Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 Review

by Dustin Sklavos

About two years ago I purchased a custom-built HP Pavilion dv2500t, a charming little 14.1" number with what would become glaring heat problems (good ol' faulty Nvidia silicon). When I custom-built it, I found the Bluetooth upgrade was a pittance - $10 is a drop in the bucket on an $800 laptops - and went with it.

The idea of being able to use a mouse with your laptop without having to plug anything in, just turning it on, is pretty cool. At least it is for me, depending on whether or not you're as big a nerd as I am your mileage may vary.

Shopping around for a good Bluetooth notebook mouse was surprisingly difficult. A visit to NewEgg reveals just nineteen choices, many of which are just different colored versions of the same mouse, and very few of which see the light of day in retail.

At the end of the day, I went with the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000, also called the "Microsoft Bluetooth Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse 5000" on the box. It had the best feel when I'd gently fondled it in public, and probably more importantly, it was about the only one I could find with any kind of reliability. HP has a Bluetooth notebook mouse out there, but I generally see it running for at least $10 more than Microsoft's option.

Specifications:

• Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
• Battery status LED
• Includes two AAA batteries and travel pouch
• Compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7
• MSRP: $49.95

Build and Design
Part of the reason I chose the Microsoft Excessively Long-Winded Named Mouse 5000 (there's only one so the model number seems kind of gratuitous) was because the grip felt right. It has an ambidextrous grip - not a huge deal, I'm not a southpaw - and it does fit fairly comfortably given how tiny and frustrating notebook mice can be to use.

The buttons work well with a good click, adequate roll on the mouse wheel, and the whole thing is generally pretty comfortable. The power on/off switch and the connect button are both on the bottom of the mouse.
Complaints are minimal, honestly. The battery door can be a real pain to remove, and the connect button is tiny enough that you'll have to use your fingernail, but other than that it's not a huge deal.

In Use
I've been using this mouse for nearly a year and a half, so I'm reasonably certain I have a good grasp of how well it works. Sensitivity and reception are absolutely excellent, and in many ways it feels much more fluid and responsive than the RF-based Logitech MX Revolution I use on my desktop, which starts having kittens when it's more than a foot away from the receiver.

The Microsoft We Hope You Like Really Long Descriptive Names 5000 is pretty solid as a gaming mouse, too, and it handles well on just about any surface. I've used it for video editing, Quake Wars, and every menial task in between. And if you're concerned about battery life, while I don't use it with the great frequency I'm sure others will, it's been operating happily on the same two batteries since I bought it.

If there's one major gripe, it's that eventually using a mouse of this size - tiny - does become uncomfortable after a while. This isn't a marathon gaming session kind of mouse, but very few if any notebook mice are. It's designed to be portable and wee, and it does that job well. If you're gonna need a mouse for extended, hardcore gaming use, pack your Razer Common House Spider or Logitech G-something or other.

Problems
Unfortunately, this mouse has some pretty nasty drawbacks. While for basic functionality it works great, there are no, I repeat, NO easily found drivers for it. The back button on it is always going to be a back button.
The second is that the documentation is really weak. It has a tiny page on Microsoft's site if you Google it, but the easy set-up guide (only available in the package and not, impressively, online) omits a crucial detail (or at least mine did when I bought it): in order to connect the thing to your computer, you'll need to actually press down on and HOLD the connect button until the battery LED begins alternating red and green. If this is in modern documentation or I'm just a moron, that's fine and I'm willing to accept it. But it's a pretty easy mistake to make and I figured it was worth sharing in case someone else got irritated like I did.

Conclusion
As a general rule I don't like installing drivers for input devices. The only reason my desktop has drivers for my Reclusa keyboard installed is because the e-mail key doesn't work automatically in Windows 7, and the MX Revolution requires actual configuration (at least I think it does). But anything that works cheerfully with regular old Windows drivers is fine by me.

This curiously supported creature is really a pretty excellent mouse. While no mouse this size is designed for prolonged use, the Microsoft Bluetooth Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse 5000 (AKA, Microsoft Sesquipedalophobia 5000) is probably the best choice you're going to find on the market as far as Bluetooth-enabled notebook mice are concerned, and it's not a bad one to default to. I cheerfully recommend it over the competition.

