Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite

by Microsoft

Product Details

Product Manual [283kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 7 inches ; 4.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000AOWWY
• Item model number: S51-00001
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 16, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Get the ultimate in performance, style, and comfort in a single package. Give your desktop all the best wireless features and functionality, with a cushioned palm rest, a Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer with revolutionary new Tilt Wheel Technology, one-touch multimedia keys, "My Favorites" keys, and comfortable, ergonomic design. You’ll think about your desktop in a whole new way.

Key Features

• Includes mouse
• Integrated palm rest
• Ergonomic design
• Wireless
• Hot keys
• Mac-compatible
• USB connector
• Multimedia
• PS/2 connector
• Tilt Wheel Technology

Experience unrivaled accuracy, speed, and control—new wheel functionality and intuitive software enables enhanced, accelerated scrolling through documents and Web pages. Depress the wheel to toggle between open windows, making multi-tasking a snap. Your screen will move as smoothly as the scroll wheel feels.

Features

Includes Wireless Optical Mouse and Keyboard
Enjoy desktop harmony—this set includes a wireless optical mouse that accents the stylish design of the keyboard.

Smart Receiver
Go wireless with confidence-smart technology sends a message when interference or low battery life is detected, reducing the likelihood of interruption.

Longer Battery Life
Finally, a solution to the top wireless hassle—now you can work longer without interruption. Many users experience a half year of battery life!

Wireless Freedom
Go wireless. Free your desktop from needless clutter and cables.

Product Description

Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite gives you two essentials – keyboard and mouse – in a single package. You get it all – top performance, sleek design, and state-of-the-art features – including Microsoft's revolutionary Tilt Wheel Technology. Together, it adds up to the ultimate in features and functionality. Optical Technology - High performance optical technology – no mouse ball - Optical sensor delivers greater accuracy and control. Tilt Wheel Technology Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite has Tilt Wheel Technology on both the keyboard and mouse to make scrolling easier, smoother, and faster than ever: - Side-to-side scrolling – now you can scroll horizontally as well as vertically. - Smooth scrolling – feel the unique wheel glide smoothly as you scroll through documents and web pages. - Enhanced Accelerated scrolling – Leap even farther and faster through your documents. Wireless Freedom with Longer Battery Life! - No cords or recharging station. The keyboard and mouse work within 6 feet of the receiver, even if your computer is out of sight (receiver included). - Longer battery life – many users average more than 6 months battery life! - 27 MHz wireless technology just got smarter. The Microsoft Smart Receiver notifies you of interference from other wireless devices and leads you through steps to reduce that interference. It even sends a message when the battery is low

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect (especially for gaming)...but darn close., April 22, 2004

By 

Matthew Dunphy (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite (Personal Computers)

I'm a developer, gamer, and I've built my own systems from scratch for the last 15 years-I've owned a wide variety of Logitech and MS input devices, most recently Logitech's MX Duo and this set. Neither is without their flaws, but ultimately I got rid of the MX Duo for this one.

Easy part first: The keyboard is great. It's definitely MS's best to date, and possibly the best one currently available. They seem to have figured out quite a bit from their previous boards, and this one does away with a lot of the useless features that previous ones had, and which Logitech boards are full of (like buttons for "Webcam", who needs that?). Extra buttons for multimedia, F Lock, and other doodads have been distinctively reshaped and repositioned, and they're just better, period. The leather-like palm rest, also great. They've retained their non-standard Delete cluster layout, which takes a little getting used to but I actually prefer it now over the traditional setup. Keystroke feel, very good. Not clicky or heavy but just right in my opinion. Also fairly quiet.

The board just LOOKS good too, especially if you have a black case or other black accessories. The keys are actually somewhat translucent, so you'll be able to see that coffee, OJ, and pet hair that inevitably makes it in there.

The new Favorites buttons are very useful, which give you five programmable buttons to go right to a website or file, or launch an app/game (getting this last to happen is a little more work, like making a new shortcut, but for websites and files, you just hold the button down until it programs). There's a worthless additional scroll wheel and buttons on the left side; if they ditched that, and maybe had backlit keys like some of the new electroluminescent ones, you'd have yourself a perfect keyboard.

The mouse is a little more of a mixed bag. To me the most important quality is shape and ergonomics, because I've had my fingers go numbish with using the wrong shape for hours on end. Logitech used to rule here, but they've gone in a different direction lately, and I find their MX designs to be very bad like that. My rightmost two fingers trail off and are uncomfortable; the MX overall has some unpleasant curves and edges to it. Looks good, feels not so good. The MS shape is supportive and much, much more comfortable, so it wins there, hands-down.

The new tilt wheel feature for side-to-side scrolling...is worthless. Enough said. But it's just there to ignore, and doesn't get in your way. It's not a revolution like the addition of the up/down scrolling mouse wheel was. You definitely won't be doing it by accident.

