Microsoft Optical Desktop Elite for Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard and Mouse (M54-00013)
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Similar in Keyboards and Mice
- Input Interface Type: Keyboard and Mouse
- Motion Device Type: Optical
- Connectivity: Wireless
- Interface: USB (Mouse) USB (keyboard)
- Platform: PC
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Great hardware, but Bluetooth is a dissapointment.
Pros
Hardware, especially keyboard is well designed.
Cons
Bluetooth has quite a few problems, range isn't as good as expected.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
I'd go with a non-Bluetooth keyboard and mouse; there just doesn't seem to be much advantage to Bluetooth
I bought this Bluetooth desktop set for the increased range and ability to connect to multiple computers; but I found that the advantages to having a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse aren't that great, and there are many disadvantages.
The Bluetooth USB dongle is easily recognized in Windows XP and the driver is automatically installed. However, to start using the keyboard/mouse, you have to install Microsoft's intellipoint and intellitype software, and go through a multi-step connection process. You have to open the connection wizard, push a button on the keyboard/mouse, wait for it to be discovered, enter a passcode, and go through several confirmation screens before you can start using the hardware. This process is straight forward, but it takes a while and it is totally impractical if you want to, for example, share the keyboard between your desktop and Bluetooth notebook or home theatre PC. When you try to connect to another computer, the keyboard/mouse will instantly become disconnected from the original computer, and you will have to go through the whole process again. To add to this, you have to have a separate non-Bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected to complete the setup process or change any BIOS settings in your computer (since the keyboard only is recognized in Windows).
I would expect that most people would be interested in this desktop set for its range. The keyboard/mouse worked throughout a 12 by 17 room, but it won't work in the next room (through a wall) at well under the 30 ft advertised range. What really surprised me though, is that my standard Microsoft wireless mouse (which has only a 6-8 ft advertised range) worked perfectly well throughout the same 12 by 17 room. It doesn't seem like the Bluetooth set offers as much of a range improvement as expected.
I also noticed that the mouse is fairly slow to respond after the computer goes to a screen saver (takes 4-5 seconds, but then normal response returns). It also seems that the Bluetooth drivers and/or the Microsoft software are using a fair amount of system resources. It made DVD playback drop frames on my older PIII computer.
On the positive side, I really like the hardware itself. The set has a good appearance. The keyboard has a good feel, cushioned wrist pad, and a good selection of multimedia keys. The smooth scroll wheel with horizontal scrolling works great. Unfortunately for left-handed people like me, like all of Microsoft's high end mice, this is a right-handed mouse. For a while, Microsoft was making some really good symmetrical mice; it is ashame that all of there new mice seem to be non-symmetrical, right-handed. The mouse explorer buttons are also a little small and not in the best location.
If you are looking at this desktop set, I would really consider getting a standard (non-Bluetooth) Microsoft desktop set. The advantages to Bluetooth are overstated, save some money and buy a standard set.
The Bluetooth USB dongle is easily recognized in Windows XP and the driver is automatically installed. However, to start using the keyboard/mouse, you have to install Microsoft's intellipoint and intellitype software, and go through a multi-step connection process. You have to open the connection wizard, push a button on the keyboard/mouse, wait for it to be discovered, enter a passcode, and go through several confirmation screens before you can start using the hardware. This process is straight forward, but it takes a while and it is totally impractical if you want to, for example, share the keyboard between your desktop and Bluetooth notebook or home theatre PC. When you try to connect to another computer, the keyboard/mouse will instantly become disconnected from the original computer, and you will have to go through the whole process again. To add to this, you have to have a separate non-Bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected to complete the setup process or change any BIOS settings in your computer (since the keyboard only is recognized in Windows).
I would expect that most people would be interested in this desktop set for its range. The keyboard/mouse worked throughout a 12 by 17 room, but it won't work in the next room (through a wall) at well under the 30 ft advertised range. What really surprised me though, is that my standard Microsoft wireless mouse (which has only a 6-8 ft advertised range) worked perfectly well throughout the same 12 by 17 room. It doesn't seem like the Bluetooth set offers as much of a range improvement as expected.
I also noticed that the mouse is fairly slow to respond after the computer goes to a screen saver (takes 4-5 seconds, but then normal response returns). It also seems that the Bluetooth drivers and/or the Microsoft software are using a fair amount of system resources. It made DVD playback drop frames on my older PIII computer.
On the positive side, I really like the hardware itself. The set has a good appearance. The keyboard has a good feel, cushioned wrist pad, and a good selection of multimedia keys. The smooth scroll wheel with horizontal scrolling works great. Unfortunately for left-handed people like me, like all of Microsoft's high end mice, this is a right-handed mouse. For a while, Microsoft was making some really good symmetrical mice; it is ashame that all of there new mice seem to be non-symmetrical, right-handed. The mouse explorer buttons are also a little small and not in the best location.
If you are looking at this desktop set, I would really consider getting a standard (non-Bluetooth) Microsoft desktop set. The advantages to Bluetooth are overstated, save some money and buy a standard set.
