Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 v2.0 Review

by Ben Stafford

The latest version of Microsoft's Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 ($49.99) sports just minor design changes and a much smaller wireless transceiver than its predecessor. You'll still find the same controls, same ergonomic design, same high definition laser and long battery life. Version 2.0 of this mouse is meant to be more portable, with a USB transceiver that can snap into the bottom of the mouse and the fact that it uses 2 AA batteries for power.

Features and Design

The Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, v2 mouse is a 2.4GHz wireless (not Bluetooth) laser mouse. While it's not a compact travel mouse, it's definitely geared toward being a "mobile" mouse. The USB transceiver dongle actually snaps into place on the bottom of the mouse (but sticks out from the body of the mouse). In this manner, it turns off the mouse to save battery life, and you can toss the combo in a bag without fear of misplacing the dongle. Also, the fact that the mouse uses AA batteries (and not a charger) makes it more mobile-friendly.

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The imaging rate of the laser is "dynamically adaptable to 6000 frames per second", and it has an X/Y resolution of 1000 points per inch. The mouse can continue tracking at speeds up to 36 inches per second.

The mouse will work on Windows Vista or XP and Mac OS X v10.2-10.5. You can choose to install the Microsoft IntelliPoint software, or you can just plug it in.

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By default, the scroll wheel button activates the Vista Flip 3D interface so you can scroll through your open windows. Also by default, the "magnifier" feature gets activated by the front button on the left side of the mouse. When you do this, a rectangle pane appears that magnifies the view on the screen. The magnifier feature may be handy for looking at fine text, but not for much else. When I enabled the magnifier, it would make my screen flicker in ways that weren't too pleasant.

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As I mentioned before, this mouse is not a compact model - it's an ergonomically shaped mouse that essentially fills up your entire hand (if you're of average size). Build quality is decent for a mouse in this price category. It feels a little lighter than the Intellimouse Explorer for Bluetooth that I typically use, but the actual weight difference is not that much. The mouse is mostly silver/gray with a black , slightly rubberize thumbrest area and a black bottom. The scroll wheel is the kind that scrolls smoothly, there are no notches or steps that make it "click". The mouse slides well over most surfaces on its feet.

Specs

• Five buttons (left, right, forward, back, mouse wheel click)
• 2.4GHz wireless radio
• High definition laser
• Flip 3D button
• Magnifier
• 4-way scrolling
• Powered by 2 AA batteries
• Mouse dimensions: 4.87" long x 2.75 " wide x 1.66" high
• Weight (with batteries): 5.01 ounces
• Dongle dimensions: 2.11" long x 0.71" wide x 0.32" deep

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Usage

This Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 (v2) operates in pretty much your typical mouse sort of way. Setup was as simple as plugging in the wireless transceiver dongle into my notebook. If you do have connectivity issues between the mouse and dongle there is a button on each to let you re-associate them together.

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Pointer precision was very good and the mouse tracked well on just about every surface that I tried. The claimed battery life of this mouse is over 6 months, so I didn't get a chance to fully test that aspect.

The buttons operate well, with nice solid clicks that require just the right amount of pressure. If you are a user who likes a smooth-scrolling wheel, it operates nicely as well. One problem I noticed, which is common to many mice, is that the scroll wheel often ends up moving a little bit when you depress the wheel button. I mostly encounter this while web browsing when I use that middle click to open a new tab in Firefox. The problem is that you can sometimes miss the link that you're clicking on.

The side buttons were a little hard for my thumb to access and they were much smaller than my usual. However, when I did use them, they worked as they should. The front side button is a little larger than the rear one, which is actually almost flush with the body of the mouse. I don't quite understand the reason for this as I would think that most people would use that button to perform a "back" operation in a web browser.

Conclusion

In my opinion, as long as all the buttons work, choosing a mouse is all about personal taste. The mouse needs to be comfortable and provide the features that you're used to having. If you find one that's comfortable, you also want to have some level of confidence that it will be a purchase that will last a while for you. The Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 v2.0 ($49.99) is a capable mouse that performs its functions well. It's easy to setup, the buttons operate well and the scroll wheel operates well. All that's left is getting hands-on with it to decide if it's comfortable for you.

Pros

• Good build quality
• Easy to set up and use
• Excellent battery life

Cons

• Side button set up difficult for me to use and buttons are a little small
• When "docked", the USB dongle doesn't sit flush with the body of the mouse
• "Magnifier" feature has limited real-world use, seems gimmicky
• USB dongle is not small or compact

 

I am really lookin gforwad to the desktop version of this mouse, the 7000. I hope it matches the ergonomics/comfort of the older INtellimouse Explorers.

 

On that note, stay tuned.

 

ooo... spiffy. definitely will do!

EDIT: Does anyone know the release dates for the 7000? Also, I've seen the Desktop Set that contains the 7000... does the keyboard glow or something? Is that why there is the clear plastic surround, or is that simply part of Microsoft trying bring the Aero Glass into physical reality instead of just eye candy on screen?

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wir...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203790196&sr=8-6
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wir...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203790196&sr=8-1

 

I own the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 (bluetooth). I've been considering writing a review for it for some time, especially now since Ben reviewed the 6000.

To sum it up, the 8000 comfortable (if you have large hands), surprisingly responsive (for a bluetooth mouse), and has great battery life (a rechargeable AA that goes between 1.5-3 weeks per charge). On the other hand, it's rather bulky, bluetooth technology sometimes stalls, and of course, it's very expensive. Also, the durability is questionable: After one year, I had to take the mouse apart because the left mouse button kept sticking. It works now, but the left mouse button still feels different from the right.

But overall, I'm satisified with it. If I find the time later this week, I might write and post a review for it.

 

I've used the 8000, and dont like it as to me it feels heavy.

 

Funny you say that, because that's one of the reasons why I like the mouse: It's nice and heavy. Lol.

 

Well I"m used to wired mice, that's probably why. DeathAdder ftw