Rating: 
Summary: Great gift for anyone with a computer!
Review: I've used this mouse for a few months after my other regular mouse became possessed and needed a replacement. I wanted something different and looked at several mouse type devices, like the Trackball, Marbleball, etc. I felt I didn't want to learn how to use those devices and opted to get another standard mouse. But that's so standard! I wanted something the same, but different, ya know? Enter: Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical. It used a brand new technology which claimed to use a revolutionary optical sensor, not a mouse ball. Smooth and precise-no skipping, no jamming and had two extra buttons on either side. Let me say that this mouse is as wonderful as the red "glow" on the underside of the mouse. I use it for regular applications, gaming, and Internet. The two extra buttons are regularly used for the "back" and "forward" functions in your web browser but can be programmed for anything else. I play Age of Empires II: The Conquerors and you can set "Hot Keys" for some of the game buttons. The extra buttons really help. Also, I didn't even have to install drivers or anything, the thing just worked as soon as I plugged it in. Anyhoo, I recommend this mouse if you have never tried an optical mouse. It is durable, fun to use, and the two extra buttons are a great idea.
Rating: 
Summary: Close, but not quite there yet...
Review: I had VERY high hopes for this mouse. I'm a software developer by day, I write books on Visual Basic and Access, and I play games (when I get the chance), so I spend a LOT of time on my computers. The cool factor of this mouse is so high, that I really wanted to like it.
In the end, however, I ended up returning it.
Here's what I didn't like:
1. The design of the body makes it a bit difficult to pick up the mouse, which you have to do frequently when playing games.
2. I didn't think the mouse was as smooth on my desktop as my standard Intellimouse.
3. *THE BIG ONE* No matter how I tweaked it, I simply could not get the speed of the mouse set where I liked it. In fact, the Intellimouse software is pretty week, and offers few choices for mouse speed. Consequently, the speed was either too slow or too fast. I really wish they'd give you finer control over the response of the mouse. Although the mouse is highly accurate, I think the standard Intellimouse with the ball just 'feels better', response-wise and physically.
I'll be watching for an enhanced design and better drivers, and I'll definately give the mouse a go again.
As always, your mileage may very.
Rating:
Summary: Great mouse
Review: I've had this mouse for over 2 years and haven't had any problems. I hot swap it between my old expendable 98se desktop (with the PS2 port adaptor) and my new XP pro laptop (USB plug) all the time and it works perfectly everytime and all buttons are fully functional. After using the two extra forward and back buttons I never want to go back to a 3 button mouse. If I had to pick nits, I'd say this mouse is actually a little big because I use a wrist rest and the mouse tends to bump into it. Otherwise an excellent all round mouse from Microsoft.
Rating: 
Summary: Best mouse for the price!
Review: Notice the "price" clause inserted in the heading? That is because after using Intellimouse Explorer, Logitech Mouseman Wheel Optical, and this one, I would say the Logitech one is the easiest to operate and best built. However, its also twice as expensive...The Pros:
- Compared to Intellimouse Explorer, its smaller and so fits people with smaller hands
- The extra two buttons, which are placed on the left hand side on the Explorer are now one of each side so you don't have to flex your thumb as much
- The surface is not as shiny as Explorer so makes it easier to grip.
- The optical technology is faster so it feels more accurate than Explorer.
- Did I mention its cheaper than Logitech Mouseman Optical? :)
- Unlike Intellimouse Explorer, this works for both right and left handers. The Cons are:
- This depends on the user but I found that Logitech fits my palm better than this one
- The side buttons are loud! It makes a loud plastic sound.
- The construction seems flimsy especially compared to Logitech's. Maybe the reason for the loud side buttons!
