Microsoft Wireless Media Desktop 1000 (Black)

by Microsoft

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 18.7 x 3.2 inches ; 10.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001B8CU8U
• Item model number: ZHA-00001
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #42 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Keyboards, Mice & Input Devices > Keyboard & Mouse Combos
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2008

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Overview:

Sit back and enjoy fast, easy access to all your favorite digital pictures, music, videos—and more—with this sleek, ultra-thin quiet touch keyboard. The companion wireless mouse delivers ergonomic comfort and advanced productivity with Microsoft® High Definition Optical Technology, Flip 3D button, and Magnifier.

Features:

Flip 3D Key Press this key to display a 3D overlay of all open windows and cycle through them.		Hot Keys One-touch access to Windows Media® Player, e-mail, Home, calculator, My Documents, instant messaging, and photos.		High Definition Optical Technology More responsive, more precise, smoother tracking.
Magnifier Enlarge screen detail.		Two-Way Scroll Wheel For faster on-screen navigation.		Extended Battery Life Average 6+ months of battery life.

Additional Features: Windows Start Button: Simply press to launch your Start menu. If you have Windows Vista installed, search your PC or the Web right from there. Media Center: Control your media activities with the touch of a button. "My Favorites" Keys: Customize these 5 keys to instantly bring up the photos, folders, files, and Web pages you use most. Simply push and hold to set. Enhanced F Keys: Perform common commands from your keyboard. Spill-Resistant: Integrated water channels drain the liquid away. Quiet Touch Keys: Quiet, responsive, thin-profile keys. Wireless: Less clutter on your desktop. Gadgets: One-touch access to weather, stock quotes, and more.

System Requirements: Windows Vista® or Windows® XP 100 MB hard drive space or Mac OS X v10.2x–10.5x 30 MB hard drive space Windows-compatible speakers or headphones USB CD-ROM drive 4 AA alkaline batteries (included)

Product Description

A Sleek, Wireless Desktop Designed for Your Digital Lifestyle. Sit back and enjoy fast, easy access to all your favorite digital pictures, music, videos and more with this sleek, ultra-thin quiet touch keyboard. The companion wireless mouse delivers ergonomic comfort and advanced productivity with Microsoft High Defi nition Optical Technology, Flip 3D button, and Magnifier.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I wanted this to work better than it does, December 7, 2008

By 

Patrick Oden (San Dimas, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Media Desktop 1000 (Black) (Personal Computers)

(What's this?)

Prior to getting this, I have been using a Dell provided Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, made by Logitech I believe.

Which means I'm probably a little spoiled for wireless products. The only fault was that the battery life was a bit less than I would have preferred. Indeed, I was also intrigued by quiet typing and water resistance claims. So, I took the leap and got this Microsoft set.

First the bad. The mouse is worthless. Really is. I've gotten used to the side buttons and other features of my present mouse. This mouse has the two buttons and a scroll wheel. The two buttons work okay, but the wheel makes for entirely random scrolling. It does not keep a steady speed, has no relation to the mouse setting in windows, and the average speed of scrolling is immensely slow, only a couple of lines.

Add this to the fact that affects both mouse and keyboard. The wireless connection is rather disappointing.

This set comes with a receiver that plugs into a usb port. The receiver is needlessly designed to look like an interesting addon. It is about the size of two mouses put together, with green lights on top that light up when connected. I'm a bit bothered by all the little lights computers seem to insist on and this just makes for more bother. If you could hide it, that might be okay, but the signal isn't strong enough. I have it right under my monitor and still get popups saying it has lost connection. It was really bad with the mouse, but still occasionally lapses with the keyboard, that is a foot away.

Any obstruction causes more problems. A real hassle. And adds to the general imprecision.

The keyboard itself is nice. The key noise really is significantly quieter. I've not tested the water resistance, but am comforted that it is there. The layout is a bit wider than other keyboards I've used, making for an initial bit of transition as I have to reach a bit farther for the higher keys. Those with smaller hands might find it uncomfortably wide. The programmable and media buttons are certainly handy, making for really quick access to programs that might not be always within an easy click.

Yet, I'm not sure such ease overcomes the deficiencies. I've already gone back to my bluetooth mouse. Now I'm using two usb ports for mouse and keyboard, a situation that may not continue and may get me to retire the microsoft keyboard as well. Which is sad. I wanted it to work better, but am ultimately frustrated by the wirelessness of the wireless.

It's not too costly, but the frustration it brings might justify either a little more money to get a setup that can be used without frustration, or invested in a non-wireless combo that provides all the functions without any batteries or bother.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, quiet keys. Not too bouncy, nor too mushy. For basic use. Not for home theater., December 1, 2008

By 

Michael J. Descy (Marlboro, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Media Desktop 1000 (Black) (Personal Computers)

(What's this?)

