Very nice, solid keyboard+mouse from MSJune 23, 2009 David M. Owens(Worcester, MA) 34 out of 34 found this review helpful
As somewhat of a keyboard/mouse collector (16 mice and 12 keyboards) due to the "unfortunate" quirk of being left-handed and desiring a comfortable mouse, I've tried quite a few over the years. I bought this set because Microsoft advertise that it's Mac-compatible, which is important seeing as I use Macs primarily.
Previously, I'd been using the standard Apple keyboard (slim aluminum), but wanted a keyboard with a few function keys. I scoped out the Logitech G15, as I had the older flip-LCD version and Logitech now supports Macs with their new G-series Profiler software, but I decided against the G15 because Logitech annoyed me with their Desktop Wave Pro set - which inexplicably is NOT supported by their SetPoint Mac software, even though the original Desktop Wave set IS supported. Grr!
This set from Microsoft is my favorite Microsoft set in years. The keyboard is fairly slim for an MS keyboard, which I like, and the keys are somewhat low-profile, which I also like. It took me an hour or so to get used to typing on it, as it has a bit of a weird contour to it - not quite as weird as the Logitech Wave, but a definite contour.
As mentioned by another reviewer, the keyboard is loud. I don't notice anything particularly loud about the spacebar, but the keyboard is most definitely loud in general. This doesn't bother me, as I tend to like the clack of a keyboard, but I can see how other people might be bothered by it. There's no way I could type on this keyboard stealthily while talking on the phone, for example.
For Mac users, the newest Microsoft IntelliType software is fantastic. Swapping a few settings allowed me to set the Alt keys to be equivalent to my Command keys, and the Windows Menu key (next to Ctrl on the right side) to be Alt, which is convenient while gaming - as I have easy access to Ctrl, Alt and Shift. The function keys are all customizable, allowing you to perform special functions, bind them to applications on your system, and so forth. One minor nitpick is that although you can bind a key to open your web browser, you can't bind it to a specific website - so I cannot, for example, bind my Mail key to automatically open my Gmail website. A minor nit, but it may also bother some people.
Another minor nitpick is that the F-keys are insanely small and are right above the standard keyboard, and below the special function keys. It took me a little while to get used to this, and I had to disable the iTunes functionality on the media keys because I kept hitting them while gaming, and popping up iTunes in the middle of a game. Not good! Due to per-application profiling, however, it's easy to disable them when in certain applications.
Apart from the above, I really like the keyboard. It's slim, low, the wristpad is of a material that's comfortable, and the keys are very nice to type on once you get used to them.
The mouse - which I believe is a Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000 with a special white underside, instead of the solid black - took me a while to get used to as well, but I love it now. The mouse is very tall, which was a definite change from my previous mouse, a Razer Copperhead. It's ambidextrous, which is a big plus for me, and the sides are rubberized and very comfortable and keep it from slipping in my hand, which has been a problem with other MS mice.
The mouse is quite heavy, which I like, though others may not appreciate that. As is usual with Microsoft mice, the scroll wheel is heavenly - it scrolls so perfectly smooth, with just the right amount of tension. The rubber track on the wheel keeps your finger from slipping and gives good traction for scrolling. The scroll wheel isn't a click-wheel, but it's still very easy to scroll only one or two steps at a time, unlike the free roulette-wheel scroller on Logitech's new mice.
Though another reviewer complained about the loud clicks on the mouse, I don't think it's any louder than some Razer mice (Copperhead, Diamondback or Lachesis are the three I own) or Logitech mice (the G7, VX Nano and VX Revolution are about the same loudness), though it is definitely louder than some of Logitech's "squishier" mice, such as the MX610 and MX620, or the LX8.
I can also definitively say that the BlueTrack is amazingly responsive and accurate, especially for a wireless. After using it for a week, I still haven't had any problems with the pointer slipping or ghosting, or just plain teleporting all over. Very nice.
My only complaint - and it isn't a big one since I don't plan to travel with this mouse - is that although the transceiver snaps into the mouse, it's neither a Nano transceiver, nor does it snap flush into the bottom - it hangs out, which means if something brushes it enough, it could flop out. It would take a good bit of brushing, as there are four rubber teeth that hold the USB transceiver in, but beware if you store it in a laptop bag; your transceiver may be sitting at the bottom of the bag if you clunk it around.
