Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro v2.0

by Microsoft

Product Details

Product Manual [283kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 20.5 x 10.8 x 4.1 inches ; 4.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000AOWVP
• Item model number: K48-00019
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 16, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Add wireless freedom, stylish looks, and one-touch features to your desktop with the Wireless Optical Desktop Pro keyboard and mouse combination. This desktop package features customizable keys, optical mouse technology, and a comfortable, ergonomic design. The Wireless MultiMedia keyboard's split, gently sloped shape encourages a natural hand, wrist, and forearm position for maximum comfort. Also, your digital media activities are within easy reach--start, play, and navigate music and video clips with the touch of a button. Customizable hot keys let you quickly start Messenger, Mail, Internet, and Calculator programs. And get one-touch access to files stored in the My Documents, My Pictures, and My Music folders in Windows. Perform common tasks right from your keyboard--press a button to open, close, and save documents, send and forward e-mails, put the computer to sleep, log off, and more. Press the F LOCK key to toggle between standard and enhanced function key commands.

The mouse's wider, clear scroll wheel allows you to comfortably move through documents and Web pages quickly without clicking the scroll bar. Accelerated scrolling reacts to how quickly you roll the wheel, saving you time and effort. And the optical sensor replaces your mouse ball, for accuracy and precision--no mouse pad needed. It's ambidextrous, too--whether you control it with your right or left hand, the wireless optical mouse is shaped for comfort.

Both the keyboard and mouse work within six feet of the included receiver, even if your computer is out of sight. The pair comes with a three-year warranty.

Product Description

MICROSOFT K48-00019 - Add wireless freedom, stylish design, and advanced one-touch functionality to your desktop! The Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro provides customizable keys, optical mouse technology, and a comfortable, ergonomic design. Comfort and performance never looked so good! Interface - USB 2.0 - 1.1 or PS/2 OS Compatibility - Windows Me or Mac OS 10.1 to 10.3 (excluding Mac OS X)

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

162 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Setup, Extremely Comfortable!, October 31, 2003

By 

Charles Chen "Keyboard Jockey" (East Windsor, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro v2.0 (Personal Computers)

Over the last 2-3 few years, I've used no less than 4 different keyboards and more than 8 different mice. As a programmer, I spend hours (10+) each day typing on the computer and then even more time after hours playing computer games. As such, the quest for a comfortable keyboard/mouse has been a long one; it has become my quest for the "Holy Grail" of comfort.

I have to say that I am impressed with thie setup. The mouse is one of the most comfortable ones that I've EVER used. The keyboard is soft, tactile, and well laid out (spacing + key size). Both components operate without the slightest hint of lag, which is one big turn off I had in my previous experiences with wireless input devices. As far as the materials quality, both components feel top notch. While the keyboard squeaks a bit when you torque it, the plastics are certainly of high quality and the design is clean and functional (lots of handy quick launch buttons, all well laid out and labeled).

Setup was a breeze. I was somewhat concerned as it appeared that I would have to use PS/2 to connect the keyboard while my laptop does not have a PS/2 board. However, the base station only needs to be connected via one USB port for both keyboard and mouse. And if you are using the USB interface with a newer O/S, this setup is completely plug and play with no need for any driver installation (for basic features). Some of the advanced features (like the horizontal scroll) require driver installation.

So far as battery life is concerned, I can't comment at this time. But hopefully will be on par with similar models (Logitech at work has been on same battery for 3+ months now).

So give this keyboard a shot if you've been waiting on the technology to catch up with the concept, if you've been having pain with other keyboard/mouse setups, or if you just want a cool looking wireless setup.

------UPDATE-------
Since I've gotten this set in October (mid March now), I've been on the same set of batteries for the keyboard and I've changed batteries once for the mouse. Keep in mind that this is with regular 10+ hours of use a day.

I've had some issues with the signal intering with other wireless devices (it's either my cell phone, cordless phone, or the router). This will cause the keyboard and mouse (mostly mouse) to act quirky. However, this can be resolved by 1) creating more space between your workspace and the suspect interering item and 2) hit the connect button on the base station and then on the mouse (usually the mouse goes quirky) a few times and it'll usually correct itself.

Other than that, I have to say that I am still extremely satisfied with my purchase. Extremely comfortable! Cramping and pain in my hands have been reduced drastically since using this set. It's hard to believe that, before I got this set, I was feeling numbness and twitching in my right hand...still some pain now (you can't help it with 10+ hours on the computer), but it's much, much better.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Reliable, Excellent Response, Long Battery Life, Stupid F-LOCK, May 3, 2006

By 

Richard J. Scanlan III "AKA Armand" (Lake Ridge, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro v2.0 (Personal Computers)

This keyboard does as it should. No problems typing from across the room (think multiple monitors or projection, not idiot who crosses the room to type just because it's wireless). Response is fast enough for gaming, and the keys don't object to being abused a little bit..

Most of the basher reviews here seem to be about software crashing or that F-LOCK function. F-LOCK does in fact suck. F-LOCK bypasses the Function keys in favor of gimmicky "OPEN" and "E-MAIL" buttons designed for non-users. I would give it five stars right out, but F-LOCK is a feature in need of elimination. So I gave it five stars anyway (based on the no-way-out status of F-LOCK). You see, sadly, Logitech has jumped on this bandwagon as well, so there is no escaping the gimped function keys. A good friend is still mourning the need to return his bluetooth MX-5000 due to the extreme multi-faceted suckage.

As for the software, eh, I've never noticed anything. It behaves for me on Windows 2000 and XP Pro alongside a whole host of various other devices.

It's an "older" model now, and no it doesn't "do" anything.. No LCD or awesome blue lights. No lights at all actually. The thing is completely solid, and I would absolutely buy another one if I needed another wireless keyboard.

**I will add one interesting bit of info, I've found that the keyboard seems to brodcast from the underside. If you put it flat on something too dense or irregularly shaped from too far away it has trouble sending a signal. The further away I am, the more propping the keyboard up at an angle helps the transmission.

54 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Get the function keys right, and it won't get returned!, January 13, 2004

By 

W. W. Lowrey IV "banzaibill" (Allen, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro v2.0 (Personal Computers)

OK - I bought one of these after returning a Logitech. Unfortunately, the thing that screwed up the Logitech is also a problem with this keyboard. As another reviewer noted, this keyboard is an FLOCK keyboard. What this means is that your function keys have been remapped to some "new and improved" settings. I've been using computers for 25 years, and I want the dang function keys to be function keys. I think it's actually much worse than the other reviewer said.

Here's the situation: If you want your function keys to work, you have to hit the FLOCK key. You have to do it every time you boot, as it won't remember your setting, and you can't toggle it permanently. So, if you want to hit F2 to get into your BIOS, you better hit that FLOCK key in the 1/2 second window and then the F2 key. The same applies if you want to get into Safe Mode (F8). In addition, if you forget to hit the stupid thing each time you boot, you'll find yourself doing something stupid, like cutting text or sending mail or whatever instead of what you wanted to do.

If it wasn't BIOS based (in the keyboard BIOS), you could probably easily toggle it with the driver, but they made it the default behavior for the keyboard. I'm extremely frustrated with Microsoft AND Logitech. If the leader of the herd jumps off a cliff, you don't have to follow!

This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen two companies do. This is an otherwise fine keyboard, but it's going back too. I tried to live with the Logitech for a week, but I'm not giving this one that long. I can pick up a Memorex keyboard for 1/4 the price. I'll do that instead, and I won't bother buying another Microsoft keyboard until they stop doing this. (I own 3 already between home and work).