Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 3000

Make no mistake I am a HUGE fan of wireless anything. I hate the clutter of cables and welcome the benefits of wireless peripherals. My current mouse is wireless but my keyboard unfortunately isn’t so I was eager to give the Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 3000 a run.

Packaging

The packaging is pretty simple. A few plastic slip covers over the keyboard and mouse, held in place by cardboard holders so there’s need to destroy the packaging when removing the items.

Someone had already inserted the batteries for me so even less hassle but I don’t think you would be so lucky if you were to purchase this desktop set.

Setting up

Basic really, it was just a case of plugging the receiver into a free USB port and putting the keyboard and mouse on my desk. If you get this part wrong, you need a typewriter and not a personal computer.

The devices were picked up immediately and I could already use the mouse and keyboard although the mouse’s sensitivity was a bit off. Some of the keyboard’s functions were working without the need for the software.

Software

The bundled software CD is a generic list of drivers and software and not Desktop 3000 specific because it asks you to identify which mouse and keyboard you are using.

Once I hit install, it took forever to install the software. I thought perhaps that my PC or my CD Rom drive might be acting up and decided I would retry the installation on a different machine. Unfortunately it wasn’t my PC or CD Rom and the installation took just as long on a different machine. It’s not a train smash however.

Features and usability

Initially the mouse was way too fast but fiddling with the software I managed to slow it down a tad and it’s actually an awesome mouse with very few faults.

This is five button mouse has a right side button which is used to magnify a certain area. I noticed after a few hours of working with the mouse that I had a tendency to keep magnifying everything because I would accidently hit that button. This was slightly off putting so I disabled that button completely.

The software comes with a nice feature where at a click of a button you can tile all open windows and have a complete overview of all your open windows - similar to Vista’s feature. This is called instant viewer and by default is assigned to the middle mouse button or scroll wheel.

The problem is that everyone knows that the middle click is for opening a link in a new tab in Firefox and IE 7 so I decided to try and assign that feature to a new button. While doing this I came across a feature in the mouse’s software settings called “Enable program specific settings” which allows you to specify mouse controls per program. So, I quickly set up Firefox to use the scroll wheel for middle clicking and not the instant viewer while the instant viewer would work in other program other than Firefox.

The keyboard isn’t very impressive I’m afraid. It bears a branding of being approved by a Microsoft certified professional ergonomist. Right.

Unlike the earlier natural keyboards with an outer curve, the keys on this keyboard are curved inwards. Not that difficult to adjust to and quite pleasant to type on. It comes with a set of multimedia keys that accompany most multimedia keyboards today as well as browser control buttons.

It also comes with a calculator key which is the first time I have encountered this on a keyboard and it is quite handy because I use my calculator quite a bit and have to click Start -> Run -> Calculator all the time. This is a small shortcut, but welcomed.

The F keys have additional F lock controls which are assigned to Outlook for speedy emailing. Reply, Fwd, Send.

Other F functions include Undo, redo, New, Open, Close, spell check, save and print. I personally would never use any of these keys. Assigning keys to new functions is pretty easy in the keyboard’s software settings.

Gaming

I had to make a few small adjustments to the mouse sensitivity while playing Call Of Duty 4, but once I had sorted that out, it was great! My sniping was very accurate and reflexes quite sharp so the mouse is definitely a winner.

The keyboard is simple to use in a game although the inward curve design may be a little off putting and you might hit the wrong buttons while in a heated battle.

Conclusion

Overall I have to say I am quite impressed. The mouse could very easily replace my G7 but the keyboard isn’t spectacular.

Pros

• Neat mouse features
• Easy to set up
• Great to use.

Cons

• Keyboard isn’t fantastic
• Default mouse set up isn’t ideal
• No rechargeable batteries.

Pricing and Availability

The Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 3000 is available from major retail stores as well as online from R430.00.

For the price I am willing to go out on a limb here and say that it’s a bargain considering a G7 mouse sells for over R600.

Guest review by Paul De Sousa.

Rate this review:

(5 votes, average: 3.6 out of 5)

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Filed Under Computing, Featured Reviews, Microsoft, Mouse, Peripherals