Microsoft B5W-00001, Better alternatives exist

Overall Rating2.672.672.672.672.67

Better alternatives exist

I do a lot of Powerpoint and Excel, so the choice of the right mouse is very important to me. I already own the “previous generation” Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 (available on Amazon for $24.99 at the time of writing), and thought they had the design nailed with the 3000! When I got my new notebook, I decided to get this one as an upgrade, assuming this would give me higher precision (1000dpi Laser) and 4-way scrolling, and would certainly exceed the standard of quality established by the 3000.

Well, I was wrong - Microsoft has taken a few steps back this time. Ergonomically, the mouse does not sit as well in my hands as the 3000, and I feel less in control of the pointer. I see no visible increase in precision over the 3000 - in fact its worse. The small left button is badly implemented (too small, not well positioned), so I don’t use it (maybe I’ll get better at it after some time).

By itself, this mouse is a good choice in its category - its very compact, very portable, wireless, and has an excellent battery life (as in the 3000, the USB wireless transmitter snaps back into the base of the mouse and turns off battery usage).

You are better off buying the 3000 - you will get a better designed wireless mouse for your notebook for a lesser price. Can’t beat that!

Update (5/19/2012): I also found some auctions for this item here.

The featured review for this product, Microsoft B5W-00001 Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000 Electronics Oct 13, 2005, was written by Rahul Singh.

The average rating for this item is 2.7 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

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Reviews (3)

Patrick Choi

April 3rd, 2010 at 2:41 pm    


Overall Rating22222

Disappointed
I’ve been a user of the Microsoft Wireless Notebook mice for a year, and found it to be a wonderful device. It was just comfortable and a pleasure to use. The only drawback was the hideous receiver which looked… well, strange. But other than that, the buttons were simple to press, the wheel clicked nicely and the tracking was great (I use it to play games!), no lag.

When I first saw this Microsoft Laser Notebook Mouse 6000, I didn’t hesitate at all to buy it. You can say I was pretty disappointed to know that I wasn’t getting an upgraded version of the mouse I described above…

Pros:

- The transmitter at least looks halfway normal, and is not a big chunk sticking out of your notebook.
- A magnifyer button was added, but I mapped it to the ‘back’ button for browsing the internet. More buttons is good thing, but more on this below.
- The wheel is smooth scrolling and doesn’t click. Nice for the lady friend who’s sleeping while you work (or play games).
- Very nice tracking, the mouse is smooth as silk and doesn’t lag at all, but no noticeable improvement from previous generations of optical mice.

Cons:

- The buttons are extremely hard to press. I’ve never encountered any mice that had to be pressed as hard as this to get an action done. You feel like you have to push your wrist forward to push the button.
- The ergonomics of the mouse aren’t there. It looks like its made to be comfortable to your hand, but it isn’t. Hard to describe, but after awhile, I really noticed that my hand was stuck in a “claw” shape and started to ache a little bit.
- The magnifyer button… is way too small and hard to press. Also the location of the button, while it looks like it can be easily pressed with your thumb, in fact is not. Your finger has to reach forward to the mouse to press it, which means you will most likely move your mouse too, losing the position you wanted to magnify in the first place. As mentioned in other reviews, sometimes it gets stuck and you need to push it again to pop back up. Those of you thinking it can be used as a ‘back’ button will be pleased to know that it can be remapped, but also know that the button is not friendly for this usage.

The main problem I have with the mouse is really the buttons. With other mice, you don’t think about clicking because the mouse is easy to press. But with this mouse, you want to press, look down, and realize the button still hasn’t been pushed yet. Clicking should not require a conscious effort. Your mouse should not enter your mind when you use it, but in this case, every time you click you will be forced to remember to click just a little harder.


Rahul Singh

April 11th, 2010 at 2:01 am    


Overall Rating33333

Better alternatives exist
Rated 3 stars.


Puff

May 7th, 2010 at 8:11 pm    


Overall Rating33333

Not Great, but Good Enough
I’ve had this mouse for about 2 months and I’ve used it with both a notebook and a PC. I installed the software on the notebook and haven’t had any major problems.

On the plus side: There are adjustable controls for the pointer, scrolling speed, and lots of other things. It’s slightly smaller and much lighter than a regular mouse so it’s easy to thrown in a bag with a notebook. There’s a magnifying feature which may be very helpful for some users, but doesn’t seem to do much for me.

On the minus side: The pointer can be a little erratic. I find it accurate enough but the movement is not as smooth as what you would get with a regular mouse. It can also be difficult to set an ideal scrolling/pointer speed. (The scroll wheel is very loose and it’s not easy to scroll slowly through something.)

All that said, I’m satisfied with this mouse. I do not often use the scrolling wheel because of the problems with it. I never use the magnification feature. But for surfing online or writing a paper or playing solitaire on a notebook this mouse is sufficient. As a side note, my PC mouse just stopped working and I found that I can plug the USB adapter from the wireless mouse into my PC and the mouse works just fine on that computer without installing the software.

As far as the negative reviews go, I think some of those people must have gotten lemons. Of course, if lots of people end up with bad products that’s something to think about. Also, if you’re looking for something that feels and performs like the desktop mouse you’re used to, this isn’t it. But if you just want something convenient you can carry with your notebook, I think this mouse is alright. I certainly wouldnt pay the regular price for it. But if you can get it for about $30, I think it’s worth it.


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