Customer Reviews

Microsoft 2.4GHz Wireless BlueTrack Technology Laser Explorer Mouse with 30-Foot Range and Easy Battery Recharging Base (5AA-00001).

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

What I liked:
=============

The first thing that I loved was that the mouse works fine under Linux (and Windows, of course), even the two side buttons: under Linux they are "Back" and "Forward" in a web-browser by default.

The mouse is rechargeable and requires one AA Ni-MH battery (which means it can be easily replaced when the battery dies eventually) and comes with a low charge indicator (slowly flashes red when the mouse needs recharging and slowly flashes green when the mouse is being charged) and an easy charging station. After some minimal charging is done, the green flashing stops and the indicator just stays on green. Unfortunately there is no indication as to when the mouse is fully charged - the indicator does not change to blue or some other color, instead it just stays on green).

The two customizable buttons can be assigned (under Windows) many different functions out of a list.

The mouse indeed works well on most surfaces. However, I found out that it does not work at all on a concrete wall painted with a white paint. It also barely works on its original package (which could mean that it performs poorly on transparent surfaces). I guess there are always exceptions.

The mouse looks beautiful! Although, keep in mind that you won't see the blue light from under the mouse and the BlueTrack sign all the time - it only turns on for a few seconds when the mouse is turned on (i.e. after one takes the receiver out of the mouse) and after the mouse returns from a sleep mode (the mouse goes into the sleep mode to save battery if it is not used for a while).



What I liked and did NOT like at the same time:
===============================================

One thing which I love is the smooth no-sound (no clicks) scroll wheel in a web-browser. It is as convenient to use as a wheel with clicks. It is great, for example, during meetings since the constant wheel clicking would not annoy anyone or in any situation when one wants to be quiet. The scrolling also takes very little effort. However, in all the other applications (not in a web-browser - for example in PowerPoint or in Excel) the scroll wheel is too sensitive, i.e. even a slight touch of the wheel causes a difficult to control scrolling of a page(s). One can get used to it but will still remain uncomfortable.



What I did NOT like:
====================

The first (very annoying) feature, from my point of view, is that the scroll wheel has to be clicked in a specific direction away from the user, when used as a middle button., i.e. if one just presses it down or towards oneself it would not consider it as a (middle) click. So it takes some thinking (or maybe a habit) to put a finger on the nearest end of the wheel and press it away. I love using the middle click to open a link in a new tab in FireFox. And also middle clicks are used really a lot under Linux (paste) so I consider it as major drawback of the mouse. I also cannot understand why the mouse was designed that way, since unlike scrolling, it takes some effort to click the wheel, so one would not click it accidentally anyway.

The second thing that I did not quite like was that the mouse is very big (its physical size: it is wide and thick - feels like a ball in ones hand). It is probably one of the biggest mice I ever seen or used. I have small hands and find it more convenient to use a narrower and thinner mouse. It does not make using the mouse troublesome - just feels somewhat uncomfortable. There is a "Mini" version of the mouse but that one is not rechargeable.

The mouse gets discharged pretty quickly (i.e. in less than a week - just a few days) when it is off. That is if I fully charge it and then snap the USB receiver into the mouse to turn it off with an intension to take the mouse with me on the road in a few days - it does not work, since in a few days when I turn the mouse on again, the charge indicator blinks red (which is an indicator that the mouse needs to be charged). It looks as if some circuit does not get disabled and still drains the battery power even in the mouse's off-state.

I find putting the mouse's wireless receiver in and out quite inconvenient. It takes special care to put the receiver in since it does not naturally find its proper position before one pushes it in. Even much more inconvenient is to take the receiver back out of the mouse - it gets stuck there pretty tightly and deeply and it is not easy to grab on it to pull it out (accurately without breaking it).

I also do not quite like the feature that to turn the mouse off one has to put the USB receiver into the mouse. It is subjective, of course, but I would find a simple on/off switch more convenient. The switch could be even positioned on the front or back side of the mouse so that it does not get congested with dirt over time, if this is the problem.

Also I wish the mouse would come with some carrying case. The idea of the BlueTrack technology is that the mouse works on most surfaces which makes it a good choice to take it with on the road, so, I think, a carrying case is desirable.



Overall:
========

I kept the mouse. My goal was to find a rechargeable wireless mouse which would use standard rechargeable batteries (i.e. AA or AAA) and I found it. It is a good mouse, but I would not call it a marvel of engineering - it has a few important things to get fixed. I guess the Microsoft engineers were so excited about the novel BlueTrack technology that they forgot to make sure that other not so novel features of the mouse are implemented conveniently for a user.

This mouse is an excellent replacement to my older corded laser mouse. I was having issues tracking on my new desk because of the wood grain. I did some reading on the bluetrack technology and it's improved tracking effect so I took the plunge and I can't be happier.