Pros:

• Comfortable, ambidextrous grip
• Good sensitivity and reception
• Excellent battery life

Cons:

• No drivers for programable buttons
• Unclear instructions
• Horrible product name

Related Articles:

• Microsoft Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack Review
• ThinkPad Bluetooth Laser Mouse Review
• Targus Bluetooth Laser Mouse Review
• Microsoft Arc Mouse Review
• Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse Review
• Logitech V550 Nano Review

 

looks nice

 

Maybe install Microsoft IntellPoint software to get more features like battery status and configure buttons: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/download/download.aspx?category=MK

 

Possibly, but you'll note it's not listed among the products IntelliPoint supports.

 

Nice review

I have had this mouse for over a year...And, it still works just fine!!
Easy connect to my Lappys Bluetooth and I was good to go!

 

Interesting review... but I personally only use logitech mice , I find they just work better than any other brand.

 

It's nice that you did a review on this mouse, but I'll have to digress with your opinion. I've owned the mouse myself, and bought it around the same time (1.5 years ago).

Comfort wise, if you have small hands, it works fine, but otherwise it's really hard to use. Also, the scroll wheel is recessed into the mouse, so it takes more effort to press than others.

One small gripe I have with the mouse (as with many microsoft optical mice) is that it does not work on white surfaces, i.e. a piece of paper. This mouse is quite selective of the material that you use. For example, if you use a white piece of paper, you will get no response, compared to mice with red optical light.

Battery life is pretty mediocre under extensive use. I get 2-3 weeks battery life max (4-5 hours each day), when compared to my friend's logitechs which last up to atleast 3-4 months.

Also, I feel that there is a heavy amount of input lag, but that is to be expected from bluetooth. If you're just use the computer lightly, i.e. emails, surfing the web, IM, then it's great. If you're going to play some games, you will be frustrated.

As negative as I may sound, the mouse is decently sized and styled. The best thing was that I got mine for $30 at the time, which was a steal for a Bluetooth mouse.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Pretty good one there. Nice review.

 

Great review, Pulp.

The 5000 is a well built mouse, my cousin has it and it's quite nice. Microsoft's Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 is a far better deal for a Bluetooth mouse though

 

I got mine free from Dell...(due to a order lag).

Right now this mouse is priced at $34 at amazon.com...which is a decent deal!
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Blu...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245297377&sr=8-1

It's def. not a gaming mouse to me (tried it)...But for everything else, it works out great. It's small, and of course very *portable*, the batt' life has been good...those things matter to me, besides *ease of use* in my hand!


Cin

 

I am surprised to see a review of this old mouse.
I guess there aren't too many Bluetooth notebook mice out there.
I've had this mouse for a long time, probably right after I came out.
Yes, there is no special driver for this mouse, but the most annoying thing about this mouse is the middle button/wheel.
The button is too soft that when I try to scroll, it often becomes a click.
Everything else is fine, and I like the low-noise clicking.

 

Hi Pulp I really awaited this review to come. Now I use Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4000v.1.0 and it is 2 year ! It has this "rubbery-like grip" - which is great - but receiver is USB and quite big. Advantage is that this mouse works half year at one AA battery.
I was wondering to buy for my home laptop (as at work I don't have bluetooth) this mouse You've reviewed.. but ... I found some comments that pointed that this mouse stops working or cursor start 'freaking-out' afte half year... User said that: "in the beggining it was working on paper and other surfaces but now cursor starts jumping". In the end user mentioned by my replaced two mice. Question: Does this mouse really work for long periods without breaking out?

UPDATE: I just read reviews of users on Amazon, and ... I'm not interested ...

 

I have the MS BT 8000 presenter for about 2 years and still going strong. It has both a forward/back button with presenter buttons on bottom for apps like powerpoint with a laser pointer as well. The main drawbacks are back/forward buttons are a bit awkward to press and the pressing the middle scroll button to open a link in a new tab is way too stiff...that is definitely the worse trait for me. But I agree, there are few BT choices out there and after two years, only a couple of 5 button BT notebook mouses. You can get the 8000 for under 40 dollars on amazon these days. Definitely worth every bit at that price.