All in all, I really am happy I purchased this set: it's a great value (combining a $40 Wireless Mouse 5000, and a $40 Wireless Keyboard 3000) for two high quality, rugged components - particularly the mouse. If you don't mind the loud clicks or loud keyboard, you'll probably love this set.
Mixed feelings but not too badJuly 11, 2009 BahGoat(Pittsburgh, PA United States) 25 out of 28 found this review helpful
If you just want a wireless combo that does the job, then this is it. But there are some annoyances.
Extra buttons that work without the software:
1. The calculator button above num lock that brings up the calculator. That is, the one you would find in start -> all programs -> accessories -> calculator.
2. E-mail, internet, and music buttons on the top left. I think if I had MSN messenger this would work too, but I can't get it to open Pidgin without the software.
3. Play/pause, previous track, next track, stop.
4. Volume down, volume up, mute.
Extra buttons that don't work without the software:
1. On the very left, my documents button and my pictures button.
2. On the very left, zoom in and zoom out. I think they're equivalent to ctrl + =, and ctrl + -, but they won't work without the software.
3. The 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, keys which are software customizable as well as the star key that brings up the config for the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 keys.
The F keys may or may not work without the software, I'm too lazy to uninstall and test it.
Things I like about this keyboard/mouse combo:
1. I really like the calculator key above num lock.
2. The keys are kind of halfway between a standard height key and a notebook key.
3. It looks nice on a desk.
4. Wireless range is about 30 feet, but don't expect it to go through 2 walls. No major complaints about connectivity/tracking/etc.
Things I hate about it:
1. The mouse wheel is completely smooth. If I play a first-person shooter, and I want to switch weapons with the mouse wheel, I get no tactile feedback, and what would normally be one click of the wheel translates into me switching from my first weapon to my third weapon.
2. I can't press spacebar, e, and 4 at the same time. For me that is a problem because unlike most first person shooters that use WASD for up, left, down, right, Tribes 2 uses ESDF. Spacebar is to ski, E is forward, and if I want to change to weapon 4 by pressing number 4, it won't happen if I am also going forward and skiing at the same time.
3. The Esc key and the F1-12 keys are way too small. In addition, the space between Esc and F1 is the same as the space between all of the F keys, making it difficult to find the Esc key quickly. On a traditional keyboard, there is extra space between Esc and F1.
4. There's no way to find out by looking at the keyboard if caps lock, num lock, and scroll lock are on. In order to save power, there are no lights for those locks. If you install the software, if you press any of those buttons, a message on the screen will tell you the state of the locks, but after the message disappears, there's no way to tell. It's not a bug though, it's a power saving feature. LOL!
Overall, the keyboard does its job. If you don't play games, the smooth mouse wheel and the fact that you can't press spacebar, e and 4 at the same time won't bother you. The only real annoyance for a standard user would be that the F1-12 keys are small and that Esc is close to F1.
Seriously? I got excited about this desktop mouse & keyboard?June 17, 2009 Seattle Mom(Seattle, WA) 10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have to say that I really like this keyboard and mouse....something I would never expect to come out of my mouth. The mouse has a great form-factor and is extremely comfortable due to the rubberized material on the sides. And it does work on any surface! I also am very pleased by the look of the keyboard & mouse - with the piano black finish. It's stylish and doesn't just look like a piece of plastic on my desk. I liked the product so much I felt I needed to write this review.
I can't believe that microsoft could exceed LogitechDecember 11, 2009 HMMWV(santa clara, CA USA) 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Ethical note: I once worked for the video division (eyeball cam) of Logitech, however my experience was not with the input device division which made keyboards and mice. I am disclosing this purely because I know alot of Logitech's manufacturing techniques and I may reference my collection of their products in comparison to the Microsoft product. I no longer work for Logitech and do not own stock in the company nor am I holding any board position or any position of power within the company.
First off, Logitech DID NOT MAKE THIS KEYBOARD OR MOUSE, which is rare these days. Logitech outsources to almost every major company for OEM keyboards and mice and produces a mouse every few seconds, so it is understandable why so many keyboards and mice today are Logitech inside.
Now I'll add that the Microsoft wireless keyboard was innovative, functional, and on a head to head comparison with a line powered (USB PLUG) laser mouse from logitech (the best mouse in my inventory) the battery powered blue-tech system from microsoft was far superior which was a shock!
