Rating: 
Summary: Almost Heaven
Review: I love this wireless duo. I use the set at home with my Gateway laptop and its so nice to have a simple hookup and fewer wires in the way. My cat can't pull the wires and mess up my work anymore! I'm still on my first set of batteries after 2 months and very pleased with the overall performance. Only 2 minor issues: First, if you use the NUM Lock to use the 10 key pad and fail to unlock it prior to disconnect, the F Lock sticks on the laptop keypad. Second,I got spoiled using the extra side buttons as back/forward on my previous optical mouse and this mouse does not have that lovely feature. For a casual home user its a great buy.
Rating:
Summary: A Nice Upgrade With Easy Installation
Review: I plugged the keyboard and mouse into my P-4 running ME and booted up. It worked immediately, without the software. I did need to install the driver to get the multimedia keys to work. They are nice. I use MM Jukebox to play MP3s. I expected Microsoft to have the system default to their own media player, but when I hit the music key, Jukebox popped up with my last play list. The volume and play keys worked without a hitch. The mute key is a great feature when you receive phone calls. I have a 2.4hz wireless phone and a wireless network. Neither were disrupted by this system, or had an effect on the performance of the mouse/keyboard. If they do, you can select a different channel. Other fast keys include MyDocuments and MyPictures. A nice feature on the keyboard is printing on the front side of keys used in combination with the Ctrl key. For instance, the "B" key says BOLD, the "C" key says COPY and so on. The only reason I did not give this product five stars is because of the mouse. I was using a wired Intellimouse Explorer and liked the programmable thumb keys that I used for Forward/Back. They are missing on the wireless mouse. My original Intellimouse Explorer came with a limited lifetime warranty. One of the thumb switches stopped working after three years of heavy use. Microsoft replaced it promptly at no charge. I was impressed. Unfortunately, the wireless keyboard/mouse combo comes with only a 30 day warranty. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Rating:
Summary: Very good wireless keyboard
Review: I purchased this as an upgrade to an old Microsoft Internet keyboard. Right off the bat, the stylish look had me hooked. I was a bit wary about wireless, but so far no problems. It works like a charm. Unlike other wireless keyboards, this one does not need a direct line-of-sight to the reciever. I've typed with my back to the computer, as well as clear across the room. It works fine. The software that came with the keyboard is the same standard "Intelli Type Pro" that comes with all the Microsoft boards. It's very good and comes in handy if you'd like the hotkeys at the top of the board to do something else. The hotkeys at the top are My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, a Play/Pause/Stop/Prev/Next and volume control grouped in the middle, a mute button, Mail, Web/Home that will activate your browser, and Messenger. The Messenger button worried me a bit because I thought it was hard coded for Microsoft's MSN service, however the software lets you change it to anything. There is an F-Lock key on the board that might take some getting used to, but comes in very handy. If you have the lock on, the F keys will work as normal. However if you turn the F lock off, the F keys will do a lot of other tasks such as replying, forwarding and sending e-mail, bringing up a spellchecker, saving and printing any document or web page you're currently on, and more. All the buttons are labeled with these extra functions, which is nice. The software will also let you change these as well. I do have a couple issues with it. There is a bit of a learning curve if you're used to basically any standard keyboard. The F keys are laid out in groups of 3, instead of the usual 4. Also, Microsoft changed the Home, End, Page Up/Down, and Delete keys a bit by putting them in 2 columns instead of 3. The the Insert key is up in the F key area and the Delete key is double size. The arrow keys are nudged over to the left a bit (see images). Futhermore, the Windows key only appears on the left side on this board. These changes are probably not a big problem if you don't use these keys much or at all, but if you do and especially are a touch typer, it might throw you off for a little while. The mouse is a bit heavy with the double A batteries and also might take some getting used to. The light on the bottom does not turn off when you boot down. Apparently the batteries (included) are supposed to last a few months, but mine started going out in about 3 weeks with daily use. The software that comes with the package lets you program the scroll wheel when it's clicked with a plethora of standard and common commands. A message pops up on the screen when the batteries are getting low, which is very nice. Overall, this is a very good wireless keyboard and mouse combo.
Rating: 
Summary: Keyboard is superb, mouse is less than great...
