It's Time to Cut the Cord.
Written: Apr 15 '03 (Updated May 26 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great design, very comfortable, 5 buttons & scroll wheel, Optical, Wireless
Cons: Minor "lag" during gameplay, Battery Life (or lack there of)
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this mouse. No more annoying cords, great performance, and stylish comfort. Just be prepared to buy LOTS of batteries.
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| RBradford's Full Review: Microsoft Wireless Intelli Explorer (M03-00015) Mo... |
Updated on 4/21/03 and then again on 5/26/03 to include comments on battery life. I originally rated this mouse with five stars, but dropped the rating to four stars due to short battery life. See end of review for updates.
I've long been a skeptic of wireless devices, especially keyboards and mice. The main reason is that early devices were based on infrared technology, requiring "line of sight". Basically, put anything between the transmitter and the receiver and the hardware stopped working. However, somebody finally wised up and started using radio frequencies for wireless devices. The obvious benefit - The transmitter and receiver need to be near each other but not in direct alignment. To put it simply, they don't need to "see" each other because they can "hear" each other.
I decided to wait until wireless technology for mice matured before making the plunge. I still wasn't totally sold, but then a funny thing happened. I recently bought a new Gateway computer and it came with a wireless mouse and keyboard. It looks remarkably like the Logitech wireless keyboard & mouse set, but has Gateway markings. (I think maybe Logitech provides them to Gateway as OEM products). Anyway, I was amazed at how easy it was to connect the mouse & keyboard, and even more amazed at how well they worked. Unfortunately, I found the mouse a very uncomfortable fit to my hand and passed it along to my wife. It was simply too small and flat for me.
However, the experience sold me on the benefits of wireless and convinced me that the technology was finally "there" for reliable wireless peripherals. Having been a big fan of the Microsoft optical mice since they first came out, and being a current owner of a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer, I decided to go look at the Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer. I am now happy to say I have cut the cord and am a proud parent, um I mean owner, of a beautiful new mouse.
Construction:
First of all, I think I should address the differences between the WireLESS and WirED versions of the Intellimouse Explorer:
Both use optical technology, meaning no annoying ball underneath. (As far as I'm concerned, any mouse not optical is obsolete. Go optical and you'll never go back.) Both are gray with dark gray trim. (I'm not sure if they come in any other color. I certainly haven't seen any.) Both have a scroll wheel and five buttons (including the one activated by pushing down on the scroll wheel. I almost always forget that it's a button too.) And of course, both have Microsoft written on them.
However, that's where the comparison ends. The Wireless Intellimouse Explorer is not just a wireless version of the existing wired model. It's higher in stature, which is great for large hands, and it's much more ergonomically shaped than it's wired cousin. The left side of the mouse has a major indentation, perfect for thumb placement. The top curves and tilts down to the right, allowing for a more natural hand posture. The "navigation" buttons on the left side of the wireless version sit slightly higher and are just a little bit easier to use. Lastly, the weight of the mouse is substantially more than that of the wired version, mostly because of the two AA batteries inside required to power it.
Personally, I find the Wireless Intellimouse Explorer to fit my hand perfectly. It's almost as if Microsoft made a mold of the palm of my hand and sculpted a mouse to fit. It works great for me, but may not work well for those with small hands. It's also a very solid mouse and feels like it should be very durable. (I guess time will tell on how well built it really is, but I'm optimistic that it's going to last for a long, long time.)
The mouse comes with a broadcast unit that plugs into a USB port. It's small and easy to place, and it has a small green LED on the front to indicate that it's working. The one minor complaint I have is that the the cord seems a little short. The instructions suggest placing the device away from other hardware such as monitors, but that could be a challenge for some. Personally, I connected mine into a four-port USB hub on my desktop, which allowed me to actually place the transmitter on the top shelf of my desk hutch. It works fine plugged into the hub, although Microsoft typically recommends plugging mice directly into the computer ports.
