Microsoft Notebook Mouse 7000

(Review) - Earlier today, we reviewed Microsoft's Notebook Mouse 5000 on CoolTechZone.com, and recommended it with reservations. Simply put, there wasn't anything particularly special about it. The 7000 is a step above the 5000, and thankfully, it does offer an interesting mix between a mobile and a desktop mouse. It continues to be wireless, albeit this time, it's with 2.4GHz wireless USB standard, instead of Bluetooth with 5000. The transceiver inserts underside the mouse for easy storage, but unfortunately, during our tests, it didn't fit in snuggly. Which was odd. We would like to believe that we are exclusive to the problem, so if any of you readers have this mouse, we would like to hear your thoughts on it.

Microsoft Notebook Mouse 5000 Review

Otherwise, the same silver and black color scheme grace the exterior with a total of 5x programmable buttons, a 4-way scroll wheel and an on/off switch on the underside. Again, we saw all of these features in 5000. Nothing new so far. However, there's now a battery life indicator (1x AA), an increase in overall size and therefore better ergonomics and Flip 3D that lets you quickly browse through all open windows with the press of a button. We really enjoyed this feature. Normally, you would expect a feature like this to be in OS X, but Microsoft surprised us. That's saying something coming from Microsoft. Awesome!

Our performance remains the same more or less. It's not a desktop gaming mouse, so we wouldn't play First Person Shooters even though it does offer decent precision. The laser engine helps with smooth gliding and strong signal strength was present throughout, thanks to a robust 2.4GHz wireless connectivity. For $42.72, it costs just as much as 5000, and considering it's desktop size + mobile features, you might as well go for the 7000. All in all, it's nothing special, but it brings an interesting combination of full desktop ergonomics + mobile features to label it as a mobile mouse. Now, of course, the issue is that Microsoft isn't playing fair and practically calling a desktop mouse their mobile offering. Go figure!

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