Rating: 
Summary: its only worth it in usb mode
Review: As much as there is too like about this mouse (it fits my hand better than the logitech one and its scroll wheel is much better), it has many flaws as well. MS definately skimped on the optics on this one. Don't be fooled by their hype, their "second" generation optics didn't improve a thing. The tracking on this mouse in PS2 mode is simply horrible. If I move my mouse around quickly, the cursor will immediately begin moving erratically; at times it seems there is a latency between the mouse movement and the on screen cursor. No amount of adjustment solved this problem for me, I finally came to the conclusion that the mouse simply wasn't sampling fast enough. This suspicion was somewhat confirmed when I noticed the sampling rate was only 100hz max. The problem disappears somewhat when it is plugged into a usb port (where the sampling rate becomes 125mhz). If you are looking for an entry level optical mouse, look elsewhere (logitech's is good). I shouldn't have been surprised MS would skimp on the hardware, considering their track record.
Rating: 
Summary: Great but loose the tail light!
Review: great mouse but the red tail light that beams out the back is annoying and serves no purpose, i painted over mine with some black modeling paint!
Rating: 
Summary: Is this Microsoft's idea of a joke?
Review: I bought this mouse to use with my laptop, which only has one PS/2 port, and I'm using that for an external keyboard. So I needed a USB mouse, and figured that Microsoft's optical mouse would be a good choice. Wrong! Windows 98 had no trouble recognizing the hardware, and the software installed fine, but with the correct driver installed, the mouse's movement was totally erratic. Just to be clear, I already have a Logitech cordless optical mouse on my desktop PC, so this was not a question of getting used to an optical mouse. The Microsoft mouse simply refused to work properly, on all types of surfaces. After 20 minutes of trying very hard to adjust the speed and get the thing to go where I wanted it to go, I gave up. I should have paid attention to the reviewers here who warned about the poor quality of this product. I'm returning it to Best Buy tomorrow.
Rating:
Summary: Is this Microsoft's idea of a joke?
Review: I bought this mouse to use with my laptop, which only has one PS/2 port, and I'm using that for an external keyboard. So I needed a USB mouse, and figured that Microsoft's optical mouse would be a good choice. Wrong! Windows 98 had no trouble recognizing the hardware, and the software installed fine, but with the correct driver installed, the mouse's movement was totally erratic. Just to be clear, I already have a Logitech cordless optical mouse on my desktop PC, so this was not a question of getting used to an optical mouse. The Microsoft mouse simply refused to work properly, on all types of surfaces. After 20 minutes of trying very hard to adjust the speed and get the thing to go where I wanted it to go, I gave up. I should have paid attention to the reviewers here who warned about the poor quality of this product. I'm returning it to Best Buy tomorrow.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for the Money
Review: I bought this product when my old ball mouse went kaput on me. So far, I'm happy with the optical mouse. It glides effortlessly across the mousepad, unlike my old mouse. What I like best about the optical versus the ball is its maintenance. I don't have to worry about dust and particles finding their way inside the mouse. Therefore, I don't have to take it apart to clean it, as I had to do with the old mouse. The scroll wheel was cumbersome at first; however, if you click gently on it while the cursor is pointed in the scrolling area, it works just fine. This mouse comes with software, although it works fine without. It also has an adaptor, which allows you to hook it up to a USB or PS/2 port. I haven't tried it on my Performa yet, but if it works I think I'll go out and buy another one.
Rating:
Summary: Drunken Rat!
Review: I like the design, and it fits my hands real well and I won't deny that I bought this because it was Microsoft (and assumed better quality). But after 3 days of usage, I'm real diappointed by its performance. As noted in one of the previous reviews, the sampling rate is simply too slow - whenever I move it a tad faster, the pointer jerks and wobbles like it's high on E. I connect it via PS2, will try the USB port as soon as I can free up an additional slot. Hopefully, the drunken rat behaviour would sober up a bit with higher sampling rate on the USB. A tip that might be helpful: If you installed the software that came with this rat, turn the software pointer acceleration OFF. I find that the mouse tracks better. Just increase your pointer speed to compensate.
Rating:
Summary: Mouse Traps
Review: I love my Microsoft optical mouse. I like the ergonomic form, the scroll roller, and the ability to set the speed and clicks of the two buttons accurately. However, I am now using the second one in about five months. The first sign that I had of the first mouse's unstable connection was that my system would lock up. It required a complete shut down (cold boot) for the mouse to work. I scanned for viruses, checked my drivers, and was rewarded by the flickering mouse that lasted a few more days. The next step in my diagnosis was to remove several programs from startup; the mouse "squeaked" along nicely, but I noticed that the optical element was hot. After a week of rebooting and keeping the mouse in a cool dry place it died. Because I liked the feel of the mouse, I bought a replacement. A day after my mouse was installed the second identical mouse in the house experienced the death knell. This one was replaced with a product from a different manufacturer. The mice are very similar. Does the convenience of a favorite tool make up for the frustration of one that fails? Maybe it does since I went right out and purchased another. Because there are now two optical "mice" in the house, by two different manufacturers, I have time to decide what I will do next time. It is highly possible that my first mouse was a lemon. The coincidence of the second mouse dying in approximately the same amount of time (five to seven months) is uncanny. Does it mean that the problem is circuitry within the mouse or the power source in my house. Microsoft has so much confidence in the product they will take care of problems for three years. This tells me that I may have just been unlucky with the previous two mice or I did not realize that it has delicate circuitry and abused the poor thing. I did not take advantage of this warranty, which was my mistake. For me it rates three stars. The new mouse is a five star jewel -- so far... so I guess it is 4 stars for the mouse.
Rating:
Summary: Great Mouse for a limited time
Review: I love this mouse, it requires no cleaning, it's very accurate and it has more than enough buttons. I loved it so much that I bought another one after the first one died about 3 months after I bought it. Now 6 months later the same exact problem I had with the first one started again. The mouse goes offline for no reason. Shaking it side to side would sometimes make it come back but most of the times it was just dead. So I pried it open and took great pleasure in ripping it apart and taking my vengeance on the mouse. What pisses me off the most is that inside the mouse everything looks very high quality and for the amount of money that I paid for it, it should be. So my advice is to save your money and the heartache because you'll end up loving the mouse too much it will break your heart and your pocket book in a few months.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Mouse
Review: I own two optical mice...this one and the Explorer. I have huge hands, so the Explorer works nicely for me at home, but I didn't want to drop 55 bucks on another just to use at work, so I bought this one to use at my office. It is a little small for my hands, but again, I have huge hands. :) I've heard people say they have problems with these mice working: one thing you need to realize is that most PC's that people own right now are not all that good at running devices connected to a USB port. Use the adapter that comes with the mouse and plug it into the PS2 port. I did experience problems with it plugged into my USB port, but I have not had any problems with either of my mice when I use the adapter for the PS2 port. If you want a simple mouse that will not require cleaning or attention, buy this. If you want one with a few more buttons, look at the Intellimouse Optical (It has 3) or the Explorer, with 5. But this one is just as good for the average person.
Rating:
Summary: Good....with conditions
Review: I received this mouse for Christmas, and have been using it happily ever since without a problem. I don't regret leaving my ball-based mouse one bit. However, there are two caveats: 1) Go with USB mode. PS/2 sucks for this device. 2) Don't buy into the idea of throwing out your mouse pad for this device. Though some believe this defeats the purpose of getting an optical mouse in the first place, I've gotten so used to having a mouse pad that it's second-nature to me. The real bonuses here are never having to clean out a dirty mouse ever again, as well as the low price. Buy it, but be sure to know the limitations.
| 
