76 out of 76 people found this review helpful.
The Tilt Wheel mouse is now wireless and back with a vengeance!
Date of Review: Sep 11, 2008
The Bottom Line: Plug and play this low cost, high-tech toy today and surf the web in style.
I have no idea why I waited so long to get this excellent mouse. My Dell M056UC roller ball mouse was slowing me down worse than taking Joe Biden along for a morning jog. I needed a change, something new and exciting that would help me navigate my dual monitors quickly. The Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 or Model Number 1058 as the pencil pushers call it; is an easy to use computing gadget that every geek should have.
The wireless mouse comes in an attractive red box with the mouse itself encased in a clear plastic shell set against a reflective silver background. The packaging is very good and you can feel confident that it will survive shipment through the mail using Amazon's super saving shipping program. Inside you will find a mouse, receiver, two Energizer AA Alkaline batteries, a product guide, a four part fold out installation manual and an IntelliPoint 6.2 Mouse Software CD. The mouse itself is 5" long, 2 1/2" wide and 1 3/4" tall and weighing approximately 4 1/2 ounces. Yes, she is a little on the hefty side but the size of the mouse makes it feel comfortable in my hand. The dark metal flaked, glossy plastic band running across the top of the mouse combined with the near translucent black plastic on the sides makes a fashion statement all on its own. In fact my Samui Moon Binary Watch is a little overshadowed by artistry this mouse!
Installation
Place the IntelliPoint 6.2 Mouse Software CD in your computer's CD tray and follow the prompts during the installation process. Next, plug in the USB receiver into an available USB port. You will want to place the receiver as close as possible to the mouse. I generally put the receiver at least 8" away and use a piece of Scotch tape underneath the receiver to hold it in place. Now, place the two Energizer batteries into the mouse and hit the connect button on the bottom of the mouse. Now, you should be ready to cruise in style! Enjoy!
My mouse was detected as soon as I plugged in the receiver to my computer's USB port and put the two included AA batteries in the mouse. The computer I installed this mouse on is running Windows XP SP2. Microsoft recommends that the installation CD is run first though.
Operation And Intellipoint
The Tilt Wheel allows you to scroll up and down webpages without moving the mouse. In fact you can then hold down the tilt wheel and move the mouse to cause the page to quick scroll up or down depending on the forward or backward movement of the mouse. I use this feature while rating Epinions reviews, with great effect!
Intellipoint is the name of the driver software for nearly all of its pointing device products. Users can define mouse buttons that open any program or file they desire and you can even define different functions for specific programs. Please note that Steinburg's Cubase music production software and also in other software, users are reporting a screen flickering condition. You may have to uninstall the ipoint.exe and install a pre 5.5 version of the Intellipoint mouse software to fix the problem.
I have verified that this product will work on Windows XP Professional SP2, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista. I use the mouse in the company computer cluster to connect to various computers on the racks. USB mice have the ability to plug and play without requiring a reboot!
Batteries
The mouse uses two AA batteries. To change them, simply bend a plastic tab on a door on the bottom of the mouse and pry off. The batteries easily pull out if you gently push down on them. Once complete you can hit the connect button on the bottom of the mouse with your pen to reconnect to the receiver. I highly recommend using an Energizer CHM4AAWB NiMH/NiCD Battery Charger and these Kodak KAARDC-4 2500mAH AA Batteries so that you can save yourself the cost of replacement batteries. Today, my company here in Lake Charles, Louisiana is preparing for Hurricane Ike by placing all computers in bags until Monday. Likewise, if you plan on not using the mouse for an extended period of time, I recommend removing the batteries to conserve power.
Summary
Whether you need a new mouse or just want a gadget to make your coworkers jealous, the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 with Intellipoint technology and high definition laser technology is a fantastic way to go.
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