The blue LED on the microsoft mouse is fantastic. The shorter wavelength of the blue light allows it to resolve finer detail that the red lasers can not. Like the blue laser in bluray HD players, it can pick up fine detail that red lasers or IR lasers don't even see. This means that when two mice are placed on a shiny booklet (like the instructions we all throw out printed on glossy paper) the red mouse can't track very well - you may move it 6 inches before it moves a pixel. The blue mouse from microsoft tracks just fine on every surface I put under it - pant legs, various tiles, wood, paper, etc. The laser mouse from Logitech could not keep up. I was very impressed as I thought the laser mouse was the best thing out there and when a battery powered radio linked mouse could outperform it I was very surprised.
Keyboard:
Enough about the mouse. The keyboard is ergonomic to a fault. It has flip up tilt adjusters plus a generous palm rest built into it which gives it the feel of a good laptop keyboard. The mouse is a 5 button design - left+right 2nd function keys, left+right normal keys, + wheel depressed is a key. Whell rolling is smooth - no detents or clicks while rotating the wheel. Some people may miss the clicks, but I find you can move faster without them.
Onto the keyboard now - LOTS of keys. Big gripe - no way to tell status of LOCK keys like caps scroll and number lock. I'm accustomed to 3 leds in a row for these but that is not possible on a 2xAA battery powered device. There is one led on the keybaord - ironidcally "LOW BATTERY". I've keyed in multiple wrong passwords by not knowing caps lock was on.
Comfort is great because of a built in palm rest. I think I would have preferred if they stuffed a bunch of li-ion batteries in the palmrest and had xxx-lock leds that stayed on then just gets charged once a month from th usb port. At the price they could afford the batteries and really be innovative.
Speaking of lights, the BLUE led stays on constantly, but it does conserve power. If not used after a while it blinks once in a few seconds to see if things have changed. Secondly, if you are going to store your keyboard and mouse there is a clip on the underside of the mouse that holds the receiver usb snapin. Once inserted into the mouse it disconnects the batteries in the mouse and shuts off the led and strobe sytem to preserve battery life.
This product is clearly windows 7 compliant and has some special feature buttons here and there. Overall I think the price is a tad high for what you get. They do include 4 AA batteries from a major manufacturer (no funky colored overseas batteries that are already dead but I can't say the sname per the rules or it gets bleeped) Inside windows 7 it is recognized instantly as a "device" (new win7 term in the computer section)
I've used this now on notebooks, subnotebooks, and servers. I like the fact that it eliminates 1 usb port and 2 cords (cord clutter is bad enough as it is) Battery life is exceptional considering it have had it going since I got it with just the smallest drain. I would guesss that 6 months between battery changes is not unreasonable - maybe eben more. They keyboard only transmits when keys are pressed so it would likely go a year or more.
My only pet peeves - I am accustomed to the esc key being normal size compared to the rest, and for soem reason Microsoft made this one downsized, tiny in fact. I use esc alot so it takes some getting used to. Just know its small and out of where it belongs by about 1/4 inch.
You'll get more than enough function keys on this board and be able to do multiple complex functions easily.
Big hit: Blue led mouse tracks on any surface
Big Miss: No lock keys (not even lock down mechanically) and no indicators, plus esc key is mis-shapen.
Overall It's almost 5 stars because it beats out all the other wireless boards on the market, but even a click-on click-off lock button would have been nice since you could feel it. Otherwise I'd go for a LCD window that draws no real power to tell me what buttons are active. At this pricepoint (high end) some form of battery powered lock signal should be shown. I've even seen press / underpress switches with red dots that show through a window to tell you the status and use zero power to do it since the red is just plastic hidden in one state, so I know the problem could have been solved without using any power. I'll let the keyboard slide because the mouse makes up for it outperforming my mouse collection both wireless, wired, and rechargable.
Even though the mouse is great, I'm taking one star away from the keyboard design. It could have been better. The mouse is pretty neat and I even use it with wired keyboards simply because it's such a great mouse.
That combo is a 5 star product. - perhaps someday microsoft will make a wireless mouse & high quality keyboard - tritium backlit LCD panel for the lock status would draw next to zero power and would be visable under low light like leds are or day. That's not so hard for a big buck keyboard set. Too bad there is not a 4.5 star rating since it deserves that.
