Microsoft 2.4GHz Wireless BlueTrack Technology Laser Explorer Mouse with 30-Foot Range and Easy Battery Recharging Base (5AA-00001). Reviews
Microsoft 2.4GHz Wireless BlueTrack Technology Laser Explorer Mouse with 30-Foot Range and Easy Battery Recharging Base (5AA-00001).
- Easy Charging – The battery status indicator tells you when a quick recharge is needed. The compact, stable recharging base is easy to use.
- Reliable Wireless on the Go – Microsoft 2.4 GHz wireless and the snap-in mini-transceiver deliver a reliable connection with up to a 30-foot range.
- Sophisticated Design and Comfort – The glowing blue light effects and comfortable curved surfaces set your mouse apart.
- Go Anywhere – Microsoft Blue Track Technology combines the power of optical with the precision of laser for remarkable tracking on more surfaces.
The Microsoft Explorer Mouse, with revolutionary Microsoft BlueTrackTM Technology, works more places than ever before, including on granite countertops, living room or airport carpets even on a wood table or rough, unfinished park bench.
List Price: $ 79.99
Price: $ 16.91
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It is a good mouse, but not a marvel of engineering.,
What I liked:
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The first thing that I loved was that the mouse works fine under Linux (and Windows, of course), even the two side buttons: under Linux they are “Back” and “Forward” in a web-browser by default.
The mouse is rechargeable and requires one AA Ni-MH battery (which means it can be easily replaced when the battery dies eventually) and comes with a low charge indicator (slowly flashes red when the mouse needs recharging and slowly flashes green when the mouse is being charged) and an easy charging station. After some minimal charging is done, the green flashing stops and the indicator just stays on green. Unfortunately there is no indication as to when the mouse is fully charged – the indicator does not change to blue or some other color, instead it just stays on green).
The two customizable buttons can be assigned (under Windows) many different functions out of a list.
The mouse indeed works well on most surfaces. However, I found out that it does not work at all on a concrete wall painted with a white paint. It also barely works on its original package (which could mean that it performs poorly on transparent surfaces). I guess there are always exceptions.
The mouse looks beautiful! Although, keep in mind that you won’t see the blue light from under the mouse and the BlueTrack sign all the time – it only turns on for a few seconds when the mouse is turned on (i.e. after one takes the receiver out of the mouse) and after the mouse returns from a sleep mode (the mouse goes into the sleep mode to save battery if it is not used for a while).
What I liked and did NOT like at the same time:
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One thing which I love is the smooth no-sound (no clicks) scroll wheel in a web-browser. It is as convenient to use as a wheel with clicks. It is great, for example, during meetings since the constant wheel clicking would not annoy anyone or in any situation when one wants to be quiet. The scrolling also takes very little effort. However, in all the other applications (not in a web-browser – for example in PowerPoint or in Excel) the scroll wheel is too sensitive, i.e. even a slight touch of the wheel causes a difficult to control scrolling of a page(s). One can get used to it but will still remain uncomfortable.
What I did NOT like:
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The first (very annoying) feature, from my point of view, is that the scroll wheel has to be clicked in a specific direction away from the user, when used as a middle button., i.e. if one just presses it down or towards oneself it would not consider it as a (middle) click. So it takes some thinking (or maybe a habit) to put a finger on the nearest end of the wheel and press it away. I love using the middle click to open a link in a new tab in FireFox. And also middle clicks are used really a lot under Linux (paste) so I consider it as major drawback of the mouse. I also cannot understand why the mouse was designed that way, since unlike scrolling, it takes some effort to click the wheel, so one would not click it accidentally anyway.
The second thing that I did not quite like was that the mouse is very big (its physical size: it is wide and thick – feels like a ball in ones hand). It is probably one of the biggest mice I ever seen or used. I have small hands and find it more convenient to use a narrower and thinner mouse. It does not make using the mouse troublesome – just feels somewhat uncomfortable. There is a “Mini” version of the mouse but that one is not rechargeable.
The mouse gets discharged pretty quickly (i.e. in less than a week – just a few days) when it is off. That is if I fully charge it and then snap the USB receiver into the mouse to turn it off with an intension to take the mouse with me on the road in a few days – it does not work, since in a few days when I turn the mouse on again, the charge indicator blinks red (which is an indicator that the mouse needs to be charged). It looks as if some circuit does not get disabled and still drains the battery power even in the mouse’s off-state.
I find putting the mouse’s wireless receiver in and out quite inconvenient. It takes special care to put the receiver in since it does not naturally find its proper position before one pushes it in. Even much more inconvenient is to take the receiver back out of the mouse – it gets stuck there pretty tightly and deeply and it is not easy to grab on it to pull it out (accurately without breaking it).
I also do not quite like the feature that to turn the mouse off one has to put the USB receiver into the mouse. It is subjective, of course, but I would find a simple on/off switch more convenient. The switch could be even positioned on the front or back side of the mouse so that it…
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|Battery Charging Defective,
I purchased two of these mice, one for my iMac and then when I liked it, one for my MacBook. I basically like the mice and after getting used to the heavier weight find it easy to use.
The reason I am writing this review is to tell about the defective rechargeable battery system on both mice and hope it helps other folks. I will try to keep the story short, but with enough detail that might help others with the same symptoms.
The mice appeared to work for a few weeks, the red light never came on, but I would recharge them every so often. Then the red light (indicating low battery) would come on very soon after taking off the station. I purchased new rechargeable batteries thinking perhaps the batteries were defective. The behavior continued with two different sets of batteries. Using a friend’s battery tester, the rechargeable battery tested almost completely full, but the red light would still come on. I put a regular battery (which tested 100% charged), used it for a week and the red light came on. I put one of the new rechargeables in for about 24 hours and the green light was still flashing, indicating it was still charging.
I called Microsoft support, 800-642-7676, talked to a representative, who talked to his advisers and they declared both of them defective and are sending two replacements, which I appreciate.
Here’s hoping the new ones work correctly. I know someone else with two of these and the battery charging system works just fine, so we shall see.
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|Excellent Tracking and Comfy Fit,
This mouse is an excellent replacement to my older corded laser mouse. I was having issues tracking on my new desk because of the wood grain. I did some reading on the bluetrack technology and it’s improved tracking effect so I took the plunge and I can’t be happier.
The mouse tracks perfectly on multiple surface types. I even tried it on carpet just for fun and it works on there too!! It’s pretty cool to sit on my bed with my laptop and use my mouse on the comforter.
Anyway, I’ve only been using it a few days so I have no comment on battery life. The mouse turns off on its own pretty quickly, which will hopefully conserve battery.
The shape of the mouse makes for a comfortable fit in my hand. The scroll wheel turns VERY smoothly, unlike my previous click-scroll wheel. This meant it took a little bit for my fingers to adjust to the same level of accuracy with scrolling but it’s definitely not a minus. The extra two buttons alongside my thumb were a nice idea but the one closest to my palm is harder to push. I never use it but that may be an issue for someone else.
Overall, I’m really happy with this mouse. It’s got this awesome blue halo it throws around itself when you’re using it. It fits great in my hand. It tracks flawlessly. What else could I really want?
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