No Tail, No Balls and it eats batteries not cheese! (Microsoft Cordless Optical Blue)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Microsoft Cordless Optical Blue
Date:	26/05/03 (240 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Slick design, Great performance

Disadvantages: Eats batteries, Suffers from interference

Some 5 months after becoming the owner of a new mouse, I feel I have enough experience with the rodent to write an informative review about its performance.
That is if I can get to the end of this review without changing its batteries!
Yes, the little trendy mouse packed with gadgets and gizmos is suffering from what is more commonly known as power drain.

But before I diagnose its illness, let me tell you about the device itself.

The Microsoft Wireless Optical Blue Mouse is a mouse to beat all others. It is the size of a traditional mouse and symetrical in design. It possesses 2 buttons and a scroll wheel like so many other mice. Buts its lacking one obvious protrusion. A connecting cord or tail. Yes, the first feature of this brilliant device is that it is not chained to the computer as it once was. Now, powered by high frequency radio waves, it communicates to the computer via a little reciever positioned near your computer and plugs into either a normal mouse port or a USB port.
So the receiver is tied to the computer and not the actual mouse.
One word of caution though. Some monitors (including mine) like to interfere with the signal and stop the mouse being terribly efficient. Try and keep the receiver away from the monitor.
This is good for about 10 feet so you dont have to be sitting right on top of the computer anymore. So your monitor, keyboard and mouse can be on show with the computer tucked away somewhere discreet.

For those of you with your mouse cleaners and mats, throw is all away! This second feature means that the balls are gone. No more struggling with sticky balls and rollers getting clogged up and ineffective. The mouse uses a bright red light and sensor to work out which way it has moved. Optical technology is a vast improvement. The brightness of the light is reduced to protect your eyes when it is lifted up. Good idea as it is a bit piercing at first glance.

Compatibility is superb. It wo
rks with nearly any computer and it benefits from 2 types of connection. The USN connection is made by slipping it in the port or the included adapter makes it fir into a more traditional PS/2 style socket.

Performance is great apart form the interference from th emonitor. This can be overcome with the movement of the receiver as already mentioned

Now for the bad side. Yes, it has one. Its illness as I called it. In 5 months, I have been through 2 sets of batteries and im on my 3rd set now!
That is astronomical when you consider the corded and balled mice need no extra power.
It takes 2 Pencil style AA batteries which cost about £2 to replace. Replacing them is not easy either as the door that holds the batteries in is stiff and the space for them to go into is fiddly. If you are going to buy this mouse, expect to pay for the upkeep.

To buy the actual mouse was £38.99 but I now see that the prices are nearer £25. This is probably because peopel have to pay about £12 a year in batteries!

A great mouse but perhaps a little bit too juicy on the power.

Summary: