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Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite Keyboard and Mouse

Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite Keyboard and Mouse

List Price: $104.95
Your Price: $74.89
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Almost .... but Not Quite There Yet.....
Review: My friend used this keyboard and mouse for approximately 6 months and did not like it. He gave it to me and I have been using it for the past month and a half.

Pro's:
1. If the only thing to consider was aesthetics, then this set would take the cake. It's sleek, and has a modern look to it. I never knew that a mouse and keyboard could look so impressive.
2. Microsoft name which means that it is not a hokey $2.00 product.
3. Highly efficient battery usage. I am still using the original batteries that came with the set when my friend originally purchased the keyboard/mouse combo. This is very unlike the first generation wireless products where you had to swap out the batteries every week or so.
4. A large number of "hotkeys" where you can hit one button to load up your favorite webpage or function. Easy to program and change.
5. No messy cords in the way.

Cons:
1. Non-intuitive design: a) the delete key is in an awkward location. Microsoft has decided to place the "insert, delete, home, end, page up, and page dn" keys in a vertical fashion. b) still cant get used to the shape of the mouse. it's designed so that the user has to palm the entire mouse - (maybe to prevent injuries? but still awkward) c) there is no caps lock light on the keyboard itself, you have to look at the receiver to find out if the "caps Lock" button has been hit.
2. Susceptible to "act out". Sometimes, out of the blue, while I am viewing a webpage or document, it scrolls up and down erratically. My friend complained of non-registering keystrokes and then a ton of letters finally showing up at once. i am guessing his workstation was susceptible to wireless interference, as is mine. But in this age of cordless phones and other gadgets, it is pretty hard to eliminate all interference. Just letting you know that there may be glitches here and there.

Conclusion: Would I recommend this set to a friend? Hard to say, my suggestion is to go out to a physical store and try the product out. Hold the mouse and see if you like the feel of it. Don't be wooed by the looks of the set alone, as comfort should be your first priority.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very well made, but with some slight annoyances...
Review: Overall the keyboard is very well designed. Every single key has good response and that certain "give" that we expect out of a high quality keyboard. The added features for media control are a nice touch, but nothing we haven't seen in the other newer keyboards. These keys are all fully customizable, as you can assign their function to control almost everything or even open any program you desire. The new scroll wheel, which is also found on the mouse, is also a nice touch.

The keyboard isn't without its problems though. I find it odd that Microsoft opted to not put LEDs on the keyboard itself to indicate Caps Lock, Num Lock, and F Lock - these LEDs are found on the wireless HUB instead (there's also no LED indicator for Scroll Lock). So if you place your HUB on the floor or behind something, you'll have to rely on the onscreen indicators to tell you the state of the locks. I also found it annoying that F Lock is stateless - that is when you turn off your computer, the keyboard doesn't remember whether F Lock was on or off. If you want to use the function keys like normal, you have to press the F Lock key everytime you boot your computer. An extra step by the user which is totally uncalled for.

The new design for the Wireless Intellimouse 2.0 is okay. I preferred the height (arch) of the original Wireless Intellimouse. I also don't like how the scroll wheel scrolls vertically) - I preferred the way that the Intellimice have always had their scroll wheels, with a satisfying sort of click to them. The 2.0 version has absolute smooth scrolling - some may prefer it this way, but I don't. The new innovation for the 2.0 mouse is the horizontal scrolling wheel. For practicality, the horizontal scrolling isn't smooth, like the vertical scrolling. It functions very well, but I would have preferred it if the horizontal scrolling was smooth as well. The keyboard's scroll wheel is exactly the same as the mouse's, so the complains hold true for the keyboard wheel as well. (On a side note, I should mention that the laser sensor for the mouse is offcenter - to the right side of the mouse, which is something that people have complained about Logitech's MX700.)

As I haven't had this keyboard/mouse combo for a long time, I can't really state on the battery life (So far two weeks and still full batteries - definitely better than the original Wireless Intellimouse's battery life). What I can say is that the mouse can operate even when you only have one battery insterted, but it's still probably better to insert both batteries into the mouse.