As a gamer, I like the mouse's response. I'm not a super-frag-twitcher who has to have 1500dpi or die, but it responds a lot more smoothly than my previous tailed Logitech optical, and seems about as smooth as the MX700. First-person shooters are a much better experience with it. I'd have to say that the MX700 has a smoother slickness in its slide on the pad, and the response seems maybe marginally better, but this one is just fine for me.

BE AWARE, if you're a gamer, that the wheel does NOT have detents-if you don't know the term, that means the `clicks' or `stops' when you roll it. It just rolls smoothly. This is way better for nongame scrolling; for work and surfing it's much better than the detents. Not so good for weapon select in the heat of battle. It takes a lot of getting used to, and the driver software makes it much worse-even on the lowest sensitivity, an accidental touch of the wheel can spin you through three weapon choices. Detents are better for gaming. Logitech has them, Microsoft doesn't. This alone might cause you to steer clear of the mouse if your thing is gaming. Also the middle button has a very heavy throw to it and it's difficult to get quick action out of in games when you assign it to a critical function.

This would be a perfect mouse if they made a gamer edition which has the detents, ditches the whole side-to-side scrolling nonsense, and made the middle click lighter.

Wireless issues: MS wins. Logitech was finicky about where its receiver was placed, and until I got it right, stuff wouldn't respond correctly. The MS receiver doesn't seem to care that much, but it did have issues with using the PS/2 keyboard plug (I leave mine dangling, and go USB-only).

On the other hand, the MX receiver is also a recharger for the mouse batteries, even when the computer isn't on (you do pay the price of another power cord running to the back of your computer at the USB plug). MS would do well to imitate that feature. I've only had mine for a couple of weeks so I can't speak to battery life, but even if they died this minute, I'd be keeping this set. The receiver also has lights on it for Num Lock, Caps, and F Lock-the board doesn't. I like that too. Logitech's receiver is similar there.

Far and away the worst part of the whole thing is the software. MS's current generation of Intellipoint/Intellitype drivers, 5.0, absolutely blows (and was never great to begin with). They limit you to only a few choices for what the keyboard and mouse buttons can be programmed to do, and they won't let you just use the excess mouse buttons as "Mouse 4" and "Mouse 5" so that games can assign functions to them. The programmability should be infinite, and it isn't. Logitech definitely has the upper hand with driver capability (they also go overboard on the features, it's kind of a theme with them). Also sadly missing is the ability to have "F Lock" on by default, although the new F Lock button is much better placed and easier to hit. Maybe they'll fix this in a future release, maybe not.

Overall, with those flaws noted, I'm very happy with this set. I'm even thinking about buying a second one so I can use it at work.

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Great Wireless Mouse and Keyboard Duo!, November 20, 2003

By 

John Bales (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite (Personal Computers)

Deciding between the Microsoft Wireless Elite Keyboard and Mouse and the similiar offering by Logitech was difficult. I read multiple reviews on each and they were both so closely matched that the decision was hard to make. I ended up buying the Microsoft product based on some features (buttons) I found useful for myself as well as my own personal preference for the Microsoft mouse. I am really happy with my decision. The Microsoft Elite keyboard really looks great on the desktop - very upscale with its faux-leather wrist rest. I don't have any complaints with the performance of either the wireless mouse or the keyboard - in fact, I find them as responsive as my corded ones. The nice thing is that I don't have those cords crawling across my crowded desktop and I'm not always tugging at my mouse cord which had a tendency to get caught on things behind my desk. I highly recommend the Microsoft Wireless Optical Elite Keyboard and Mouse duo. I also recommend buying from amazon.com for the savings as many stores are selling the boxed set at nearly $100.00.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We Love It!, September 13, 2005

By 

nws2002 (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite (Personal Computers)

We use these in a 24 hour air-medical dispatch center. Everyone loves them and they help to keep our desktops a little less cluttered. They look very sleek next to the Dell LCD monitors.

The keyboard and mouse are very comfortable to use for long periods and time. The keyboard has a slight step-down from the top to the bottom that took me a little getting used to, but I think its part of what makes it so comfortable. There is also a huge <DELETE> key and a myriad of quick launch buttons, including a calculator button aboce the number keypad. I never have to search in the desk drawer for a calculator now. My only real complaint is having to press the F lock button every time I log in. The keyboard has set to f1-f12 keys as MS Office apps features and you have to push the F Lock key to turn them back to regular f1-f12. Shouldn't be a big deal to the average person, but our programs here require the use of the function keys, so its a pain. The mouse wheel scrolls very smoothly, but I occasionally have problems with the left mouse button not working on the first try. Battery life has been awesome, we've had these things for 6 months, and no low battery warning yet. We use these things 24 hours with computer dispatch systems, and we've really had no problems.