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Microsoft M03-00041 Wireless Intellimouse Explorer XP-PS2/USB with Tilt Wheel Gray

Microsoft M03-00041 Wireless Intellimouse Explorer XP-PS2/USB with Tilt Wheel Gray

List Price: $49.99
Your Price: $39.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Won't connect, Flimsy tilt, Short battery life,
Review: Before buying the wireless mouse, I had a regular Intellimouse Explorer. I loved the way it fit my hand and operated, but the cord would be a nuisance so I decided to try the wireless model. It is even better! The tilt wheel allows scrolling vertically & horizontally. The mouse fits comfortably in my hand and the software allows a lot of convenient customization. It's a great mouse, I would recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Mouse
Review: Before buying the wireless mouse, I had a regular Intellimouse Explorer. I loved the way it fit my hand and operated, but the cord would be a nuisance so I decided to try the wireless model. It is even better! The tilt wheel allows scrolling vertically & horizontally. The mouse fits comfortably in my hand and the software allows a lot of convenient customization. It's a great mouse, I would recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Won't connect, Flimsy tilt, Short battery life,
Review: Don't get this product! I returned one already.

1. Won't connect
Mouse didn't work out box. Had to return to get another one. What a hassle. I wonder how long this mouse will last.

2. Flimsy tilt
What a lousy and flimsy design... How often does one use side scroll anyway? In any case, to use it takes large amount of finger extension and force. Lousy gimmick at best. And I miss the scroll with "click" as smooth scroll doesn't feel "right".

3. 6 month battery life?
Now that's a LIE! The damn Intellipoint software keeps on reminding me after 2 months that I need to change the battery and I used it only at home. I wish I got the Logi with built-in charger.

Finally, I wish I bought the Logi with 600 dpi and recharger instead. I tried one and regret this terrible unreliable piece of trash.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Mouse but Weak Battery Life
Review: I am generally quite pleased with this mouse. I'm not using the Intellipoint software that shipped with it because when I tried to install it on my notebook, it prompted me to uninstall the software for my touchpad -- that's not something I really wanted to do.

Anyway, I also own Logitech's MX700, as well as the earlier Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer. While I really like the MX700 and the earlier MS Mouse, I do feel that this one tracks better and is more comfortable.

I tend to have sweaty palms and hte metallic finish on the MX700 started to look like it was fading or somehting about 4 mths after I bought it, making the slick looking surface look all patchy... something that I didn't expect from a mouse that cost me $65!

Converesely, I've been using this MS mouse for nearly four months now and it shows no sign of wearing out.

The main problem I have is that its stated battery life is "upto six months" according to the MS site. I've managed to get only about 7 weeks out of a pair of Energizers. Granted I use the mouse about 8/9 hours a day, but 7 weeks is a loooong way off from 6 mths.

The battery life isn't at all a deal breaker for me though. the mouse works well, feels great and doesn't suffer from any of the general problems that wireless mice tend to.

Bottom line : I'd buy it again

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: excelent
Review: i bought this mouse and was impressed. other reviews claimed that logitech was a better manufacturer but i tried all of the logitechs and none felt as good as the intellimouse. the usual complaints of bad install didnt hit me and setup took less that 5 minutes. i have had the same batteries for a month and the provided battery sensor is still reading full batteries. the mouse's ergonomics are excelent but my 6 year old sister complains of it being too big. i am 6foot tall with fairly large hands and i think it is almost small but is still very comfortable. wonderful features and easy software make this mouse a great pick and for the amazon price it is well worth it.

p.s. sorry about grammar, the caps keys dont work and the keyboard is the next thing to go

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good design, connection problems
Review: I have used this mouse only for a couple of days. I had problems installing it on my notebook, it kept telling me there was a conflicting device. I soon found out it was the touchpad. It did not make sense to remove the touchpad driver? I did, then installed both drivers and it works now.

One major things with this mouse is it has reception problems. The receiver needs to be really close. I eventually decided to exchange it with the wired version(explorer 3) because the wireless does not make sense, I have to carry around an extra unit(receiver) and I need to replace batteries. Also wired version costs significantly less. I prefer robustness over fanciness.

The extra buttons on the left side is not very friendly. Side scrolling would be a plus with working spreadsheets etc...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I will keep using my old mouse
Review: I own the Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer ( M03-00001 ) and It has provided me great service for many years. I recieved this newer version as a gift, but im sorry to say I will stick to my old one.

First thing I didn't like was its size. It was small and narrow compared with the old one; it was lighter too so it didn't had a solid feeling to it.

As for the wheel, it does what its suposed to, and the tilt feature is a good idea. Its smooth movement feels good when using a web browser, but when gaming I missed the precission that the old wheel provided.

Worst of all is the software, intellipoint 5.0 is a great step...back! When assingning funtions to the buttons it comes short in versatility compared with the 4.0 version. I just could't assingn de ESC key to any button as I did with my old mouse.

Battery life is supposed to be better in the new model but I didn't had the chance to try it since i replaced it with my old mouse the very next day I tried the new one.

I will keep my old timer untill it breaks, but I surely will have to run out of options before I buy this one.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Et tu Microsoft?
Review: I purchased the Wireless Intellimouse Explorer w/ Tilt Wheel because I LOVED how the wheel scrolled. I was not thrilled with the price (I mean really - it's only a mouse!) but I spent the $50 anyway even after denying myself a new mouse for many months because this was something I just couldn't go home without.

