Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 Review

If you are like me the trackpad on your notebook just doesn’t cut it for extended use. Notebook mice are great, but having to plug a transceiver into your computer is a pain. Microsoft has a new mouse called the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 that is designed specifically for Bluetooth equipped notebooks. Read on to find out all of the details.

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Features & Specifications
The main feature of the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 is the tranceiver free design. To use the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 you must have a notebook with onboard Bluetooth. The mouse also uses a better than average sensitivity for a notebook mouse of 1000 dpi. The laser sensor offers precise tracking and works on most surfaces.

Power for the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 comes from a pair of included AAA batteries and the mouse features a battery life indicator that glows when it’s time to replace the batteries. Microsoft says you can get three months of use out of one set of batteries.

The Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 is a small mouse with good looks and an ergonomic design. In total there are four buttons and a scroll wheel. The scroll wheel is clickable and a button on the left side of the mouse allows you to navigate backwards through web pages or folders you have opened. Microsoft equipped the mouse with an on/off button on the bottom to extend battery life and include a soft carry pouch to protect the mouse on the road.

Installation & Use
Installing the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 was as easy as pressing the Bluetooth button on the bottom of the mouse and telling Windows Vista to search for the mouse while running on my Bluetooth equipped Apple MacBook. The mouse will work under Mac OS X as well and was readily recognized and ready to go in minutes.

The only feature that doesn’t work with my MacBook is the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000’s back button. The main mouse buttons and the scroll wheel work fine. I was also able to use the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 under VMware Fusion with Windows Vista on both operating systems simultaneously.

Bluetooth range between the MacBook and the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 is fantastic. I was able to accurately control the mouse from across the room and the mouse worked in another room with walls between the notebook and the mouse.

The ergonomic design of the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 is comfortable in the hand. Left handed users will be able to use this mouse as well. The back button on the mouse worked perfectly with no software needed. The back button didn’t work under Mac OS X. Microsoft also included a Velcro closure carry pouch for the mouse to keep it safe in your briefcase or notebook bag.

Accuracy with the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 is very good. Typical notebook mice are only 800 dpi and the 1000 dpi that the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 has is welcome. In Photoshop it was easy to select the exact point I wanted with the mouse in a photo. There was little lag to speak of with the mouse and the wireless range makes it great for business users that give presentations from their notebook.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Required no USB port to operate
• 1000 dpi sensitivity
• Small, comfortable design

Cons

• Must have a Bluetooth equipped notebook

Verdict
In the end the only thing that might be an issue for some users is that there is no option to use the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 if your notebook doesn’t have Bluetooth built-in. To most of us that’s not a problem since the majority of notebooks have Bluetooth connectivity. The Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 is accurate, easy to carry and works very well. An added benefit is that it takes up none of the precious USB ports on your notebook.

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