Karli's Full Review: Microsoft Intelli Optical (D58-00026) Mouse
A fourteen day struggle with my 'next day service' computer company had finally produced a working computer except for the mouse. The company claimed a new mouse would be delivered the following Monday, but who believed that? Besides, I wanted to navigate the Internet ASAP!
Shell shocked, weary with battle fatigue, I marched to the mouse section of Staples where I ignored the cheaper models. I deserved deluxe. A piece of computer equipment with bells. My eyes focused on the IntelliMouse Optical. It's bottom shone with a red light. It was bigger than the two-button mouse I had been using. It looked like a warrior. The box touted features I didn't know existed. Minutes later I had spent $55 plus tax, nearly five times what a simple mouse would have cost. I felt victorious, triumphant, empowered.
That was six months ago and this wondrous piece of equipment has not disappointed. The rotating wheel (described below) did stop functioning, but it repaired itself after a quick trip to 'Wheel Troubleshooter' under Properties. (My computer company could learn something here.)
The feature that is most important to me is that it does not have a ball and therefore does not require a mouse pad. My desk space is very limited so I had manipulated my old mouse by rolling the ball with my forefinger. While that had become an automatic technique, it is much easier and more accurate to move Optical over my knee. No ball also means that no cleaning is required.
The red light lets me find Optical under a pile of papers, but its real function is to enable the mouse's movements to be photographed 1500 times per second. Thus, the cursor moves with unusual precision.
The three additional buttons shouldn't be that important (I got along without them for years), but now, when I have to use an old fashion mouse at work, I'm like an amputee missing her sawed off leg. A rotating wheel resides on the top between the left and right buttons and allows one to scroll a document without moving the mouse. Squeeze the button on the left side and the screen moves back one frame while a squeeze of the right side button will send it forward. Elegant!
Clicking the IntelliPoint icon on the bottom right-hand side of the Start Tray allows the user to customize Optical's buttons. There are a number of choices to make under the various tabs. I've declared the ClickLock feature impossible -- it insures that when you click to drag, you don't have to hold down the button. To release the drag, you click on again. Much too awkward for me, so I disabled it.
However, other options proved more useful. It's neat to have the pointer automatically move to the default button in dialogue boxes. I also elected to hide the pointer while I type. Other options include reprogramming the buttons to do different tasks.
Right- or left-handed people can use Optical with equal ease. Since I am right-handed, I hadn't realized the old fashioned mouse was designed for right-handed people.
IntelliMouse Optical is very easy to install. It comes with a five year warranty.
The more efficient way to work. The IntelliMouse lets you browse the Web without using toolbars or the keyboard. Simply use either side button to goMore at TigerDirect.com
"Work on any surface while you easily navigate documents, Web pages, and spreadsheets with the convenient scroll wheel and Internet navigation buttons...More at Microsoft Store
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