The mouse tracks perfectly on multiple surface types. I even tried it on carpet just for fun and it works on there too!! It's pretty cool to sit on my bed with my laptop and use my mouse on the comforter.

Anyway, I've only been using it a few days so I have no comment on battery life. The mouse turns off on its own pretty quickly, which will hopefully conserve battery.

The shape of the mouse makes for a comfortable fit in my hand. The scroll wheel turns VERY smoothly, unlike my previous click-scroll wheel. This meant it took a little bit for my fingers to adjust to the same level of accuracy with scrolling but it's definitely not a minus. The extra two buttons alongside my thumb were a nice idea but the one closest to my palm is harder to push. I never use it but that may be an issue for someone else.


Overall, I'm really happy with this mouse. It's got this awesome blue halo it throws around itself when you're using it. It fits great in my hand. It tracks flawlessly. What else could I really want?

I purchased two of these mice, one for my iMac and then when I liked it, one for my MacBook. I basically like the mice and after getting used to the heavier weight find it easy to use.

The reason I am writing this review is to tell about the defective rechargeable battery system on both mice and hope it helps other folks. I will try to keep the story short, but with enough detail that might help others with the same symptoms.

The mice appeared to work for a few weeks, the red light never came on, but I would recharge them every so often. Then the red light (indicating low battery) would come on very soon after taking off the station. I purchased new rechargeable batteries thinking perhaps the batteries were defective. The behavior continued with two different sets of batteries. Using a friend's battery tester, the rechargeable battery tested almost completely full, but the red light would still come on. I put a regular battery (which tested 100% charged), used it for a week and the red light came on. I put one of the new rechargeables in for about 24 hours and the green light was still flashing, indicating it was still charging.

I called Microsoft support, 800-642-7676, talked to a representative, who talked to his advisers and they declared both of them defective and are sending two replacements, which I appreciate.

Here's hoping the new ones work correctly. I know someone else with two of these and the battery charging system works just fine, so we shall see.

I just bought this mouse and it is absolutely amazing and I think everyone is being way too critical! The scrolling is wonderful, the bluetrack technology is great, the recharging is very useful.

I have a Mac and so far all of the buttons have worked exactly as they are supposed to. The forward and back buttons work perfectly in Firefox and Safari and the scroll wheel works in iTunes.

When recharging the mouse, the light turns solid green once it is fully charged. Not to mention that you don't have to fiddle with it to get it to stay on the charger because the light (either red, blinking green, or green) comes on when charging begins.

Furthermore, for the person that complained about the mouse not working on transparent surfaces, the box specifically says "BlueTrack Technology does not work on clear glass or mirrored surfaces" - so it's really not fair to expect the mouse to do something that it specifically says it can't do.

This mouse is a replacement for the Mighty Mouse which seems to break ever 6 months or so, and doesn't have nearly as many wonderful features as the Explorer. Hands down, best mouse I've ever used!

Really like this mouse. The 'clickless' mousewheel is very smooth & quiet. The mouse tracks well on all kinds of surfaces. I'm on the couch now, using the armrest as a mousepad. A few minutes ago, I was using the dog's stomach (she's on the couch too) as the mouse pad.

It seems like the mouse should snap into the charger dock, but it doesn't, it just sort of sits on top of it. I initially was putting a book on top of the mouse in the charger to keep it down, but found out that was unnecessary. It charges even though it doesn't mount into the dock.

I've had millions of mice over the years it seems, this one is my favorite.

I bought this mouse as a replacement for the most recent in a series of Logitech MX Revolutions. Thus far I've found this mouse to be comfortable and pretty precise, and certainly not a bad value for the price. Also I'm a Mac user and it seems it's pretty compatible. (I have not tried to program any of the buttons yet etc.)

I do LOVE the quiet scrolling. That "zip, zip" noise that most other mice make when you are scrolling can get annoying at times, especially when you are trying to be quiet. :) I also like the look of the design, and being a designer myself, that sort of thing is important to me. So if you are an appreciator of aesthetics and not just functionality, you'll probably like this mouse a lot.

I'm not thrilled with the charger though...it doesn't feel like it fits the mouse exactly which causes me to fiddle with it a bit to make sure it's actually on there. It probably would have been a better design if it was upright.

Though the mouse is pretty comfortable, I think it could also be a little higher in the palm area and maybe a little smaller. By design it causes you to hold it lower, putting your wrist pretty much right on the desk (instead of slightly raised)

I also like the blue light feature but it's a little over played, since it actually only comes on when you take out the battery. It is supposed to come on when the mouse is awoken from "sleep" mode but thus far mine has not. I realize it would probably kill the battery completely though if it was on all the time...but it would be nice to see it more often. :)

All in all, not a bad effort, especially for a first run product.

