I have been using this mouse for almost a month now and I am very satisfied with it. It is smaller than most mice, but fits snuggly in my hand, considering that I have big hands. It is very responsive (sometimes too responsive) and the back button and mouse wheel complement its functionality. The battery indicator is another great plus, cause at least you can get a warning when you are running low; although it is very energy-efficient, I'm still using the packed standard AAA batteries with an average of 6-7 hours of daily use. And the power switch is also great for saving energy.
To sum up, Pros:
- Excellent Microsoft design (esthetical, ergonomical)
- Great price
- Very responsive (it's laser, not optical)
- Great battery life (I'll let you know on the comments when the first pair of batteries run out. I already have a rechargeable pair on stand-by).
- Instant pairing with bluetooth enabled PC's (I did not try it on a Mac)
- Back button functionality
- Power switch lets you turn it off when not in use to save battery, and you just turn it on and in a couple of seconds it reconnects (this has been a life-saver since I walk away from my desk very often, and I would not like that some envious co-worker "borrowed" it for his home, and it fits quite nicely on my shirt or pants pocket)
- It glides very smoothly on almost any surface (even on my bed sheets)
- It comes with a nice carry-bag.
Cons:
- It has dropped the connection about 5 or 6 times during the time I have been using it, but it reconnects after turning on and off again. Kind of annoying.
- I wish it had a forward buttong as well.
- It is somethimes too responsive, depending on the surface you wear it on. I fixed this by tweaking the mouse sensitivity on the Windows mouse settings.
I recommend this bluetooth mouse.
UPDATE (2/23/08): Well, the battery indicator is going red now (3 months after I started using it), but, if I could, I would downgrade my rating to 3 stars because of the following: The power switch broke like a week ago (the damn thing kinda got loose of it's place and still moves, but it doesn't change the power state). I tried going DIY and tried fixing it myself, but ended up getting it worse, although I managed the leave the power on. This means poor craftsmanship from Microsoft, because I consider I did not misused the mouse. I now can't turn the mouse off, so I have to remove the batteries every time I don't use it. This resulted on casting the mouse aside and leaving it just for special occasions (long meetings or surfing @ home).
I still consider the mouse is good, but this has negatively changed my opinion on Microsoft hardware (don't even get me started on their SW). Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 Mac/Windows
The Mouse that Roared
I waited five months to write this review to give the Microsoft Bluetooth notebook mouse a complete workout. I am using it frequently with my Asus EEPC netbook on the road and at home and am very impressed.
The size is excellent considering this is a small mouse. I have medium-large sized hands and enjoy a mouse that is usually much larger. The Microsoft Bluetooth notebook mouse fits nicely under the hand and has excellent response. In fact, the mouse works on more surfaces and more obscure locations than of the other wireless mice I use on my home computer.
The reason I waited so long to do this review was because others complained about the on-off switches breaking. I had no problems with this switch and while I take good care of my equipment five months of constant use has proved that the switch is as sound today as when it arrived. The on-off switch is located on the bottom and is embedded into the unit. It does not stick out and it would seem difficult to break unless you are pushing it too hard.
As far as battery life, well I am still using the original batteries sent with the unit and five months of use is a lot of life from a single set of regular batteries. I have many times put it away without turning off the power switch yet the original shipped batteries are still working fine. Of course that leaves me unable to comment on the light that would appear if the batteries start to go.
The Bluetooth works perfectly and it is so nice to this feature built into the mouse and the EEPC, which leaves the netbook with no dongles or use of the USB ports. The most interesting thing for me is that the mouse operates on almost any surface. No need for a mouse pad or surface with color or patterns. I can use it on a white table, the couch, a piece of white paper or whatever and it is live and responsive. It also can be used at a greater distance and more obscure angles from the netbook than my other full size wireless (USB related) mice.
While the mouse has a page-back feature button it has no right hand page-forward button. A small drawback. There is a very responsive scroll wheel, which besides scrolling up and down, you can bend to the right or left to scroll pages in the direction you want. This is a great feature on the newer netbook 10-inch screens, which seem to never put the content in view without movement. It now becomes apparent why advertising takes up all the top of a page.
The Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse is a solid unit that is handsomely designed, well engineered, works without dongles, does not use one of the valuable USB ports, and energy efficient, which offers most, if not all, the features of a full sized mouse in a small compact netbook sized unit. All in all I am extremely pleased with the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook mouse and highly recommend it.'
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