Rating:
Summary: Great Mouse
Review: There isn't really anything revolutionary about this "modern" pointing device since optical pointing devices have been with us since the 80's. However, previous implementations of the optical mouse required a special mouse-pad with a printed matrix pattern from which the mouse determines precise movement. The IntelliMouse Optical has no such requirement -- you don't even need a mousepad. PROS: no mouse ball to clean, never skips, no left/right hand bias, fast mouse rate (due to USB interface) which makes it great for gaming, and (for the conservative) it matches the rest of your computer (if your computer is beige). CONS: it's a bit too light (weight wise), not too ergonomic (unlike the right-hand biased IntelliMouse Explorer), red "taillight" can get irritating if you leave your computer overnight and it's a bit expensive for a pointing device (although still worth it for me).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent mouse
Review: I got this mouse for Christmas, and so far I love it. After getting used to a wheelie mouse at work and not having one at home, I'd been meaning to pick one up for some time now. This mouse moves extremely smoothly over my mousepad, and has a cheerful looking red light shining out the back (palm) end. The only complaint I have with the mouse is that the two side buttons are too easily pressed while just moving the mouse around, especially when you have to pick up the mouse and reposition it. You have to make sure to grab the mouse at the base, below the buttons while you're moving it around or picking it up. Still, the side buttons are quite useful for web surfing. The thumb button takes you back a page, the finger button takes you forward. Of course, the button action can be customized to suit your needs with the Intellimouse software. Definitely a worthy addition for anyone tired of cleaning out those gunky rollers.
Rating:
Summary: Good optical mouse with one big problem
Review: I have used this mouse for about 3 years and it has served me well for everything, *except* games. This is one of the first generation optical mice, so the sensor doesn't take as many pictures/second as the newer mice. What does this mean? If you're playing fast games (FPS especially) and make a quick movement, the mouse will move in a random direction. Very bad scenario. I've also gotten quite into Tiger Woods 2003, and this mouse is very bad for the game because:
- you need to have perfectly smooth motion to swing the club, since if you move it too fast the mouse moves another direction causing bad swings and it's good because:
- it trains your hand to have perfectly smooth motion to swing the club, since if you move it too fast the mouse moves another direction causing bad swings so when I get a next generation mouse my game should be unstoppable :) Logitech's entry optical model (the most inexpensive, quality, but basic optical mice I've worked with) is much better and doesn't have this same problem, and you can move it as fast as you want without negative results. In conclusion, the main points of this mouse are:
Pros:
- the side buttons and clickable wheel are convenient and programmable
- optical technology means no more cleaning the mouse ball
(then again, every optical mouse has this feature)
- good size, not too heavy like the Explorer (the next model up) Cons:
- Games will cause much frustration
- Maybe not all will see this, but mine is rather cheaply build (made in China) and the right mouse button randomly to makes odd feedback when clicked I suggest skipping this one and going a newer generation mouse with similar features.
Rating:
Summary: great mouse
Review: Hello. This is great for surfing the internet, the buttons on each side enable one to go back to the previous window with the button on the left hand side of the mouse and the button on the right hand side of the mouse gets you forward again. I also use it to play games with and it works fine for that too. The red light is a bonus.
Rating:
Summary: Great to use, but not the most reliable
Review: I've been using this mouse for a couple years now and I'm definitely hooked on it! I've gotten very used to having the forward and back buttons on the sides for surfing the internet and I love not having to clean the mouse or have problems with it not moving properly. I also like the design of this mouse and how it feels in my hand. Unfortunately, over the time that I have been using this mouse, I have had to exchange the old one a new one 2 different times. The reason in both cases was because the left mouse button would start to get out of sync a little bit. This made it so that if you tapped the button once, half the time it would register a double click. This may not seem like a big deal, but it definitely caused more than a few frustrations. While, this mouse has the best design that I have found, the reliability of it has been enough of a problem that, if someone else were to design a mouse with a similar layout, I would probably ditch the Microsoft one. But for now, I'll just have to live with returning my mouse every 6 months or so.
Rating:
Summary: Works like a charm -- goodbye, mouse balls!
Review: If you are still using a mouse with a rolling ball underneath, this one is really going to please you. It never sticks, always works. It glows red underneath, which is a silly aesthetic feature but actually serves as an extra power light to let you know your PC is on. The scrolling wheel/button in the center is extremely useful -- I use it constantly. The two extra thumb buttons are a bit clunky, and I don't use them a lot. Installation is absolutely painless if you have a recent edition of Windows. Just plug and go. The mouse is very large. If you have small hands it will feel too big; if you have big hands you will like it. Now, having said all this, I still find that trackballs -- especially those from Logitech -- are more pleasant to use than mice. So the only reason I wouldn't re-purchase this product today, is that I'd buy a trackball instead.
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