Customer Reviews

Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro v2.0

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

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.

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.

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).

I purchased this keyboard and mouse combination off Amazon a couple of weeks and love them except for one glaring issue...the F-lock key. If you're use to function key shortcuts (ie - Alt-F4 to close a window, F7 to spell check, etc.) please be aware that Microsoft has disabled them by default and changed the keys to perform these various functions directly. Of course, spell check is now where F10 use to be, and "close" is F6, and so on. You can turn off this "advanced" functionality but you have to do this manually every time you turn on the computer!!! By the way there is a "hack" (registry edit) that is suppose to fix this but it hasn't worked on my XP machine with this keyboard. Other than the F-lock key (and a few other key re-arrangements - home, end, page up are moved around) I love this mouse and keyboard...the mouse is sensitive, keyboard very responsive and I like the upper row of keys (above the function keys) that launch email, media player, etc. directly.

I agree with the other reviewers that the F-Lock feature is quite a hassle. If the keyboard didn't boot to the mapped mode by default, I wouldn't have minded it. It would've been another useless feature for total newbies. But you have to REMEMBER to turn the mapping off every time you reboot!

Notice that I emphasized "remember", because I don't mind clicking an extra key every time I reboot. The problem is, many times I forget to turn the mapping off and end up with totally unexpected results.

For example, I'm used to pressing the F6 key when using IE or FireFox to move the cursor focus to the browser's address bar. I do this many times while browsing because I configured IE with PowerToys and use FireFox's bookmark keywords to write something like "imdb pulp fiction" or "amazon effective java" in the address bar to have IMDb search for the movie or Amazon lookup the book. Now if I forget to press the F-Lock key after I turned the computer on or restarted it, the browser's window will vanish away. The F-Lock feature remaps the F6 key to mean "Close" by default. Very annoying, especially if you don't remember exactly how you got to the webpage you were browsing.

What makes the F-Lock feature even worse is that you don't have a clue if it's ON or OFF by just looking at the keyboard, which takes me to the next annoying feature.

Instead of putting the CAPS-Lock, Num-Lock, and F-Lock (no pun intended) indicator lights on the keyboard, they put them on the wireless unit attached to the computer. I understand they made this decision to prolong battery life, but unless you have the wireless unit in sight, you won't see the indicators.

Finally, sometimes it does act funny, as some reviewers mentioned, and I'm sure it has to do with oversensitivity to EMI or radio interference. For example, many times pressing Ctrl-V (to paste) using the left Ctrl button doesn't seem to work and just sends a barrage of letter "V" to the computer. But that doesn't happen so often.

Having said that, I still give this keyboard four stars for the following reasons.

1) The mouse is much lighter than other wireless mice, and therefore puts less stress on the wrist.

2) The buttons are quiet, yet have clicky feel.

3) Smaller footprint than the previous MS Natural Keyboards, which means once you get used to it, your fingers travel less distance and type faster.

4) The new non-standard placement of the Insert, Delete, Home, Page Up, and Page Down keys, while needs some getting used to, is way better than the standard layout because it emphasizes usability. For example, on standard layouts, many times I unintentionally press the Insert key, and find myself overwriting text. In this new layout, Home and End are placed horizontally to emphasize their meaning (beginning and end of a line in a text editor); the Delete key is much bigger because it's the one you're most likely to use when editing text; and the Insert key has been moved way up because it's seldom used. But this will make using Shift-Insert (to paste) harder, so you'll have to use Ctrl-V instead (and hope there's no interference).

5) Longer battery life, though at the expense of moving the indicators off the keyboard.

6) Looks pretty nice, especially if you have a black monitor.

Hello Everyone,

So, I took the advice of my good friend and purchased this combo set. I'm glad I did BUT there are a couple of things you should know. First off, if you live in an area with a LOT of CB buddies you may find that the keyboard and mouse act funny at times. This is because they run on the 27 MHz band and if you're close enough to a CBer running some wattage, you can get inference. Also, note that NOT ALL BACK-UP SOFTWARE WILL SUPPORT WIRELESS USB MICE. I'm running Acronics True Image myself which supports such devices but, if you run Norton Ghost, Watch out!

All this being said, I find the keyboard and mouse work very well and would purchase them again. Hey, give them a try for yourself, if you don't like them I'm sure Amazon will take it back and set ya straight.....they're good like that.

Ciao!

As a computer professional I have just a few simple requirements: 1) No wires; 2) Comfort; 3) Reliability. This product meets all of those needs.

Concerning battery life, I have had this for about 8 months. In that time I have changed batteries exactly once, which was last week. My guess is that most of the people who have battery life problems are using cheap dollar store batteries. Spend a few extra dollars and get the better ones. I use Rayovac Maximum PLUS. Second, don't use rechargeables. Those batteries tend to bleed power quickly just sitting around.

With regards to signal interference: Don't place the receiver next to a monitor (LCD or CRT) and keep it away from your computer. Once I moved the receiver to be on the floor under my desk, all my signal problems went away. Every time the monitor was between the mouse and the receiver the mouse would skip.

Although MS rearranged the Home, End, Delete, Pg Up, and Pg Dwn keys this new layout is easier when doing a lot of editing / moving around in documents and code. It took a couple weeks to get used to but now I wouldn't go back.

There are two bad points in my opinion. The F Lock key doesn't keep it's setting between reboots. Annoying, but workable. The second is that there are no lights on the keyboard to let you know if the Num Lock or Caps Lock key is enabled. I'm sure the reason is to save battery life, but it's a little annoying.

