Customer Reviews

Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is my first wireless desktop and I've been very pleased with it. I occasionally get a problem with one of my PCs where the mouse and keyboard lock during bootup, forcing me to plug in a wired keyboard simply to reboot. However, this happens rarely plus I've got a real Frankenstein of complexity going on between my multiple PCs (relevant detail: wireless desktop into Belkin KVM swtich). Plus, this problem has never occurred on any of the other three PCs that the desktop is controlling, so problem may be in that one PC.

Anyway, the only daily gripe that I have is that the keys are configured differently than most other keyboard. I'm a big keyboard shortcut guy and rely heavily on the section of keys with Home, End, Insert, Delete, etc. I guess in order to make the keyboard a little smaller, the keys are in differently places than on most 102-key keyboards. Not only did this take me a while to get used to, but this also means that I'm messed up when using other PCs, i.e. at the office. This is a trifle, but worth mentioning.

I was wary in the beginning about the mouse and keyboard using batteries, but I'm happy to say that I haven't had to change either after over a month of heavy use. Of course, they may die at any inst

The concept of a cordless keyboard and mouse is nice, but the application is less than perfect. The product is handsome and well-constructed and seems durable enough to withstand heavy usage. It installed quickly and effortless into Windows XP Pro. The unit requires batteries to be installed into both the keyboard and the mouse, which is a little inconvenient, but an onscreen alert warns you to change the batteries when the power is low, so you don't get surprised with a dead mouse or keyboard every few weeks.

However, from the beginning, I've had trouble with the unit. Although the mouse tracks fairly accurately without a cord, every once in awhile, the cursor flies widely across the screen for no discernable reason. This doesn't happen enough to make the unit unusable, but it does happen enough to be annoying.

Almost immediately, I began experiencing periods where the mouse would stop working, sometimes for long periods of time (days) although the keyboard would still work. I eventually discovered that a 2.4 gigahertz cordless phone near the mouse was the culprit. Whenever the phone was out of the cradle, the mouse would freeze. I solved the problem by getting a new phone, although I now have a corded phone so that I can have a cordless mouse. This is self-defeating for my objective of getting rid of cords running across my desk, but at least everything was working.

However, after a few months of use, the keyboard stopped working. The cordless phone was long gone and not to blame and multiple battery changes, reinstalling the software, and checking the hardware failed to correct the problem.

After days of wrestling with the problem, I finally ditched the offending keyboard and replaced it with a USB keyboard. Although I'm back to having a cord, it's a small price to pay for a keyboard that works reliably and doesn't need constant troubleshooting.

I still have the cordless mouse, which works adequately, but every once in awhile the cursor flies widely across the screen to remind me of the folly of this purchase. Corded keyboards and mice work well. Although cordless would be nice, it doesn't seem to me that the technology is adequate yet. Bottom-line, I want my keyboard and mouse to work without any effort on my part. Corded versions to do this well, but the cordless equivalents offer less reliability.

I don't recommend this product, although if you wanted to buy one slightly used, we could probably work something out......

I purchased this as an upgrade to an old Microsoft Internet keyboard. Right off the bat, the stylish look had me hooked. I was a bit wary about wireless, but so far no problems. It works like a charm.

Unlike other wireless keyboards, this one does not need a direct line-of-sight to the reciever. I've typed with my back to the computer, as well as clear across the room. It works fine. The software that came with the keyboard is the same standard "Intelli Type Pro" that comes with all the Microsoft boards. It's very good and comes in handy if you'd like the hotkeys at the top of the board to do something else. The hotkeys at the top are My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, a Play/Pause/Stop/Prev/Next and volume control grouped in the middle, a mute button, Mail, Web/Home that will activate your browser, and Messenger. The Messenger button worried me a bit because I thought it was hard coded for Microsoft's MSN service, however the software lets you change it to anything.

There is an F-Lock key on the board that might take some getting used to, but comes in very handy. If you have the lock on, the F keys will work as normal. However if you turn the F lock off, the F keys will do a lot of other tasks such as replying, forwarding and sending e-mail, bringing up a spellchecker, saving and printing any document or web page you're currently on, and more. All the buttons are labeled with these extra functions, which is nice. The software will also let you change these as well.

I do have a couple issues with it. There is a bit of a learning curve if you're used to basically any standard keyboard. The F keys are laid out in groups of 3, instead of the usual 4. Also, Microsoft changed the Home, End, Page Up/Down, and Delete keys a bit by putting them in 2 columns instead of 3. The the Insert key is up in the F key area and the Delete key is double size. The arrow keys are nudged over to the left a bit (see images). Futhermore, the Windows key only appears on the left side on this board. These changes are probably not a big problem if you don't use these keys much or at all, but if you do and especially are a touch typer, it might throw you off for a little while.

The mouse is a bit heavy with the double A batteries and also might take some getting used to. The light on the bottom does not turn off when you boot down. Apparently the batteries (included) are supposed to last a few months, but mine started going out in about 3 weeks with daily use. The software that comes with the package lets you program the scroll wheel when it's clicked with a plethora of standard and common commands. A message pops up on the screen when the batteries are getting low, which is very nice.