 

Nice review. I have been using this mouse for over a year and it has been good to me. For such a small mouse it is very comfortable to use - I especially like the rubberized sides - the buttons are great, and as you mention the battery life is great; I have only replaced the batteries a few times.

It does have a habit of dropping out on me from time to time but I believe that is an issue with the Bluetooth technology and not the mouse.

 

WHy they keep releasing chucky mouses is beyond me, they slim down the laptop but not the mouses.

http://uk.kensington.com/html/16080.html

Half the size of the Microsoft, Best bluetooth mouse for size and function

 

But smaller mouses aren't as comfortable to use.

I'd much rather have a "chunky" mouse then one that is completely flat.

 

Nice review! You can however also get the OEM version of the mouse for a bit less. I think we paid like $27 shipped on sale from Newegg during the holidays. My 9th grade daughter has been running this mouse with her HP DV4t since Christmas (08) and she’s had no issues to date. Batteries last about a month…. if you remember to turn it off when not in use.

OEM Notebook Mouse 5000 (OEM)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105238

 

I have the Logitech VX Revo, chuck and clunky and has the worst scroll wheel I have used, well not as worse as the mighty mouse but it is bad, seems like an empty paperweight, feels way to cheap, kensington presenter mouse wipes the floor with it in all areas

 

a bit to small to me, it looks like its great to have on the go though.

 

sorry i have to disagree with everything you said, maybe you just got a crap batch or somethin?

i can use this mouse on any surface, i use it on my notebooks palm rests(white) on my knee (skin and material( and lots of other suraces and it works perfect and it hasnt lagged a bit on any surface.

i have owned this mouse for a 15 months and use it everyday for a fair while most of these days and have only replaced the batteries once and intellipoint says the batteries are still good (with better batteries than supplied) and this is about the time the supplied batteries ran out so my sugestion is to get quality enigizer bateries.

oh also could i mention that it comes in a nice little carry bag that if need be can also fit a spare pair of batteries...

 

I also own this mouse: as I work at the computer all day, a good mouse is a must. I tried several different species, but all felt uncomfortable. At my workplace I have a Dell notebook, and I doubt their included mouse has ever been seen by someone who knows about ergonomics Anyway, after they gave me this Microsoft Bluetooth 5000 mouse I also bought it for home, because I was very satisfied with it.

With 8+ hours of daily use it lasts me about 2-2.5 months. Heavy gaming can take away 1-2 weeks of that (only at home, not at work )

I have some connectivity issues with the Dell notebook - sometimes it takes even a minute to find the mouse. Turning on-off sometimes helps, sometimes not. But this is probably a problem with the Dell notebook, because my T500 at home finds it in 2-3 seconds (max) every single time.

I also liked that I don't need a dongle with it: the computers I use are notebooks with builtin bluetooth. I never bothered with any software: the "back" functionality of the fourth button is sufficient for me - and in Steam games I have voice communication configured for it, which works also great.

There doesn't seem to be many bluetooth mice out there BTW. And I don't know why it would be a problem that this is a few years old model: computer mouse don't change that much

 

I like my MS Intellimouse Explorer for Bluetooth I bought 3 years ago. It's showing some wear, but it still works beautifully. I think I change the batteries on it 2 or 3 times a year and I've never had problems. I remember it took me months to track one down. Even when I bought it, they were going out of style.

 

I have this mouse too, and I find the scroll wheel hard to use. It sometimes doesn't scroll, or jumps multiple times even when I moved the wheel once. I don't think it's my unit, since I found the same behavior in other Microsoft mice -- the ones that have a clicking scroll wheel, not those free scrollers.

 

It's basically the best mouse ever used, I just have a small hand so it's excellent for me, best comfortable and better than my old big logitic
I'm more comfortable with this great and small mouse
Along I bought from over a year and half as well, Thank you, A great review ;P