Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer ( M03-00001 )

by Microsoft

Product Details

Product Manual [216kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005NVBT
• Item model number: M03-00001
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 20, 2001

Product Description

No cord to limit your movement or clutter your desk. Use up to 6 feet from the receiver. 5 customizable buttons. Line of sight not required. Compatible with Mac and PC platforms

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE!!!, November 18, 2001

By 

Thomas Lunsford "Computer Engineer" (Pensacola, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer ( M03-00001 ) (Personal Computers)

Think about the following before buying...

If you read all the nice reviews here about this mouse, you'll find that most of them have some sort of issue with the mouse:
- The battery life is short (recharging cradle would be nice).
- The mouse makes noise.
- Return from power-saving mode is sluggish.

To me the last item makes the mouse nearly unusable. Often, I'll be reading an article and try to scroll after a few seconds, but the mouse will not do anything for more than a second. Additionally, the mouse senses if you have your hand "in place" before powering up, so if you ever move the mouse with just a finger or two (sure, it's not often, but it happens), it will not work because it doesn't power up.

UPDATED INFO (2001/11/25):
I've been in contact with Microsoft support. The customer service representative was very thorough in trying to remedy the delay in powering up. However, the final answer I get is, "Upon further research I have in-fact found what you are experiencing is a feature of the Wireless Explorer. This is by design to extend the battery life."

One person's feature is another's bug.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant on paper, significantly flawed in use, March 13, 2002

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer ( M03-00001 ) (Personal Computers)

I purchased the Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer several weeks ago, and it is my first foray into the world of cordless mouses. It's a very nice looking and comfortable (for right-handed people, at least) product. It appears to have very effective power saving technology judging by the way the optical sensor acts, although the real test will be how the batteries hold up in the coming months. The red glow of the sensor is mostly concealed and so is not distracting when using it in the dark (unlike some Logitech models).

The unit's five buttons and flexible software for configuring them add significantly to the usability of your system - no longer do you need to use awkward key combinations for common operations (e.g. cutting and pasting).

However, the cordless technology exhibits some significant, intrinsic flaws.

The most obvious is the weight of the unit (mostly due to the batteries). On most surfaces, the weight of the mouse creates a great deal of friction between itself and the surface - it simply doesn't "glide" like other mouses. I've found this very fatiguing. On some surfaces (e.g. 3M Precise Mousing Surface), it has a tendency to 'stick' as well, making it even worse.

Compared to my USB mouses (both ball and optical types), the movement of the cursor isn't as smooth - it feels like an old PS/2 mouse in this regard. This is because of the relatively low sample rate when compared to a corded USB mouse. But perhaps the most significant pitfall is the poor response time and resultant lack of precision. This can be illustrated by moving the mouse a tiny bit, and seeing that the cursor on the screen doesn't move at all. Doesn't sound very significant, until you start trying to work with very small movements of sliders (e.g. a volume slider), precisely selecting an area in an image, or simply aiming quickly and accurately in a 3D shooter game.

Unfortunately, the weight and precision problems have conspired to make this mouse unsuitable for general use on my PC. Actually, that's stating it unemotionally - not being able to adjust a slider or select an area of the screen with precision, or aim accurately in my favourite fast action games, is extremely frustrating. The higher your screen resolution, the worse this problem will be.

Because of these issues, I've gone back to using my corded Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse as my primary mouse (though I still long for the extra buttons of the IntelliMouse Explorer). Thankfully, one of the main reasons I purchased the Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer was to use it as a "remote control" when playing DVDs on my TV using the PC's DVD drive. It serves that purpose well. However, if it weren't for its alternate use, I probably would've returned this mouse.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU LEAVE YOUR COMPUTER ON ALL THE TIME!, January 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer ( M03-00001 ) (Personal Computers)

It seemed like a fairly nice idea. Wireless. No tethers. Optical precision. Sounds cool. And I figured that even though it was wireless, the batteries would last about as long as other wireless peripherals (like a wireless keyboard) that I have.

Of course in retrospect I should have realized that even if stowed in a dark desk drawer, the mouse would be constantly chattering to its base station.

In short, battery usage is MUCH too high for users who have their PCs on 24-hours a day. On brand new high quality alkalines, I get 4-6 days before the batteries are drained. With rechargeables, I get about 10 hours.

Suspecting at first that I might simply have a defective unit, I got a replacement unit. Same problem. Identical statistics.

As for precision... the mouse is decent, if a bit sluggish. It goes into sleep mode occasionally (though apparently not reliably enough to conserve the batteries!) and thus you get occasional jerks in motion when it doesn't respond for a few seconds while waking up.

The ergonomics feel quite comfortable to my hand. Scroll wheel motion is smooth. I like the extra 2 side buttons, especially for browsing.

All in all, I suspect that the wired version of this mouse is quite good. Most of the problems I've encountered can be attributed, directly or indirectly, to the wireless functionality (i.e. jerky motion, sluggishness, inconvenience of frequent battery replacement).

But the problems of wirelessness seriously detract from the usefulness of this mouse. I strongly disrecommend its use for those with always-on PCs. And even for those not in that category, I would recommend you try your best not to be lured in by the "wireless" gadgetry. Remember that you still have a "wire" plugging into the machine for the base station, so this isn't a space saver. Unless you absolutely, positively HAVE TO have the wireless feature (for instance if you're sitting 50 feet away from the computer and using the mouse on your lap), then do yourself a BIG favor and avoid wireless mice. It isn't just the Microsoft wireless mice that suffer from these problems. I've tried 'em all and none are much better.