Despite the annoyances that I've stated, the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Elite is a fine product. And for the price given plus its functionality, it can't be beat.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Compatibility Issues
Review: Terrible compatibility issues with several programs. The only way to get help is to pay for it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So-so keyboard, lousy mouse
Review: The keyboard is, well, OK, if you don't mind Microsoft's usual disregard for users (inconvenient placement of keys, etc.), but the mouse is about the world's worst. It's a slow, laggy slug. Installing the latest software and setting the speed to the hightest does no good--it's just a slug, and that's that, and that dumb scroll wheel is so wide it hurts your hand trying to straddle it. And forget getting any help from Microsoft ("Pay us $35 a minute so we can tell you how perfect we are and that you have to use the product as it is"). Gotta say one thing, though: they make their stuff out of tough plastic. My stupid IntelliMouse still worked after throwing it against a brick floor. (But it still ended up in the trash.) I chucked the board too. Back to Logitech--same bad-to-so-so keyboards (their "ergo" ones are just copies of Microsoft's boffo "natural" ones), but better (quick, responsive) mice.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Product!
Review: The look, the feel, the performance, you can't go wrong.
Leather feels very plush. Scroll very smooth and short cut buttons on the top of keyboard are money. Great buy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best wireless keyboard/mouse combo on the market
Review: The Microsoft Optical Wireless Desktop Elite is the best wireless keyboard mouse combo for the money. The thing that got my attention the most was how comfortable the keys are, they have the perfect amount of give. Installation was fairly simple, the batteries came with it, 3 for the keyboard and 2 for the mouse. Plug it in everything and most of the keys worked on the keyboard. Some of the shortcuts didn't work but once I installed the CD it came with then all the special hotkeys worked. I didn't have to customize it or anything. In terms of the range of the keyboard it's not exactly 6 ft like it says in the box, but it's pretty good. Some angles work better than others if you're too far away. But for all intensive purposes you can put the receiver just about anywhere and it's fine for everyday use. The scroll thing on the mouse and on the keyboard are pretty useful since you can scroll up and down in addition to left and right. And as for the "delete" key being in the wrong place, it's really not that hard to get used to. Also the F-Lock and all the other num locks and caps locks are all indicated on the receiver so it's not like you don't know if it's on or not. This is a really good keyboard. The mouse is pretty comfortable although i would have liked a recharger. But the battery life so far is pretty good. I mainly got this package for the keyboard anyways. For me it was between this combo and the Logitech Wireless desktop elite combo and this one just feels better. My friend has the logitech one and it's pretty good but this keyboard is more ergonomic and for the same price it comes with better customization and a sleeker look. I suppose the logitech one comes with a charger for the mouse, but i'd rather drop a few dollars every 2 months for batteries than have a keyboard that didn't feel good on my hands. Besides if it really comes down to the mouse with a recharger you can buy the recharable logitech mouse separately.

The Bottom Line: This is the best wireless keyboard you can get for the money. The only reason i'd say not get this keyboard would be if you need bluetooth compatability with PDA's etc. like some of the higher end models have. otherwise GET THIS KEYBOARD NOW!! it's awesome.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Two small problems... great otherwise
Review: This fancy keyboard and mouse set came with my PC a few months ago. Right away I noticed it was slick looking, and overall made my desk look much more professional and impressive. However, I can't give this product my full recomendation based on looks alone.

Firstly, I want to say that the MOUSE is just wonderful. Smooth, lasts very long and not a single problem. The best mouse I have ever owned. It even works well directly on the table, which is more than I can say for most wireless mice.

The Keyboard, however, has two problems.
1) There are no lights to indicate 'Caps Lock' or 'Num Lock', which is slightly annoying when typing passwords.
2) While the batteries last long, my keys frequently stop working and I need to give the thing a shake before they start working again. Maybe its because it's because I've spilt my fair share of food and beverage on the keyboard, but never have I had this problem before. Its not a big deal. Just a little shake and it works fine.

Overall, its a pretty, professional looking set and I recomend it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Design, Limited Quirks
Review: This is my first wireless keyboard, and I am extremely pleased. The keyboard and mouse are well designed and comfortable. The biggest design flaw with the keyboard is the lack of a traditional Insert key and that the wrist rest cannot be removed so you can use your own (I prefer a gel wrist rest). The mouse especially is extremely comfortable. So far, there has been no sign of any lag for the keyboard or the mouse. While I have never owned any Logitec products, and I can't compare the two, I would highly recommend this product.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great keyboard and great mouse
Review: This Wireless optical desktop is just awesome, smoot keys, nice finish, quality product and extremly easy to install, i recomend this mouse and keyboard to anyone, the only bad that i see is that the 2 botons on the side of the mouse are to far away to used in a normal position but i been using this for less than a week.

Great product, great price, great shiping.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nicely done, M$. GREAT FOR GAMING
Review: Well, it came down to this and the Logitech LX700 wireless set. Something about the slick packaging of this set made me grab it despite being a couple of dollars more expensive, and I'm extremely happy I did.

I was initially terrified at the prospect of going wireless because, as a heavy PC gamer, performance comes first (and definitely before looks). However, I needed to replace my worn out mouse anyway, so I said what the hell and went cordless.

Am I happy? In a word, yes. Here are some game by game results:

Half-Life 2: Tried out this set on Highway 17 to get a good mix of platforming (the bridge), driving, and shooting. You'll be happy to know I did not experience a SINGLE problem with holding down the walk key or crazy mouse behavior. Keys were easy to find. Mouse wheel is CRAZY sensitive, so it makes weapons switching in the heat of the moment a little tough, but otherwise solid. ****1/2

Rise of Nations: A good mouse is a RTS must, and this one performed admirably.... EXCEPT when I first booted up the game. The cursor disappeared at the menu screen, requiring a reboot. However, after loading it up again, it worked fine, so... ***

UT2004: I wanted to try it out with a game chugging at 200+ FPS to see what kind of performance I could expect, and I was impressed. I noticed no difference from my Logitech MX510, which is all I could have asked for. Additionally, it feels like Microsoft took a mold of my hand in my sleep, because this thing is PERFECT.

Overall, ****. The keyboard is great, but the F-Lock is of questionable use, esp. in fast-paced FPS games. Also, the non-traditional layout of the home key array is a bit confusing at first, though the massive delete key IS a good idea and I think M$ had a good idea with that one.

My reception has been solid, though I sit at my desk to use the computer, so I haven't tried it from around the room. I'm very happy with this purchase, and with Amazon selling it for 25% less than I paid this is a safe bet for the gamers in the house holding off on wireless technology until they knew it was safe to switch.



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