The tilt wheel (for side to side scrolling) is nice, but not a huge selling point for me. The feel of the regular wheel scroll (up and down) was way cool though (very smooth feeling), I liked how the mouse looked, and most of all I liked that it was wireless. It is also a lighter mouse, weighing in at 5.25 oz with batteries in it, and the ergonomic design fit my smaller hand better than some of the other ergonomic mice. (Note: I had the three button version first, - Wireless Optical Mouse w/ Tilt - but returned it in favor of this five button version - Wireless Intellimouse Explorer w/ Tilt. The back and forward browser buttons on the Explorer mouse are very convenient, and the three button is scalloped for the thumb a bit differently which made it uncomfortable.)

So I bring my new mouse home and install the software, got everything hooked up very easily. (God bless USB!) I go to define my wheel button to "delete", same as I had on my plain and simple Microsoft Wheel Mouse, and WHAT'S THIS? No button definition for delete? Are you kidding me? It was just on the last version of the Microsoft mouse software! No way to define your own keystroke either! I depend on my wheel button as "delete" because I go through so much spam, so I was a bit panicked. $50 for this mouse and I can't make my second-most used button do what I want.

I spent two hours researching on the net how to define that button but alas, they have deleted the delete option. And from what I read, you can't define different keystrokes for different programs anymore either (not that I ever used that, but apparently it was an option before). All the other options are still there... you can set any button to copy, paste, enter, autoscroll and half a dozen other useless things, but you are limited to the keystrokes Microsoft has already defined and you get no more.

I kept the mouse for use on my Macintosh since strangely enough you CAN define any keystroke to any button with this mouse on a Mac, just not on a PC (thank you Mactopia! Apparently you're the only smart ones in GatesLand!), but I ended up buying the Logitech MX700 for my PC instead, so now I'm out $100 on mice and while the Logitech is nice, it was not my first choice.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great mouse, great price
Review: I've been using this mouse for a couple of weeks, and though I was initially reluctant to spend money on a Microsoft hardware product, I've been very impressed. The wireless link (it's RF, not infrared, so it doesn't require line-of-sight to the receiver) is flawless, the optical system works well on just about any surface except glass, the wheel is very smooth and the tilt feature and two side thumb buttons are convenient and speed up up navigation. It's a pretty large mouse, which is good because I have pretty large hands, and the rubberized sidesare good for gripping.

They claim the battery life is excellent. I haven't had it long enough to confirm or deny this, but the software has a battery indicator and mine's still reading full.

My only complaint is that the "wheel button" (pressing down on the wheel instead of rotating it) is set by default to switch active application (like hitting Alt-Tab once) which is weird, since I use Mozilla and I'm used to using the wheel button for open-link-in-new-window. Setting it to "AutoScroll" in the MS Mouse software changes it back to the default functionality.

Also, I wonder, have mouse manufacturers forgotten about left-handed people completely? Used to be that mice were symmetrical, and you could put it to the left of the keyboard, reverse the left and right buttons and use it left-handed. This mouse, like most new models out there, is designed for the right hand and does not come in a left-handed version. I'm trying this with my left hand, just to see what it's like, and it's not good - completely the wrong shape and the thumb buttons are useless. Lefties, I feel for you, your minority status makes ergonomics harder and it's not really offset by the increased likelihood that baseball teams will want you in their bullpens. I know I wouldn't want to be mousing lefty even with a normal mouse so you probably don't enjoy doing it righty. Try the more basic Microsoft "Wireless Optical Mouse" which is symmetrical, has the tilt wheel but doesn't have the thumb buttons, and you can use the software to reverse the left and right buttons.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Terrible Mouse
Review: Microsoft should just give up trying to make hardware. This mouse,like all the rest of theirs (of the half dozen I've foolishly bought over time), is a laggy slug, and besides that, uncomfortable to use. Its worst aspect is its speed--even at its top speed setting, it's slow. In contrast, you can set a Logitech mouse to any speed you want, up to and including too fast. Apparently, Microsoft, with its we-know-how-you-should-work attitude, thought we should all move the cursor around real slow. (It isn't my preference to be slow. Is it yours?) It feels like something half dead under your hand--really frustrating. And the wide scroll wheel: while it does scroll nicely, and smoothly, at least up and down, it's hard to press as a button, and it's so wide that I, at least (though I have big hands), found it uncomfortable to straddle with my fingers.

I've used mostly Logitech mice, and they've always been great. Every once in a while I've tried one made by Microsoft, and I've always ended up finding them unusable and have thrown every one of them away. Same with this one: into the trash. (I'd give it away, but why give anybody a bad product?) Microsoft has proven the point: they can't make a good mouse. (Not to mention their other hardware flops--keyboards, etc.) I'll never buy another one.

And not incidentally, Microsoft's well-known non-support further aggravates the many problems their products foist on the user. I went to their site looking for help about the slowness. But: you want support? Sure, if you pay a whole bunch for it. Fooey.

Another thing in relation to this dumb mouse: upon finding there was an update of the IntelliPoint software available (5.2), I thought, well, of course Microsoft realized their mouse was too slow, and this will undoubtedly fix it. But did it? Guess what. No. I had hesitated for a moment, dangling the mouse over the trash bin. Now I let it go. That's that for those hyped-up pieces of junk.


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