Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000

To say that this mouse is revolutionary would be somewhat of a lie, but it is hard not to notice that there are so few mice of this shape out there. After years of using a computer with a regular mouse I couldn't take it anymore and went shopping. Yes, like a typical American I stopped working and went shopping and found this mouse at Fry's or somewhere that sold mice like Fry's. It is certainly by far the best shape for a mouse if you want to prevent fatigue in your wrist and I liked the fact that it had super precise optical stuff that worked on just about anything. You are welcome to insert another word for stuff if you are an expert in mice optical magic, but for me stuff is good enough. Let's be honest, stuff is good for most of us. There are a lot of buttons on this mouse including several which I am afraid to touch because I'm not sure what they do. I've accidentally hit one and it backed me out of a web page that I had just filled out a PDF form on and when I returned it was all gone and I needed to fill it out again. Not so good, but so long as I am not swinging my hands around the desk too much I'll be fine and not accidentally touch the mystery button that sends me backwards. The wireless is somewhat of a joke really. If you get more than 30" away from the transmitter stuff on the mouse stops working and I have to remember to get it back in close. Seems kind of annoying to be limited to 30" but alas no one else makes anything better that I've ever seen. This is my second one of these as my first one died after two and a half years. I tried a $5 wired Dell mouse and nearly put myself out of my misery by hanging myself in the closet with the cord from that evil device of Satan. So onto Amazon I went and found this bad boy again because it is the best that I have found. Read more

I had high hopes for this new natural mouse from Microsoft. I was using a Microsoft wireless laser 6000 mouse which frequently hurt my hand due to the uncomfortable angle forced on the wrist. Being an early adopter, I purchased this new "natural" mouse online before it was available in stores. Upon receiving, the first thing I was disapointed in was that it would not work with my existing wireless receiver from Microsoft. I have a very new wireless desktop 6000 v2.0 keyboard and mouse with a version 3.1 wireless receiver. This new natual mouse came with a version 1.0 receiver and seems to be required to communicate. I'm guessing they're shipping the older 1.0 receiver due to problems with the newer receiver and Windows Vista screen saver (a separate issue I won't go into here). After plugging in the 1.0 receiver (along with my 3.1 receiver required for my keyboard), the mouse came to life. I liked the angle of the mouse and the height - it's taller and puts your hand at a more comfortable angle. However, when using the mouse I noticed that it frequently wanted to tilt slightly to the left or right, causing the bottom edges to scrape slightly against my mouse pad. This scraping I'm sure is due to the increased height of the mouse and also the very small size of the base of the mouse. The mouse tapers down to a smaller size where it contacts the mouse pad. I also felt it wasn't quite long enough, putting the scroll wheel too far behind my finger tip (and I have fairly small hands). I think Microsoft's a step in the right direction with making a more ergonomic mouse, however I feel this mouse is just not right for me. I wish the base was larger so that it would remain flat during use and that it was a little longer. Better yet, it would be nice if they came in different sizes or maybe different interchangeable shells for different hand sizes. I would highly recommend that you try this mouse before purchasing. Read more

My first mouse was the original Microsoft mouse with green buttons, way back in 1985. Since then I've used several dozen from a bunch of manufacturers. When ergonomic mice began to come along about ten years ago, I immediately switched to them. I was developing a bit of wrist strain in the right hand from many, many years of mousing, and all the ergonomic mice helped allevaiate that for me by rotating the right hand to the outside, putting less stress on the tendons going through the wrist. This mouse has the very best shape of any mouse I've ever used. I've never had a trace of repetitive strain with it. It feels extremely natural in the hand - much better than the 6000 V2.0 mouse that has come along to replace it. In addition, it tracks well and works wirelessly just fine. The receiver is corded, and isn't one of the small USB dongle-like receivers, but I prefer that because I can position the receiver close to the mouse. Battery life is quite good. I use this thing a lot, and I only change batteries about once a year. It has one drawback. The area for the thumb is quite comfortable because it has a gel layer which the thumb sits on. However, every one of these I've used (three so far) have eventually begun leaking gel around the thumb. That typically happens after about two years of use. It's possible that this problem is more likely for me because of the way I hold the mouse, and the fact that I do some gaming with it. Gaming is rough on a mouse because of the tight hold and violent movements one tends to do. However, it's been the main factor that has forced me to buy a new one every so often. I just ordered two of these to put on the shelf because I'm not sure how much longer they'll be available after the release of the V2.0. As you can see from the reviews on the V2.0, users rate it lower than this one, and I certainly agree. I hope Microsoft relents and keeps this one, or makes some future version a lot more like this than the V2.0. Read more