twofish72's Full Review: Microsoft Notebook Optical (M20-00001) Mouse
When I bought my first laptop years back I had the same problem as everybody: Touch pads. They are okay to work with when you need to save energy, have no space (like in an airplane) or when you just to some quick, short work. But if you really want to use your laptop, a touchpad is just not good enough. In addition, some touch pads are positioned so that your hands touch them when you type, throwing your work off once in a while.
So when I was looking around, I stumbled over the Notebook Optical Mouse from Microsoft. For me personally, there are only two brands I trust more or less blindly when it comes to mice and keyboards. Logitech and Microsoft. So I got it for $16, which I think is very cheap too for an optical mouse.
- - - Specifications - - -
- Connector: USB
- Designed for PC (Windows XP Home Edition or Pro, Windows 2000 Professional or Server, Windows Millennium Edition or Windows 98)
- Available in silver and black
- Three button mouse with scroll wheel
- - - Ergonomics - - -
Since the mouse is intended for laptop and notebooks, it is optimized for working on-the-go. That means, like all notebook mice, it's smaller (roughly half the size of a regular mouse) and the cord is shorter. I was skeptical that I could use a mouse that small very good, but now I actually prefer those small mice over the regular sized ones even when I use my desktop PC. It's a three button mouse with a scroll wheel serving as the third/middle button.
The mouse has a neutral shape, meaning it's fit's your left or right hand.
I have read reviews where people complain over the length of the cord, thinking it is too short. Personally, I can't confirm that. Any longer would drive me nuts when I am on the road. The cord is roughly two feet, which should be enough, even if the USB port is on the other side of the notebook (Unless your notebook is 17" or bigger, but in that case that thing counts as a "desktop replacement" and you shouldn't think about getting a mouse for on-the-road use). But if you are not sure if that is long enough for you, get a piece of string two feet long and hold it on your USB port and see if you can work with that.
Other than that, ergonomics are great and the mouse is definitely comfortable to work with.
- - - Long term use and reliability - - -
I have used this type of mouse for over two years now. I have had three of them by now. Whoa! Three? Why that many? Well, as good as this mouse is ergonomically, they all seem to have the same technical flaw: After a while, the scroll wheel doesn't work well anymore. You have problems moving it up sometimes, like something is stuck in there working like a set of breaks. But when you open the mouse up, everything is seems fine.
Also, I had the insulation of the cord get loose on the USB plug of my first mouse.
The rest of the mouse works perfectly fine. The optical sensor is precise, the buttons work flawlessly (even after the rest seems to fall apart).
- - - Verdict - - -
Other than the scroll wheel issue, I am very happy with the mouse. I do a lot of work with my notebook and I do also play a lot of games, click intensive games like Diablo 2 or Titan Quest. I have never had a hurting hand because of the ergonomics of the mouse. Also, there rarely is a surface that the mouse doesn't work on.
BUT: I am not going to buy another one of these. Three mice having the same mechanical issues is too much and there definitely seems to be a construction flaw. So I have to give the mouse an "average" rating and only because it’s cheap. Would the mouse be more expensive, I would even go down to 2 stars.
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