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Microsoft Cordless Wheel Mouse

Microsoft's Solid Design

The Microsoft Cordless Wheel Mouse is decidedly less soothing to the eye than the Logitech Cordless MouseMan Wheel, but it is also lies in a different price class (Logitech offers a more basic cordless mouse that is closer matched to the Microsoft Cordless Mouse). The wheel has a solid and defined click to accompany its rotations, and the buttons have a firmer feel than did the Logitechs’. I didn’t find the firmness of the buttons to be an advantage, but some would prefer the solid click that Microsoft’s mouse offers.

The construction of the mouse is definitely up to par with other MS offerings, and seems more sturdy than Logitech's recent mice. This is a trend that I’m seeing when comparing Logitech to Microsoft products, MS simply manufactures what appears to be more durable products using heavier quality plastics. The shape of the mouse is the very same, highly unimaginative shape that Microsoft must have adopted from since the early 8086 days. It did seem wider, which was actually a disadvantage, as we found it less comfortable to grip, though users with larger paws will appreciate the added width. Certainly the Intellimouse Explorer and Logitech's Mouseman offer much more pleasing and ergonomic shapes, but the Cordless Wheel Mouse doesn't exactly fail in this particular area. The shell is durable plastic, and one of the first things we noticed was the weight of the whole device - it turned out that upon closer inspection, a significant amount of the weight came from the very solid, high quality and extra dense "ball". Though this may not seem immediately significant, it makes for an overall higher quality product, and actually has performance benefits as well. Compared to many other mice, the Cordless Wheel mouse glides smoothly and responsively over our modest mouse pad. The on-screen cursor response, on the other hand, gave us mixed feelings.

Microsoft's Wide Mouse

Microsoft claims that the mouse has a range of 5 feet, which is not bad when you consider that the receiving unit will most likely be parked in the vicinity of your desktop or tower system (and honestly, how many of us have systems that are really that far away from where we work?). The mouse worked fairly well with the receiver placed in all manner of locations relative to where we sat.

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