Pros:

- cheap
- excellent tracking due to BlueTrack technology
- large comfortable size to rest your hand on
- impressive blue glow when it turns on

Cons:

- TERRIBLE battery life. avg 8 hours/day = 2 weeks battery life. Tested repeatedly with Alkaline AA and NimH AA rechargeables.
- TERRIBLE radio reception. I had the USB dongle 4 feet away and the mouse would stutter and skip. I had to move it to the front of my tower (3 feet away) to get a solid connection!
- Mouse wheel scrolls freely with NO notches. Makes it impossible to middle click without accidentally scrolling. Terrible for games that weapon-switch on scroll.
- Mouse wheel has extreme sensitivity, impossible to select a precise choice in certain games/apps
- Front thumb side button is impossible to reach while holding a normal/comfortable grip

My friend has a MS Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and got one YEAR - yes a FULL YEAR!!! out of a pair of AA batteries. This thing only lasts 2 WEEKS on a single AA alkaline.

1) I am a male with average size hands. The mouse arches too high for me; height of this mouse (the regular explorer mouse) is 1.8 inches.

2) The wireless signal is not good if there is not a direct path from the USB receiver to the mouse. I used this mouse with a desktop computer that sat on the floor. At times the mouse's pointer jumping and unresponsiveness was unbearable. I adjusted my workstation to get better reception which did help, but not acceptable enough for a wireless mouse. While I was waiting for this mouse to be shipped to me I used my wife's wireless mouse and had no wireless problems.

3) The final straw came today when I had left my mouse off the charger overnight (I forgot). Already I had noticed that the mouse had some diffiulty with staying charged for extended times. I work with a mouse on my job constantly and can understand if a mouse would run down over time. But this battery life is especially short when considering the other wireless mouses on the market that can be used for 6 or more months at a time before recharging the battery. I had a full charge on the mouse before starting work yesterday. I put in over 10 hours on the computer, using the mouse extensively. Then went to bed without charging. Came in to work today and no mouse - dead battery. Not acceptable, even if I forgot to charge the mouse overnight.

Maybe replacing the rechargeable battery that came with the mouse may help the mouse to operate for longer times, but it is not worth trying it considering the other issues with the mouse.

There are a few features I do like about the mouse, but not enough to keep it. The programmable side thumb buttons come in handy. The scroll wheel is smooth and nice. I also like programming the scroll wheel button.

I'd previously been holding off on getting a wireless mouse for my desktop - I was interested, certainly, and I knew it would save on some of my accumulated wire clutter - but as a gamer I worried about the sort of responsiveness it might have, or worse yet, the battery life. My roommate in college had a terrible wireless mouse that would constantly need to be fed new batteries and would die without any warning.

When I needed a new portable mouse for my laptop, though, I decided to try the Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse. I'd heard great things about it, and the BlueTrack technology that allowed it to track on even difficult surfaces like carpet really appealed to me. I tried it out, and was floored by how well it worked for my laptop. But would the larger, desktop version work just as well? I'm thrilled to report that yes - in fact, this mouse greatly exceeded my expectations. I sometimes forget to put the mouse back on its recharging dock at night, and I've STILL never had a problem with the battery life. It tracks on my desk without need for a mousepad, and has been able to work fine on a multitude of other surfaces, including the top of my bed while using my computer for watching movies.

The design is sleek and pleasant not just to look at, but also to hold. I'm extremely happy with how comfortable it is, and its responsiveness is top-notch when I'm gaming. On caveat that may turn some people off is that there is no tactile feedback from scrolling the mouse wheel. It threw me off at first, but I've definitely gotten used to it. All in all, this is a fantastic mouse that I would definitely purchase again if I needed one for another system.

I bought this mouse for two main reasons:

1. The Design - I was looking for a right-handed mouse with side buttons. This mouse is definitely one of the better designs out there because of its large dome shape which fits nicely in the palm of my hand. The side buttons are very long making them easy to distinguish with your thumb. The mouse wheel is different than some because it turns smoothly rather than clicking which I have found to be much more preferable once you have experience with this type of wheel.

2. Rechargeable - Not only does the mouse come with a rechargeable battery but can also use normal AA's too. So ignore those critics about its life span being a problem if you don't have your charger with you for a long period of time, because you can always carry a regular AA with you which would probably come in very handy on international trips.

Additionally, there are two other great aspects of this mouse:

1. Appearance - it has a very aesthetic look. The blue light that fades on and off when it is removed from the charger is a nice appeal. The overall color scheme blends well with most black computers (such as Dell) because of its gray, chrome, and black color scheme.

2. Price - This mouse is impressive for the price. The ability to recharge it alone makes it a steal.