Don't let the description fool youNovember 19, 2009 Wayne(Union City, CA USA) 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Had I needed this for a different application, I might have given it 4-5 stars. But I am rating it based on the major advertised features.
Prior to getting this, I was using a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that date back to around 1998. There was nothing wrong with them, but I decided to use them on a different computer and upgrade my media center computer with this set. Unfortunately, things got worse instead of better.
The keyboard description promotes extra keys for "Media Center Control." It's the first bullet item and the first distinguishing feature mentioned in the narrative. The description also claims that it is designed specifically to work well with Windows 7. I like Windows 7 a lot, and use it on a Media Center computer. Microsoft recommends Media Center as an ideal solution for PCs with large amounts of storage, multiple tuner cards, and hooked up to a big screen TV. Computers of this sort are often controlled by somebody sitting on a sofa. Thus, wireless keyboards and mice are most practical.
Off the bat, there were a few problems. Among all the special buttons, there was not one for starting the media center itself. That didn't appear to be a big problem since I could reconfigure the Media Player key to call Windows Media Center instead. The key settings can be easily changed by selecting an alternative application or defining a custom one for any key. Strangely enough, Windows Media Center was not on the list. This is not a major problem since any user could redefine the key to launch "%windir%\ehome\ehshell.exe." I suspect that might not be an obvious thing for a user to type in.
The mouse had problems tracking on a leather sofa, and I expected better. Mice have material on the bottom to help them slide smoothly. This one has such material in the front and back, but nothing in the middle, so there was a jittery effect. My old mouse worked fine, as have others. This one is supposed to be able to track on just about anything, but short of holding the mouse a fraction of an inch above the sofa, this mouse simply won't work. The BlueTrack(tm) Technology will work on plenty of surfaces that challenge other mice, and this would have been a great mouse had the housing been better.
When things were working somewhat, I decided to move the dongle. I had temporarily plugged it into the front of the computer, but media center computers look like stereo components, not something you want dongles sticking out of. When I moved it to the back, I found that my keyboard and mouse no longer worked from the sofa. The specs say it will work from up to a 30 foot range. I figured that 12 feet should work, but 10 feet was about the maximum.
I tried plugging the dongle into an extension cable so it was physically close to the front of the PC. That fixed the range problem, but the mouse would not track properly at any distance on a sofa that was not a challenge for other mice.
Another thing that they failed to mention is that this set is designed almost exclusively for use with laptops. The only way to turn off the mouse is to remove the dongle from the computer and plug it into the bottom of the mouse. I have no problem with a mouse that switches off when the dongle is docked to it, but why design the switch so it can't be used manually? If Microsoft designs Media Center to work with up to 16 tuners and a remote control, it's a safe bet that some of their users are not using laptops.
Ultimately, I was able to get most of the keys working. There are two keys with magnifying glasses on them showing plus and minus signs, but I can't get them to do anything. The standard shortcuts (Windows key and plus key, or Windows key and minus key) work fine for zooming so I would expect the special keys to work in the same context.
The other extra keys could be nice for opening a web browser, changing the volume, and a few other things. Most of those could be done with shortcut keys but this keyboard lowers the learning curve and makes things less cumbersome. Another nice key is the flip key. It lets users flip through open applications and jump to one easily. The same thing could be done with alt-tab, but that can't be done with the right hand alone, unlike most shortcuts.
The bottom line is that this might be a very nice keyboard and mouse combination for somebody who uses a laptop. Whether you sit at the desk with it, or like to sprawl on the carpet, the mouse should work fine at close distance. Since you will want to remove the dongle anyway when you move the laptop, having a place for it in the mouse is nice, and having it turn the mouse off is a bonus. You might make use of the so called media center functions since they also work well with the standard Microsoft media player, which you can launch with a single button press. It's also better suited to left handed users than most other keyboard/mouse combinations.
But for practical purposes, laptops are not designed to handle the full range of media center applications. Dedicated Windows Media Center computers won't work well with this keyboard and a mouse in environments that Media Center was designed to work best in. Unless you need all these special keys, you can probably find a keyboard and mouse without them for far less money. This keyboard and mouse might be perfect for some users, but not for the audience that they target the most.
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