I've had two wireless keyboard/mouse combos in the past: one by Logitech and another by Microsoft. The Microsoft one I used to have was the Microsoft Office Wireless keyboard, which had phenomenal feel, fit, and finish. That one died before its time--all it took was a splash of coffee into it, and some of the keys shorted out perminantly. Thus, I was in the market for a replacement. The advertised spill-resistant keys and the simple, low-profile design, and the overall small(ish) size of the set attracted me to this product.

This keyboard wins points for me by having a small footprint, so it doesn't take too much room on my desk. I type all day, and my hands creep up, so I want a keyboard that doesn't require me to move my fingers up and down too much, and one that I can type accurately on. This model has a low action, and its keys are soft, springy, and pretty quiet. It feels a little mushy, especially compared to my MacBook's keyboard, but it is comfortable and accurate.

The keys gently slope down, so that the spacebar and lower arrow are tapered toward the bottom of the keyboard. This seems to be a trend in new keyboards. I don't like it that much, because it encourages your fingers to slip off the "chording keys" (ctrl, alt, super). My fingers don't slip off the control key as I thought they would, so I do not consider the key sloping a problem.

For a wireless keyboard, it is extremely important that the receiver pick up every keystroke I make. I've had older models that wouldn't pick up certain letters or key combinations. Happily, this keyboard suffers from none of those problems--at least at the 3 foot range from the receiver.

The mouse is very pedestrian. It has a hard, plastic shell, which feels pretty cheap. It is solid and fairly weighty (I'm used to smaller notebook sized Microsoft mice). It performs well, but is nothing special. It doesn't have the horizontal scroll wheel function that many Microsoft mice have now, but that functionality isn't terribly useful (even to an Excel jockey like me) so it isn't missed here. Still, it would be nice if the mouse had extra buttons, like Microsoft's typically excellent Intellimouse line.

I believe this keyboard/mouse combination would adequately replace a wired combo for any desktop use. The wireless adapter only takes up one USB port, which I thought was very nice. Unfortunately, the unit's range is very low. After I get 5-6 feet away from the receiver, the keyboard and mouse don't work. This is not a problem for me, but it would be if I wanted to use this set with a home theater.

Overall, I like this unit and I'm glad I have it. The keyboard is one of my favorites among all wireless keyboards I've used or tested, based mainly on its keys, action, and relatively compact size. The mouse and the wireless range are disappointing, however. I'm giving this unit 4 stars because it works well for basic computer use and comes at a reasonable price. 80-90% of computer users would be happy with this, I think.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Easy Modification to make the Mouse GOOD, January 31, 2010

By 

Stephen R. Taylor (Woburn, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Media Desktop 1000 (Black) (Personal Computers)

KEYBOARD:

This is the cheapest wireless mouse/keyboard offered at my local Best Buy. I thought I was taking a risk, but the keyboard is great. If you want super fancy, spend $100 on the keyboard that controls your home media station perfectly. Otherwise, get this one.

PROS
The keys are shaped to finger pads (a MUST for a comfortable keyboard)
The keys depress easily.

CON
The function keys (F1, F2, etc) are printed in blue ink above symbols on the actual keys. I don't like it, but this is minor.

MOUSE:

I thought the mouse sucked, but you can make it a good mouse, despite being a bit bulky, with just three basic buttons: left/right/middle + scrolling.
Out of the box, the scroll wheel is just ridiculous. Choppy, clicky, bad. If you are willing to be a little creative and void the warranty, there is an easy fix:

1)take the batteries out.
2)undue the little screw that is revealed.
3)take the components apart. The circuit board, still attached to the base, should pretty much fall out. This is the piece that you want.
4)The wheel and its casing is clipped into the circuit board. Carefully un-clip it.
5)Now, carefully un-clip the wheel frame its little plastic casing.
6)You will see that the inside of the wheel contains little ridges, which rub against a small prong on the "wheel casing" in order to create the clicking of the mouse. Cut the prong off for 100% smooth scrolling. Better yet, carefully use a sharp knife to shave down the little plastic bump on the prong itself. I shaved it down about 90%.
7)Reassemble the mouse. It should now work smoothly. Smooth scrolling action on the wheel! The screen scrolling is still not 100% smooth, but it scrolls continuously as you move the wheel, instead of jerky half pages at a time!

Start to finish, less than 5 minutes. This is an easy modification for anyone comfortable using a knife in close quarters. This modification saved me from buying a new mouse for the wireless keyboard that I like.

BOTTOM LINE: Great for budget-conscious people looking for a wireless keyboard/mouse.