chillerchiang's Full Review: Microsoft Intelli Optical (D58-00026) Mouse
I recently bought the Intellimouse Optical, and I am very impressed with it. It performs very well and has added functionality over basic mice that make web browsing much more efficient.
The Intellimouse Optical (hereafter referred to as 'ImO')is, as its name suggests, an optical mouse. This means that it does away with the mechanical technology of ball-driven mice in favour of a sensor that uses light to calculate movement. Optical technology provides enhanced accuracy, tracking, and consistent performance over ball-driven mice because it has no moving parts to get clogged with dust and grime. The ImO is also equipped with Microsoft's proprietary optical technology (called 'IntelliEye', I believe), which scans at up to 6000 frames per second. This is more accurate than ball mice as well as other optical mice not built with this technology. The net result is a mouse that tracks very accurately and doesn't skip a beat.
The design of the mouse is symmetrical so it can be used by right and left-handers with equal ease. The ImO is the colour of a white eggshell and has tasteful silver accents. The bottom and back of the mouse emit a red glow. Curiously, the mouse is not smooth, like most other mice; there is a roughish texture on the white portion of the ImO while the silver-accented parts are smooth. I would guess that this texture is meant to improve the grip on the mouse, but I don't really notice a difference.
On the top face of the ImO are the standard left and right buttons, and in between these buttons is the, by now ubiquitous, scroll wheel. The scroll wheel's resistance is just right; each turn of the wheel provides enough resistance to prevent inadvertently turning it. And at the same time, the wheel is not so tight that conscious effort must be paid in order to turn it. That said, however, I find that the clicking noise of the two face buttons make the ImO sound insubstantial -- almost cheap. I compare this to my other mouse: the Wireless Optical Blue (also by Microsoft). The latter mouse emits a solid click whereas the ImO sounds hollow in comparison. A minor quibble, but it was noticeable enough to get my attention.
To continue, on either side of the ImO are located the two extra buttons. By default, the left and right side buttons are backward and forward, respectively. However, with the mouse driver installed, they (as well as the rest of the buttons on the ImO) can be re-mapped to perform other, program-specific functions. The left side button is pressed by the thumb and I use my ring-finger to press the right side button. While the left side button is very natural-feeling, the right side requires a little more conscious effort to press. With this layout I find that I sometimes press the right side button accidentally as I have less control of my ring finger than my thumb.
The Intellipoint software, while not absolutely necessary to install (if connecting the mouse via USB), provides a wealth of options that expands the functionality of the ImO. The most useful, I find, is the aforementioned ability to re-map the mouse's buttons. For example, I changed the left and right side buttons in MS Word to cut and paste, respectively. This alteration allows me to edit documents much more quickly than having to click on the cut and paste icons, or use the CTRL+_ commands. Good thinking on Microsoft's part to enable this feature - and to make it program specific!
The Intellimouse Optical is a feature-rich and high quality peripheral. While it performs all the basic mouse functions superbly, it also provides enough extras to keep more demanding users happy. This is one mouse I intend to use for a long time to come.
One last note to those who are interested in buying this mouse: I bought an OEM (ie: no support) version for less than half what retail stores are selling it for. It did not come with the Intellipoint driver (or ANY packaging for that matter), but if you are using Win XP, it should detect the mouse and automatically install the correct Intellipoint software. I don't know if this will work with other versions of Windows though.
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