I highly recommend getting a good mouse pad and putting teflon dotz on the mouse feet. These improve accuracy and feel dramatically.

I recommend this set.

I have been running this keyboard for about a week and I love it! The installation is easy, just run the CD, restart your computer and plug in the reciever to your old mouse/keyboard ports, then "link" your wireless mouse/keyboard to the reciever (just follow the diagram on the reciever) and voila! you have a slick looking, smooth typing new keyboard.

As for the supposed six foot range of the keyboard and mouse, BAH!I am typing this from about ten feet away from my receiver, and the only reason I can not go further is because my room is too small. I also have the receiver behind some stuff on my desk. The ergonomically designed Natural layout of the keys is nice, it is in fact the major reason I finally bought a wireless system, other than the obvious reduction in cord clutter on my desk. I have always loved the natural keyboards (and yes, they take some getting used to if you are only used to the cramped original styles).
How about this! Batteries INcluded. Nice touch on with that one. As for playing games, there isn't really any lag whatsoever.

Now for the bad stuff... As others have said, the F-lock is slightly annoying, but I do not have many instances where it really is a problem. My only other complaint is the mouse. . . it fits my hand well, but two things could have been better: #1, move the "forward/backward" buttons (the buttons on the side of the mouse) back down to where they were on the MS Optical Pro. Where they are they are just a bit too high to use comfortably in games and such. #2, the new mouse wheel. It is extremely smooth when scrolling through web pages, documents etc, and the new side scrolling function is interesting, if not innovative, but the fact that the wheel can "wobble" (used to scroll to the sides of wide documents) makes it hard sometimes to use the middle mouse button as the normal "clicker" that I used to. Still, this new keyboard is nice. Both the mouse and the keyboard have quite a nice heft to them; you won't feel like you purchased anything cheap. The black color is nice too (fits my computer case and desk lamp nicely).

So, if you are looking for a slick-looking wireless keyboard and mouse that feels good on your hands and sets up easily, this is a pretty good buy.

true rating would be 4.58 stars.

This is a great product that worked with no problems out of the box.

Benefits:
- Great range even with my keyboard tray being under the table and the receiver on the far side of the table.
- Both, keyboard and mouse are a great ergonomic fit and perform well.
- Touchtyping is very smooth, keys feel just right and are quiet.
- Many useful multimedia and application shortcuts save you from switching to mouse for many tasks.
- Easteatically pleasing combo.

Detriments:
- Nonstandard keyboard layour with home/end/delete buttons being the most problematic for those who touch type. I keep hitting delete button when I want End.
- Function keys have dual functions, application shortcuts and function keys. Problem is that function keys are not keyboard default. This is wrong since most applications use function keys. No way to configure this behavior.
- Caps Lock, Num Lock don't have LED indicators. You don't know if they are on until you type something. Another bad user interface decision.

The few issues I mentioned will not affect causual users and those who do not touch type. However, mainly those people who spend a lot of time behind a keyboard will purchase split layout for ergonomic purposes and those are people who don't like non-standard layouts.

Microsoft engineers came close to delivering excellent product but fell short, probably due to lack of user testing during prototyping. Given the functional shortcomings I'm rating it average.

I purchased the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro K48-00019 from Amazon.com about a month ago. It arrived very quickly. Setup was a complete snap.

In the Box/Setup/Software
Basically you will get an Installation CD-ROM that will very easily guide you through the setup process, batteries, the mouse and the keyboard. After a quick reboot you plug in the wireless receiver in either a USB or PS2 port in the back of your computer and you are ready to go! The software allows you to tweak all kinds of settings on the keyboard and mouse, just like you normally would. But you can also assign various programs to be controlled.

Keyboard
I bought this keyboard to replace a Microsoft Natural keyboard, (the split kind). I was concerned mostly about the way the keys would feel. The very nice thing about this keyboard is that the keys have a really good feel - they don't stick if I don't hit them just right like my old keyboard did. They are easy to push and have just the right amount of resistance. Also, across the top of the keyboard is a dual set of function keys. You can use them to copy, paste, reply, forward, etc. OR you can simply press the "F Lock" key and use them normally, F1-F12. The keyboard looks great, is fairly lightweight and doesn't feel cheap at all. Plus there are a number of handy buttons across the top that allow you to open My Documents, My Music, Messenger, and more. These can be programmed to other programs. So for the Media Player button, for example,I assigned it to Winamp. The volume control works great as well as the play/pause, stop and fwd/rev buttons in Winamp.

Mouse
I like a mouse that fits my hand. I have a rather large hand because I am tall and the ergonomic shape of this mouse is very comfortable. I thought it might be heavy because of the batteries but it is actually fairly lightweight. Like the keyboard it doesn't feel cheap at all. The scroll is improved, in my opinion, because it doesn't have the "click-click" feel of the older scroll - it is very smooth. The left-right scroll functionality is nice to use also, especially when I want to keep windows small. The buttons are totally programmable but I use them according to their default settings. There are two thumb buttons on the left side that are default programmed to take you forward and back in windows or web pages. I like these buttons a lot because it speeds up my internet browsing experience.

Interference?
I haven't experienced any signal interference since I bought the product. I use a Linksys router, cell phones, cordless phones and bluetooth equipment in my house and I haven't had any hassles. Plus, the product is suppossed to work up to six feet away from the receiver and I can go as far as 10-12 feet all the way across the room. It's fun to lie on my bed and browse the internet, write e-mails, write papers, etc.

Overall recommendation
I give this product five stars because it works well, was easy to setup, has a lot of customizable options, long range functionality and is cheap through Amazon.