Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000

CNET Editors' Rating

3.0 stars
    Overall score: 6.4 (3.0 stars)

Good

Average User Rating

36 reviews

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CNET Editors' Review

CNET Editors' Rating

3.0 stars Good
    Overall score: 6.4 (3.0 stars)
  • Installation and interface: 7.0
  • Features: 6.0
  • Service and support: 6.0
  • Reviewed by: Troy Dreier
  • Released on:
  • Reviewed on:
Edited by: Lara Luepke

The good: Comfortable; ambidextrous; inexpensive; lag-free performance.

The bad: Software not included; no extra buttons; short, three-foot range; lacks horizontal scroll.

The bottom line: The Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 is a decent choice for mobile users, but the Logitech V400 is a far better one.

Review: The Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 offers basic mousing functionality at a cheap $29.95 price. Unfortunately, it's a little too basic for our tastes: it doesn't come with software, there are no extra buttons, and the receiver has a very short, 3-foot range. For users who won't stray far from their notebooks, this mouse could be a good fit, but we prefer the slightly more expensive, but much more functional Logitech V400, which boasts included software, five programmable buttons, and a 30-foot range.

To start using the Optical Mouse 3000, you need only to insert

... Expand full review
The Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 offers basic mousing functionality at a cheap $29.95 price. Unfortunately, it's a little too basic for our tastes: it doesn't come with software, there are no extra buttons, and the receiver has a very short, 3-foot range. For users who won't stray far from their notebooks, this mouse could be a good fit, but we prefer the slightly more expensive, but much more functional Logitech V400, which boasts included software, five programmable buttons, and a 30-foot range.

To start using the Optical Mouse 3000, you need only to insert a single AA battery and plug in the wireless receiver. Microsoft's IntelliPoint software isn't included in the package, but you can download it from Microsoft's Web site. This software adds a tab to your regular mouse control panel. From there, you can select the left and right buttons on the scrollwheel and customize them from a list of functions and tasks.

The body of the mouse is an attractive blue-gray, and it features a contoured design that makes it fairly comfortable to hold. The left and right buttons are nearly full-size and are easy to click. The scrollwheel is a little small--about the size of two stacked nickels--and only allows vertical scroll, unlike the Logitech V400 which features a four-way scrollwheel. The Optical Mouse 3000's ambidextrous shape fits left-and right-handed users.

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Average User Rating

2.5 stars out of 36 user reviews

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star: 7
  • 4 star: 8
  • 3 star: 6
  • 2 star: 4
  • 1 star: 11

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Most Helpful User Review

0.5 stars 3 of 3 users found this review helpful

"Terrible. All three I had broke within 3 weeks to 3 months. Waste of money and patience." By Pantalaimion

Pros It works great for about a week

Cons Terrible mouse. Unreliable after 3 weeks, almost guaranteed to break.

Summary I've gone through three of these. The first one lasted quite well - worked a full 3 months or so. The second one would lag and would stop fully responding, which was annoying. Even after a battery change and tests on many different computers, it just wouldn't respond ... Expand full review

Most Recent User Reviews (Showing 2 of 36 reviews)

Specifications

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Quick Specs

  • OS Required / Type: Microsoft Windows 2000
  • Form factor: External
  • Compatibility: Mac PC

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