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The Mouse:::...
Without a doubt the headline feature
for this new range of input devices is the "Tilt
Wheel". Microsft have done what Microsoft do
best and looked long and hard at one of those features
that seemed just about impossible to redesign and
then redesigned it!
The humble scroll wheel now offers not
only vertical but also horizontal scrolling too. This
is achieved simply by "tilting" the scroll
wheel to the left or right. So simple it's almost
genius! Importantly none of the other scroll functions
have been compromised to achieve this and scrolling
is still as effortless as ever. The scroll wheel also
still functions as an additional button by depressing
it.
In use I found it took me a little while
to get used to the new scroll wheel. Not because of
the tilt function but because Microsoft have done
away with the familiar click action and replaced it
with a totally smooth rotation. This coupled with
the resistance that's been built in to stop accidental
movement makes it feel like your finger is sliding
on the rubber coated wheel rather than actually turning
it. It works flawlessly, it just takes some time to
get used to the new sensation.
The defining feature of the Intellimouse
Explorer are the two additional buttons on the left
hand side of the mouse.
My only gripe with Microsoft's mice,
and it's a fairly longstanding gripe, is the relatively
small ammount of "meat" on the pads. The
current trend for hard, textured plastic mouse mats
means the small surface area of these pads can be
worn away to nothing in a matter of weeks in some
cases. If the pads need to be this thin in order to
keep the optical sensor close to the working surface
than perhaps Microsoft should consider slightly increasing
the pads' surface area or supplying a few spare sets.
Unfortunately the IntelliMouse Explorer
is not suitable for left handed users, though there
are several universal models in the new range.
The Reciever:::...
Small, chic and curvy enough to grace
any desktop, the lozenge shaped receiver features
a "learn" button for registering and enabling
new wireless devices and three green LEDs to notify
you that the Caps Lock, Number Lock and F Lock (Function
Lock) features are activared. A nice touch is that
the LEDs are slightly angled so even at the back of
your desk or under you monitor shelf if you have one
they should be visible.
I tried running several electrical devices
from hair dryers to hard drives close to the reciever
and none had any effect on its operation. Range was
around ten feet line of sight and six feet or so otherwise
for the mouse while the keyboard bettered this with
a range of about twelve feet plus.
Installation:::...
Unlike some wireless devices I've used
this time it really was plug and play. Even without
the new Intellipoint (mouse) software and Intellitype
(keyboard) software everything worked, only that some
of the more advanced features weren't available.
One of the really useful features for
me was the keyboard's "My Favourites" function.
To use this you simply navigate to the website you
want to store then hold down one of the five numbered
buttons for a second or so and the following panel
opens:
Under the five buttons is one labeled
"Show Favourites". Pressing this one brings
up this panel:
The ability to double up the "show
favourites" button as a shift button by holding
it down would have allowed the five favourites to
double up to ten which could have been more useful.
Still, it's a great idea and one that's a real time
saver. You can also assign files or programs to these
buttons too which again stresses the need for a few
additional locations.
One thing that would be useful is for
you to assign a name to each location rather than
it displaying the path. Some files, programs and sites
have paths and URLs that bare no resemblance to what
they actually are.
Just about all the main parameters can
be tinkered with from within the Intellitype and Intellipoint
software from pointer and scroll wheel speeds to reprogramming
the various function buttons. A useful feature is
the ability to check the signal quality and battery
condition of your wireless devices.
And although many of the mouse features
are now fairly commonplace I really love the accelerated
scrolling option which increases the scroll speed
sensitivity as the wheel gets turned faster, a real
boon if you want to get to the bottom of a long page
quickly.
The On Screen Display uses small, relatively
high-res graphics that look far more professional
than the usual bulky looking pre-school fonts often
used for such purposes.
Actual Size
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