Rating: 
Summary: Pretty, But Not Reliable
Review: I purchased an IntelliMouse Explorer in Dec. of 1999. This mouse tracks beautifully and has such a pretty red glow when in use, but there are plenty of shortcomings when it comes to this mouse. 1) This mouse it HUGE. If you have a small hand this mouse will be extremely awkward to use. 2) It can not track too fast. If you like to keep your mouse sensitivity low, it will not track properly. 3)My final quarrel: this mouse BREAKS. I have had this mouse for aprox. 8 months and I am on my third one. Microsoft warranty's this mouse with a 1 year free replacement but, who wants to wait 2-3 weeks for a replacement. Do yourself a favor, buy a mouse that last longer then a few months.
Rating: 
Summary: Intellimouse Explorer--functional and sleek!
Review: Considering this was a major improvement of my hardware, I have superlatives for it. It is easily installed. It fits to the contours of the hand. I like placing my mouse on my leg when I use it. The control is fantastic. The buttons are easily adapted to personal preferences. Navigating on websites (including Amazon) is so much easier. I have used various mouse devices, but Microsoft has once again proven their place in the technology. The last big plus--Amazon.com's price! I could not find a price that even came close. PS My son calls refers to it as "cool mouse!"
Rating:
Summary: Oversized Mouse = Clumsy Use
Review: My hands are huge and I think this mouse is way too big. The design raises your palm to high for commanding use. The optical eye is great just like a normal mouse, but it can't be raised off a surface at all. A rolling ball mouse still tracks and spins when lifted off its surface--not good for gaming. I think the design had this problem in mind, so there are no edges and the base is wider. I think Microsoft knows this so they have made a smaller one with optical eye so get that one.
Rating: 
Summary: A good mouse, but it's still a mouse.
Review: The IntelliMouse Explorer fixes a number of problems traditional mice have experienced, and adds some good features. The wheel is still welcome, of course, and the added two buttons make web browsing more efficient and faster than before. Not having to clean the ball or have a mouse pad are both nice features as well. However, the fact remains that, for all its improvements, the IntelliMouse is still just a mouse. If all you need is a plain mouse, you can find one for much cheaper. If, however, you do lots of things with documents and web pages, the extra cost of the IntelliMouse Explorer is worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: A really lousy, expensive mouse.
Review: This is perhaps the silliest, most expensive mouse I've ever used. A co-worker bought this mouse for the six software developers in our office in December, 1999. By August, 2000 only 3 of the mice still worked. We all experienced "freezes" where the cursor would stop moving on the screen. It could still be controlled by the keyboard, but moving the mouse would have no effect. We could regain control of the mouse by restarting our computers, but once this started it would happen more frequently until it became unusable. I -- and I don't think my male coworkers agree with me, though my female ones do -- have also never liked this mouse's shape. It's rather large and has always hurt my hand to grip. The one thing I actually did like about this mouse is the center button that allows you to scroll, but that can be found on other mice, too -- ones that actually work.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Mouse Ever
Review: I ripped open my package and plugged in my brand new optical mouse using the USB connector that comes in the package. Immediately with the computer still on the hardware is detected and I zip through an incredibly simple installation. The only annoyance was having to restart my computer. The sheer appeal of the mouse can be seen when I use a <b>different</b> mouse.. say my old [currently burning in the fireplace] Kensington wheel mouse. It jerks around, it moves sloppily, it's impossible to clean and it is simply a pain to hold. The Kensington mouse made cropping an image in PhotoShop such a nightmare that I simply got so upset I was forced to leave my computer for hour [no joke]. I knew that my new mouse would be arriving today [July 24] and so all day today I refused to work with my now vaporized old mouse. But enough with the old, the shiny metallic grey exterior laser light bottom and dark grey buttons add to the "I will have this" pull that gets consumers looking for a new controller. It moves <b>perfectly</b>, accurately, and with incredible precision. The Microsoft Explorer mouse uses Digital Optical Sensor technology which uses <b>no</b> moving parts. There is no ball to take out and no need to blow air inside the cage in a futile attempt to clean it out. Sun Microsystems has been using this technology for many, many years but Microsoft has managed to capture the market in one sweep with an attractive, easy to use, easy to install wonderful controller. Using my old Kensington piece of junk took at least 30 minutes out of my productivity every single day. The truth is all the time you sit there jerking around a mouse across the screen <b>adds up</b> especially if you're a hardcore shooter or RTS'er and specifically if you're a graphics artist. I can't imagine how I ever functioned without this mouse and I doubt I ever will have to because I know it won't break! If it does, the mouse comes with a limited lifetime warranty which makes me rest assured that my pricy investment was well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Got a KVM switch? Avoid this mouse.
Review: This mouse works perfectly in a non-switched environment. If you're going to use this mouse on one computer and only one computer it works as advertised. If you've got a kvm switch this mouse won't work at all. Initially, I'd thought it was the software but it's not. The mouse stops working completely half the time once you start switching computers. If you need a reliable mouse stick with the old and trusted ball mouse.
Rating:
Summary: Using a KVM switch? Don't get this mouse.
Review: The mouse worked perfectly out of the box. The software installed flawlessly and it's stable. The wheel turns a lot easier than the one on the regular Intellimouse. I like that. You can set how far things will scroll when you thumb the wheel. The side buttons are programmable and work flawlessly as well. Movement is perfect. If you're going to connect this directly to a computer and not switch/unplug it while the computer is on, this is a great mouse. If you like HUGE mice. Put this mouse on a kvm switch and everything changes. When switching back & forth you have to wait about two seconds before moving the mouse or it will not work at all for that one switched session. This is true under Win98, Linux (gpm & X), and Solaris x86. When I switch around, I'm used to just using the mouse. The fact that I have to wait two seconds before touching the mouse, or it disables itself, is not acceptable. And why that happens under non-Windows switched sessions, I have no idea. When switching back to my Win98 box, the side buttons will also no longer work, regardless. And this is a weird one: when I thumb the wheel up it sends a "Back" instead of scrolling up. That one only happened once. This is all due to the software. If you unload the Intellimouse software in the system tray the mouse works like a normal mouse, without the side buttons. This sort of defeats the purpose of buying this particular optical mouse, though. Oh, and another thing. The right mouse button clicks way too damn easily. I have this habit of resting my middle finger on the right mouse button so this is a problem. Two stars for working as advertised and for not working on a kvm switch. I've already packed the mouse back up and will be giving it to a friend. Never gave the usb plug a try.
Rating:
Summary: sweet!
Review: A little on the expensive side for a mouse...but the benefits are well worth its weight in gold...with the use of an optical eye rather than a mouse ball...cleaning it is a thing of the past...and never having to worry about it wearing...it'll probably last longer than your computer! nice product Microsoft.
Rating:
Summary: 2nd time around
Review: I got my mouse and it only lasted 3 weeks so the last review that I wrote was one star. I contacted Amazon and the sent me a new mouse immediately with a postage free return sticker. I plugged the new mouse in and it work perfectly, I love it and you can't beat the costumer service from Amazon. Tom Christian Olympia, WA, USA
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