Review: I purchased this product with the intention of removing some of the many wires which cross my desk. I am completely satisfied with the wireless keyboard, but the mouse leaves something to be desired. Both units worked immediately after install and reboot, and install was very simple. I have never, not once, had a problem with the keyboard. There is no lag, or any discernable difference between the wireless and a wired keyboard. In most instances, the mouse works fine. Initially, I had the same problems with the mouse as many other reviewers. Namely, the mouse jumping around the screen for no appartent reason. However, after I changed several of the default settings (very easy to do through the dialog boxes) the jumping problem went away. The only problem that I occasionally experience with the mouse is a slight lack of precision. It is not critical, and is rarely apparent, but if you are doing digital photo editing or other precision tasks, this mouse may not work you.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes a Great Gift
Review: I received the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop as a gift six months ago and haven't had a single problem. I love the wireless aspect and I'll never go back. The mouse takes two AAA batteries and I replaced them after about four or five months - a message box appeared on the screen and notified me that my batteries were getting low. Two days later another box stated that my batteries were really low, so I changed them. I'm buying this for my father (who has everything) for Christmas after he mentioned how much he liked using the wireless mouse.
Rating:
Summary: Makes a Great Gift
Review: I received the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop as a gift six months ago and haven't had a single problem. I love the wireless aspect and I'll never go back. The mouse takes two AAA batteries and I replaced them after about four or five months - a message box appeared on the screen and notified me that my batteries were getting low. Two days later another box stated that my batteries were really low, so I changed them. I'm buying this for my father (who has everything) for Christmas after he mentioned how much he liked using the wireless mouse.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad reception.
Review: I received this as a gift. I am happy I haven't spent any money on this one. It has a sleek design and it works fine if you are within 1 feet to your computer. If you want to get a little far, it becomes useless.What is the point of having it wireless if you have to stay next to your computer.Really bad reception. I am trying to watch a movie couple feet away from my computer and I cannot use the keyboard or mouse to control. I tried everything. I took the communication part as close as I could, still I had to bring the keyboard almost next to it. I used brand new batteries hoping that was the problem, but unfortunately it was the useless microsoft product.
Rating: 
Summary: sub par
Review: I was disappointed with my purchase...several things made this set a less than perfect product. My main problem is the mouse; not only does it eat through batteries- it never shuts off, so I pull the batteries out at night- but it also has shoddy drivers- the mouse will freeze up occasionally, and if you don't move it constantly, it will left click and move down diagonally the next time you move it. THe keyboard is fine, except the delete key and the F-lock system. Because I already know the Word shortcuts, the F-lock system is just redundant, and actually get in the way because it forces you to relearn the key. If F-lock is on, Spell-check is F-10 instead of F-7. This is unnecessary IMO. The different setup for the delete/home/end/pgup/pgdn might be more efficient, but I still have problems with it. Overall, I wish I'd gone the Logitech route.
Rating:
Summary: Imperfect, but welcome freedom from wires
Review: I've been using this for about a month and a half now, and I am ambivalent about it. On the positive side, it brings a much-needed freedom from tangled wires, which was a real problem for me as I move my computer around the room a lot. I can now type while in bed, then a little later move to a different spot and all it takes is turning the monitor around, not having to worry about wires. The keyboard and mouse are very comfortable and have a slick, professional look.
On the negative side, once you change your position, the mouse and keyboard don't respond immediately. Sometimes all it takes is moving the scroll wheel of the mouse to get it to work, but often it involves moving the receiver.
Also on the positive side, I found the battery life of the mouse to be very good -- I had to change batteries only once, recently, which is nice considering that I use my computer a lot and that other brands seem to have a much shorter battery life. The mouse uses a neat low-consumption mechanism that diminishes its light gradually over periods of inactivity.
In all, I am happy to have switched to wireless, though if you are picky about having things responding immediately after periods of inactivity, this may not be the thing for you.
Rating:
Summary: It says six ft. range on the Box....
Review: It says six ft. Range on the box but I found that you can use it from about a distance of 15-20 ft. Much farher then I actually need. The distance allows me to go anywhere in the room.
The moue works great, better then my other mice. I like this set.
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