battery, charging
Microsoft Arc Mouse ReviewComputer mice have come a long way since its introduction a couple of decade back. No one would have thought that the unexciting mouse will evolve until what we have here this month, the Microsoft Arc Mouse.
The reason Microsoft named their newest addition to its hardware family is simple, the mouse is shaped like an arc. Our version of the Arc Mouse is black in livery and has rubberized surface. Microsoft has the red version, as well as the recently launched white version for Mac users out there.
The most special feature about the Arc Mouse is its ability to fold into 60% of its original size, making it really portable and great for mobile warriors. What’s better is that it is fully wireless running on 2.4GHz frequency and reportedly up to 30 feet wireless range. The receiver is one of the smallest we have seen and it is magnetically stored under the mouse. When the mouse is folded, the receiver will then be secured in such a way that it won’t fall of so you won’t have problems losing it. It uses laser technology, which is fast coming up as the standards in mouse tracking, making it very accurate and sensitive.
We tested the Arc mouse and got a range of up to 9 meters and we can’t see our laptop screen anymore. So it’s safe to say that the range is what it’s claimed. Even at 9 meters, the sensitivity of the mouse is still there and there were no lags at all.
Besides the usual left, right buttons and the scroll wheel, the Arc mouse has another button called the “side button”, it can be customized with Microsoft’s Intellipoint application to do anything you want, sans the laundry. The button is a little to far
from our thumb and everytime we want to click it, we have to move our palm a little to the front to do it.
The Microsoft Arc Mouse is one of the nicest mice we’ve seen in recent times. It is elegant yet practical. The side button is placed a little too far for our thumbs and it carries a price tag of $55. Ouch!
Pros: Foldable body, Comfortable feel, Macro recording options
Cons: Thumb button is a little too far for us.
Perfect for either left-or-right hander, this ambidextrous mouse possesses the clean and sophisticated finish that we’ve come to associate with Microsoft hardware. So just how feasible is its ambidextrous feature?
Well, for a native right-hander, I still managed to use the mouse comfortably with my left hand, with little to no discomfort that I could tell. However, some of you might notice how bulky it seems with its rounded shape. It is bigger than I would’ve liked, but maybe that’s the downside of having a one-size-fits-all concept. Let’s take a look at the specs: a resolution of 2000dpi (dots-per-inch), max acceleration up to 20G, max speed of 45-plus inches per second and image processing up to 7080 frames per second. That’s a whole bunch of impressive numbers that Microsoft has thrown at us.
Numbers aside, the X3 also has features such as programmable macros and buttons (geared for gaming) as well as on-the-fly DPI switching that lets you choose between three customizable sensitivity levels. You can do so by selecting between three of the buttons located underneath the scroll wheel where a red LED will indicate which of the buttons have been selected. There’s also another two buttons, located in the recess of the left and right hand sides of the mouse respectively which you can set to execute several preset tasks from the list via the mouse’s software.
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