Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 Reviewed

I had been using a Rocketfish Bluetooth Mouse but my son wanted it for our iMac and so I purchased this Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000. This is a Bluetooth Mouse that runs on two (included) AAA batteries. I have been using the Mouse continuously with my Toshiba Portege laptop for the past three weeks.

The Mouse comes with Microsoft Intellipoint 6.2 Driver software. When you install the software you are prompted through the setup process in a fairly straightforward manner. Setup of the Mouse prompts you to plug the included Bluetooth transmitter into a USB port. The Transmitter is a little smaller than a typical memory stick and has a slot in the included carry case for the mouse and transmitter.

The Portege laptop has Bluetooth so I do not use the transmitter. Connection was simply a matter of turning the Mouse on using the slide switch on the bottom left underside of the Mouse and pressing the Bluetooth connection button. My computer discovered the Mouse and the connection was made. One useful aspect of the Mouse is that when you turn it on there is a small green light beside the switch that illuminates for about ten seconds to let you know that the switch is in the on position.

The Mouse is a little smaller than the typical desktop mouse and has the classic 5 buttons on the top. There are the left and right Mouse buttons, two bumper type buttons about halfway back beside the left and right buttons (I have these set to go back and forward between web pages) and the scroll button in the center. The scroll wheel is very sensitive and does not have any of the clicking that is associated with other devices. The scroll wheel can also be held down and dragged to move the view up and down.

What makes this Mouse useful for those who travel to do presentations is that it can be used to drive your Powerpoint presentations. Immediately behind the scroll wheel is a sixth button which has a small screen icon. When that button is depressed the mouse functions are disabled and the Presentation functions related to the buttons on the underside of the Mouse are enabled. When that button is depressed you will briefly see a small box on the bottom right had side of your computer screen that highlights whether you are in 'Presentation' or 'Mouse' mode.

There are 6 keys on the underside of the Mouse that are arranged in two rows of three. The middle key of the top row engages a laser pointer that displays a red dot. The dot is easily visible to a range of about 40 feet in a fully lit room. The two buttons on either side of the laser pointer are the forward and back buttons to control presentations. The middle button on the bottom row blanks the screen and the left and right buttons on the bottom row increase and decrease volume. I have used the Mouse to control a presentation at ranges of about 25 feet from the laptop.

It takes about two seconds for the Mouse and computer to connect when you turn the computer on, bring it back from sleep mode or turn the Mouse on after it has been turned off. I cannot speak to the battery life other than to say that I use my computer at least 5 to 6 hours a day and the batteries continue to go strong after two weeks.

As far as ergonomics go I find that the Mouse is very comfortable as a Mouse. It is a little smaller than usual but I also have small hands. I do not mind the absence of the click in the scroll wheel but those who like that feature will find its absence a little offputting. It is very precise and responsive to movement and I have used it on both a desk surface and mousepad with equal ease.

I find that the shape is a little awkward in Presentation mode. There is nothing problematic with the shape simple that most of the controls that are regularly used are flatter and smaller than this. I have not had problems with inadvertent hitting of buttons.

My view is that this is a high quality mouse that I would have been happy to purchase and that the presentation features are a nice bonus to the product. I paid $80 (Cdn) for this mouse which was about $30 more than I paid for the Rocketfish. Whether that difference is worth it will depend upon how often you do presentations. I like the added functionality.