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Installation:::...
USB has made installation of devices
like this a breeze and the fact that the mouse and
receiver are registered to each other out of the box
(or were in my case) means the whole process is literally
as simple as plugging it in. If the two are not registered
by the way you simply press a button on the receiver
then do the same on the mouse. Rocket science it ain't!
The new IntelliMouse 5.0 software offers
all the expected mouse settings like pointer speeds
and trails along with some specific pages that offer
useful info on battery strength and wireless signal
quality.
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.
Setting the horizontal scroll speed is a strange
one because you'll find you want different speeds
for different tasks. If you're manipulating a large
image for example you might want to move from one
side to another quite quickly, whereas a spreadsheet
or text page may want a more gentle scroll.
The answer, and probably one of the improvements
we'll see implemented at some point, would be to make
the tilt action pressure sensitive. The harder you
push the faster the scroll.
For some reason there's now only a fixed
selection of preset assignments available for each
of the three buttons. This is contrary to older versions
of the software which allowed you to match certain
functions with certain applications. I'm not sure
if Microsoft decided the overhead was too high or
if there are other reasons for its removal but I can't
imagine they'd do it without a good reason to. More
importantly, it seems Microsoft have dropped support
for Windows98 users rather prematurely. According
to the box, and the Microsoft site, the new Tilt Wheel
embracing IntelliPoint software is compatible only
with WindowsXP and 2000. This seems rather odd and
I sincerely hope Microsoft are working on getting
a Win 98/ME version ready to roll.
In Use:::..
With a fine mousing pedigree behind
them I wasn't expecting anything less than a competent
display from this mouse and it delivered without any
drama. The action is smooth, the weight is good, the
cursor shows no sign of lag and kept pace with my
hand movements no matter how frantic and regardless
of the surface I used.
Scrolling takes a while to get accustomed
to and I'm not entirely convinced that smooth scrolling
is any better than the more tactile method we've become
used to but then again it doesn't really cause any
problems either.
Using the scroll wheel as a third button
also takes a little practice as there's a tendency
to turn the wheel a fraction as you press which stops
the press from registering so you're probably best
not mapping a critical weapon to the scroll button
from within your fave game.
Overall though this is a mouse that
does what it sets out to do with great style and it
will no doubt continue to boost the Microsoft reputation
in the components market.
Conclusion
The
3DVelocity 'Dual Conclusions Concept' Explained: After
discussing this concept with users as well as companies
and vendors we work with, 3DVelocity have decided
that where necessary we shall aim to introduce our
'Dual Conclusions Concept' to sum up our thoughts
and impressions on the hardware we review. As the
needs of the more experienced users and enthusiasts
have increased, it has become more difficult to factor
in all the aspects that such a user would find important,
while also being fair to products that may lack these
high end "bonus" capabilities but which
still represent a very good buy for the more traditional
and more prevalent mainstream user. The two categories
we've used are:
The
Mainstream User ~ The mainstream user is likely
to put price, stock performance, value for money,
reliability and/or warranty terms ahead of the need
for hardware that operates beyond its design specifications.
The mainstream user may be a PC novice or may be an
experienced user, however their needs are clearly
very different to those of the enthusiast, in that
they want to buy products that operate efficiently
and reliably within their advertised parameters.
The
Enthusiast ~ The enthusiast cares about all
the things that the mainstream user cares about but
is more likely to accept a weakness in one or more
of these things in exchange for some measure of performance
or functionality beyond its design brief. For example,
a high priced motherboard may be tolerated in exchange
for unusually high levels of overclocking ability
or alternatively an unusually large heat sink with
a very poor fixing mechanism may be considered acceptable
if it offers significantly superior cooling in return.
The
Mainstream User ~
What
more could you ask for? A nice looking, well behaved
wireless optical mouse with great features and a good
price tag to boot. The impressive battery life will
keep you mousing for months and the sheer class will
have all your friends asking where you got it from.
All in all a great product.....provided you're running
Windows XP!
The
Enthusiast ~
Attractive,
comfortable and beautifully weighted, the prime factor
when it comes to optical rodents is can they keep
up when the going gets tough, and in the case of this
mouse the answer is an unreserved "yes!".
From a gaming point of view the Tilt Wheel will probably
take some getting used to when used as a third button
but it scrolls well and the tilt function could just
add that extra dimension, perhaps for straffing?
More flexibility in how functions
are mapped to the various buttons would be nice but
otherwise it's hard to fault. Well worth considering!
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