The mouse itself runs on two AA batteries. I've only had mine for a short time, so I have little experience with battery life. However, reading other reviews on this site suggests that replacement may be necessary every month or so. I suggest keeping a supply of extra batteries around just in case. I did notice that the back of the mouse doesn't light up in typical optical fashion, which saves on power requirements. Probably a smart design decision. Also, the normal Intellimouse icon that sits in the bottom right Window's system tray quickly shows the battery status by simply placing your cursor over it. I find this to be a very nice feature.
Performance/Tracking:
It took me a little while to get used to this mouse. The weight was odd at first, but the more I use it, the more I like the fact that it takes a little effort to move around. Not much more effort, but enough to notice. Overall, performance is excellent.
Most of the time I don't see any difference from using a wired mouse. However, there is sometimes a slight pause or delay in response time, typically referred to as "lag". This is most noticeable while playing action games that require quick reflexes and fast hardware response. It's not a major downfall, but I understand it's present in most wireless hardware. However, by increasing the mouse sensitivity in many of my games, the lag is hardly noticeable.
During regular use, the mouse performs flawlessly. It's accurate, easy to use, and the scroll wheel works perfectly. I often tend to forget that it's wireless at all.
Software:
The Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer comes with the latest release of software, this one with a "wireless" tab. This particular tab allows the user to view battery status and transmission channel information. Like many wireless home phones, you can change the transmission channel if outside interference is causing the device to misbehave. There is also a "troubleshooter" option under this tab if you have any performance issues.
Other options in the software enable the user to customize button settings, speed of the scroll wheel, pointers, and even orientation. The software works flawlessly and allows the user to really fine tune mouse performance according to personal preferences. Anyone familiar with Microsoft's Intellimouse software in general will find it much like previous versions, with a few added features and better reliability.
Overall:
Setup was amazingly easy. I followed the simple instructions, installed the software, put the batteries in the mouse and plugged in the broadcast unit. It worked immediately without any problems. The mouse is incredibly comfortable and fits my hand like a glove. Tracking is very good and performance is exceptional.
My only suggestion for improvement would be for a longer cord on the broadcast unit. I won't pick on the occasional lag during gameplay since that seems to be a common issue with wireless mice. Besides, it's so minor that it doesn't have much of an impact at all. Possibly battery life could be a concern, but I won't know that until they wear out and can't even state it as an issue yet. So far my batteries seem to be holding up well.
In summary, I highly recommend the Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer. I absolutely LOVE this mouse! If you're ready for wireless freedom, now is the time to cut the cord!
Updated 4/21/03 - Battery Life:
Now that I've been using this mouse for a few weeks, I can speak to the issue of battery life. I installed the two AA batteries that came with the mouse on March 30, 2003. They were Energizer Alkaline batteries and appeared to be "fresh" batteries. I guess that's why I was a little surprised when the Intellipoint software started indicating that battery life was low about a week ago, around April 12, 2003. Being a skeptic, I thought it was more likely that the software was misreading the battery level rather than the batteries being low after only two weeks. After all, the mouse still seemed to be functioning fine. I held off on replacing them and watched as the indicator eventually dropped to critical, then to unknown during the course of a week. I finally replaced the batteries on April 20, 2003 when my cursor became so "jerky" moving across the screen that it was intolerable. Total life of the first set of batteries - about 21 days.
The new batteries I installed on 4/20/03 are Duracell Ultra alkaline. I plan to keep track of how they perform and see if I get more than three weeks use out of them. I still love the mouse, but may need to invest in a battery company at this rate.
Updated 5/26/03 - Battery Life:
I replaced the batteries again on 5/23/03. I got nearly a month of life this time, although I was traveling for about half of the month and the mouse was at home resting. With normal use, I expect battery life to remain at about three weeks, four at most. At this rate, I will likely invest in rechargeable batteries.
Incredibly, my wife uses the Logitech cordless keyboard & mouse that shipped with my computer, and she gets several months of life from her batteries. I think the current batteries have been in for about three months and still seem to be going strong. If style and comfort are most important, I still recommend the Microsoft mouse, but if long battery life is more important, you may want to check out the Logitech line.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39
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Epinions.com ID:
RBradford
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Location: Dallas, TX
Reviews written: 109
Trusted by: 32 members
About Me:
I'm a Computer Hardware, Software, and Gadget Junkie.
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