Overall, this is a very good wireless keyboard and mouse combo.

I got this setup for X-mas, and based on previous bad reviews on Microsoft's wireless Optical Mouse, I had needless concerns. The mouse is a real rocket, fast and exact and you can custom tailor it to the speed and feel you want. It is absolutely superb. The keyboard shines with all the superb multimedia buttons that give me instant access to my music, photos, e-mail as well as volume controls, play controls etc. It is stacked. Microsofts experience shows through on its ease of installation. Just slap in the CD and the software loads in minutes and the hardware hook up takes seconds. I was up and running in under 5 minutes. I use Windows 98 with a Pentium II computer and I am flying with this dream of a X-mas gift. I highly recommend this, it is hard to beat the price and performance. Logitech will soon be filing for Chapter 11 because Microsoft has broken the code on wireless and optical hardware.

Ok, let me start by saying that like most other human beings I don't like Microsoft, but lets not allow this to prevent us from judging a product objectively.
This keyboard-mouse combo does exactly what it should do, nothing less, but a few things more.
The keyboard is excellent. Reception is perfect, and the extra multimedia keys work well and are programmable with the supplied drivers. The fact that the CAPS/NUMLOCK lights are on the receiver haven't bothered me a bit so far.
The mouse is simple yet efficient. It does what it should, a bit heavy and most be used from a shorter range than the keyboard (but still surpasses the 6-foot specification), but other than that very good.
Installation couldn't be easier, unless you're a complete newbie to computers. Battery life is good, channel switching is possible (though I didn't need it at all), and the design looks great.
The price is very cheap, what more do you need?
Very recommended.

I love this keyboard and mouse. I'm one of those people who have an extremely cluttered desk, and the ability to remove some cords and have the freedom to position the keyboard and mouse any way I want appealed to me. It was pretty easy to set up. I had to try a couple of times to get the receiver to find the mouse, but that's the only problem I had. The only thing that prevented me from giving this five stars are the keyboard short cut keys (e.g. Media Player, Mail, Messenger, etc.) If you are running Windows XP in workgroup mode and have more than one user logged in, these keys will open the associated app for all of the logged in users -- potentially a memory drain. Other than that, this is one excellent package.

I plugged the keyboard and mouse into my P-4 running ME and booted up. It worked immediately, without the software. I did need to install the driver to get the multimedia keys to work. They are nice. I use MM Jukebox to play MP3s. I expected Microsoft to have the system default to their own media player, but when I hit the music key, Jukebox popped up with my last play list. The volume and play keys worked without a hitch. The mute key is a great feature when you receive phone calls. I have a 2.4hz wireless phone and a wireless network. Neither were disrupted by this system, or had an effect on the performance of the mouse/keyboard. If they do, you can select a different channel. Other fast keys include MyDocuments and MyPictures. A nice feature on the keyboard is printing on the front side of keys used in combination with the Ctrl key. For instance, the "B" key says BOLD, the "C" key says COPY and so on. The only reason I did not give this product five stars is because of the mouse. I was using a wired Intellimouse Explorer and liked the programmable thumb keys that I used for Forward/Back. They are missing on the wireless mouse. My original Intellimouse Explorer came with a limited lifetime warranty. One of the thumb switches stopped working after three years of heavy use. Microsoft replaced it promptly at no charge. I was impressed. Unfortunately, the wireless keyboard/mouse combo comes with only a 30 day warranty. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The Package:
- Setup was easy. I use a KVM switch, which was one of the reasons I liked this package, because of it's support for PS/2 connections.

The Keyboard:
- Performance was excellent. There was never a delay, and the shortcut buttons were a nice convenience.
- The layout is awkward with regards to the Home|Delete|End|PageUp|PageDown keys. Microsoft apparently wanted to reduce the width of the keyboard, but I would have prefered the standard layout.

The Mouse:
- Performance was choppy. At times the mouse pointer would "stutter", and other times it would fly across the screen just fine. This is annoying. I tried different batteries (the problem started within minutes of use with the batteries included in the box), different mouse pads, and making sure that there was a clear line of sight to the receiver (only 3 feet away).

I give this product 3 stars for a good performing keyboard but a sub-par mouse...

1st off amazon is the best.. I ordered this item Monday, and it has arrived to me 2 days later on Wednesday, can't beat Amazon! As far as the keyboard is concerned, love it.. works great and keys are nice.. Mouse is also very nice.. I tryed the Logitech brand, liked it, but it was heavier..this one does appear lighter.. Overall a great deal if you want to get rid of some wires in your computer work area...

I love this wireless duo. I use the set at home with my Gateway laptop and its so nice to have a simple hookup and fewer wires in the way. My cat can't pull the wires and mess up my work anymore! I'm still on my first set of batteries after 2 months and very pleased with the overall performance. Only 2 minor issues: First, if you use the NUM Lock to use the 10 key pad and fail to unlock it prior to disconnect, the F Lock sticks on the laptop keypad. Second,I got spoiled using the extra side buttons as back/forward on my previous optical mouse and this mouse does not have that lovely feature. For a casual home user its a great buy.