Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 review (2008)

The scroll wheel sits between the two main buttons and moves side to side as well as up and down with one minor difference: horizontal scrolling with the dial makes a tactile click as each page moves, but up and down scrolling is completely smooth, with no tactile feedback. This reviewer far prefers the ratcheting feel of a click wheel for scrolling through individual pages (featured in other mice such as the Logitech MX Revolution.). The smooth dial that Microsoft incorporates into its mice feels sludgy and awkward. The scroll button itself is preset to activate the new Windows Vista Flip 3D overlay where you can quickly view all of your open windows in a digitally organized stack. As with most mice, you can reassign all the buttons with the included software.

From a travel perspective, the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 is a typical full-size desktop mouse, but its transceiver is the same size as a USB key and fits into the bottom of the mouse itself for convenient travel and battery conservation. The promise of cable-free trips is definitely a plus, and we're pleased that Microsoft decided to incorporate this feature that's typically found on their notebook mice.

The Laser Mouse 6000 also comes with Microsoft's usual features including "Magnifier" that is very similar to the native "Zoom" element in Mac OS X: clicking a button (top side button by default) brings up a sizable box that can be placed over anything on the screen, effectively zooming in up to 30x. We tested the Magnifier in several pictures and video, both on and offline, and the results were positive but not fantastic. As with all digital zooming, this should mainly be used for text and minor media viewing adjustments, as the picture exponentially loses quality as magnification increases.