wutang2364's Full Review: Microsoft Cordless Wheel (C57-00017) Mouse
I introduce you Microsoft Cordless WheelMouse:
Features:
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Cutting edge digital cordless technology. The mouse works up to five feet from the receiver.
The scrolling and zooming wheel lets users enjoy universal scrolling in their favorite applications directly from their mouse without having to use scrollbars.
Users can zoom without using toolbars or menus.
An ergonomic design.
PS/2 connector & IntelliPoint 3.0 drivers.
Three Year Warranty
Installation:
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It's VERY simple to install this mouse! You start by plugging the base into the PS/2 port(or use the PS2/Serial converter and plug it into the Serial connector). Then put-in the two Energizer AAA batteries into the mouse, and set both the mouse and base to the same channel (1 or 2) - and voila, your mouse works! You don't even need the drivers that Microsoft gives you, but I suggest you use the drivers as I will explain later.
Software:
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As every other Microsoft mouse, it comes with the IntelliPoint software. For those who don't know this utility lets you assign all the buttons to a certain task, lets you choose how many lines to scroll up/down when you use the wheel. You can also set the mouse to disappear when you type, or an orientation feature (where you tell the software what angle your arm is so that your UP is the same up as on the screen!) and a few other useful things.
Comfort and Freedom:
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I would like to stop and say something. ITS PURE HEAVEN! It's so weird not to have a cord to pull on every time it becomes too short because it falls behind the desk or something similar! Or to take off all those books and papers that are on the cord every time you try to move your mouse! Its 100% freedom.
Another big bonus was the ergonomics of the mouse. This thing was specifically build for me! I have fairly big hands (being the manly man I am), but I can see women and children having problems with the size of the mouse. It took me about 10-15 minutes to get used to the size and weight. Thats right, the added weight of the transmitter and batteries have a negative effect on the mouse. It's about twice as heavy as my crappy AOpen Scroll Mouse (generic scroll mouse). But me having those manly arms it wasn't a problem. Then again I can still see women and children hands getting tired because of the added weight.
When I went back to my AOpen mouse, I thought my hands would die of a heart attack! Man is this thing WAY too small! If you are an "athlete" with you hand (cough) maybe you should do yourself a favor and get the bigger mouse and avoid getting cramps in your hands ... which can (cough) be bad for your (cough) exercise.
The ergonomics of the mouse is very pleasing. The arched back is just perfect! I find many mice have a too big arch, giving too much pressure to the middle of the palm.
One thing I did notice that was a bit annoying was the clicking noise! I would of never of thought of this, but the first time I gave used the mouse was a surprise for me! After about 10 minutes of clicking, my girlfriend in the other room came out the bedroom and asked me why the mouse clicks are so loud (?). Microsoft did make the wheel extremely smooth, I think they could of done the same to the buttons.
The accuracy of the mouse is truly amazing as well. I guess I was expecting some sort of loss of signal or maybe a bit of a slow down in response, but none was apparent! Just like using any other mouse!
Conclusion:
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This mouse certainly has more pros than cons! For one, take a look at my geek friend: He had a BMW 318i and had a computer with 40GB of MP3 in his trunk, a 13" LCD screen above his rear view mirror and a cordless mouse/keyboard so that he could control his MP3 from the driving position! This would be impossible if he had a normal keyboard/mouse. Although I have never known anyone else to do a thing similar to this, it was useful for him! Another place where the cordless freedom can come in handy is for all those people with DVD players outputting to their TV system. You could control the movie from your couch and not have to get up and click on pause skip scene. Although you can get a remote control, they are mostly all Infrared and if your computer is in the other room, it won't work.
Another thing is that Microsoft says it works for up to 5 feet ... I don't think it holds true for vertical heights. I had the receiver on top of my monitor and it wouldn't work properly ... For optimal performance, you should have the receiver (base) at the same level as the mouse. And having the base under 5 books and 400 pages of homework, it still works great! Another bonus is that some people will take care of the cord problem by getting the Mouse Circus Surface (or something similar) that holds the cord high in a spring. These mousing surfaces are very expensive for what you are getting, and is not worth it when you consider you can get a this high quality cordless mouse for probable the same price as a new mouse + circus pad!
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