Both my Macbook Pro and iMac perform terribly with foreign mice and Apple's "mighty mouse" performance is pretty bad in my opinion. As such, this has turned out to be an excellent performing mouse that addressed that issue completely. Not only does the mouse perform excellently but the Microsoft drivers allow it to function like a normal, proper mouse should (even when being used with a Mac). It only takes a few seconds of tweaking the settings after installing the driver and you're good to go. This proved to work so well that I eventually got two of these. I have the smaller version for my laptop (had it for almost 2 years now without any issues) and later got this bigger one for the iMac. I do feel like a bit of a sucker paying $20+ for something as basic as a mouse... but that's life I suppose. Considering how much it improves my experience when working on either Mac, it's well worth every penny. Anyway, as far as this mouse goes... 1) Battery life is quite good ( I don't think I replace the rechargeable battery I use more than once a month) 2) Ergonomically they're pretty good 3) The performance (of the little blue laser) is very good but won't work *everywhere* but will work quite well on many surfaces. 4) It's easy to switch on and off 5) The USB "fob" is extremely tiny and quite elegant 6) The USB "fob" stores very neatly into the bottom of the mouse What else is there? It naturally works just as you'd expect with a PC but the real magic happens when you install the drivers, tweak the settings for a moment and use this with a Mac. Bliss. Read more
UPDATE NOV 2021: still a great mouse, comfortable enough to use for hours, and everything in my earlier review below holds true. I have one at my desk and another in my travel bag, and just bought another one as backup! However, I wanted to post a caution: when the mouse gets old, DON'T try to clean the wheel. I just destroyed the wheel when cleaning the overall mouse. Rest of the surfaces de-gooked nicely, but the rubber on the wheel is very soft to begin with, and was by this time so old that it started disintegrating. ------------- Original review follows ------------- We used Microsoft Explorer Blue-track 5-button Mini mice for years, both in office and travel. Must have owned half a dozen, and still have an unopened one. They're no longer made, and the few units available from third-party sellers are crazy expensive. After looking at a number of 4- and 5-button wireless mice, the Wireless Mobile 4000 is the best substitute we've found, and the price is GREAT. We've bought four of them (2 for office and 2 for travel) and at five months of use, all are performing flawlessly. We have not observed any of the issues cited in other reviews. Pros: - Ergonomically very similar to the Explorer mouse - Battery life about as long as the Explorer mouse, even if the mouse is never turned off -- 3-5 months for us - Smooth wheel action - Low-profile dongle Cons: - Only 4 buttons (I can live without a "forward" button, but a "back" button is absolutely essential) Read more
The table where I use my computer has a glossy surface. A café that I go to has glass-topped tables. Until I started using the MS 4000, I always had to use a mouse pad. The MS 4000 works on every surface that I've tried. And it works flawlessly! I've heard that there was an overheating problem with the USB receiver. They fixed it. Mine never gets hot. I leave it in the computer all the time because it's so small and it doesn't snag on anything when I put my notebook in its case. Some people have complained that the mouse pointer sometimes fails to move smoothly. I've had this happen, too. But, on my computer, it's not caused by the mouse! I have the same problem with the built-in touchpad. My cursor lockups are caused by software; usually it's caused by software that's accessing the Internet and waiting for a response. For example, I get mini lockups when my antivirus software updates itself. It also happens sometimes when mail is being downloaded. To repeat: my mouse works smoothly and does not cause lockups on my computer! Another benefit: the low battery LED has often reminded me to pack an extra battery. It's pretty accurate, too. My battery usually dies within a half day after the LED warns me of immanent failure. My alkaline batteries (Amazon Basics brand) seem to last forever. The mouse can be switched off when it's not in use. I use this feature often and the switch shows no sign of wearing out. The MS 4000 is the BEST mouse I've ever owned. I've been using mine since March of this year when I bought my first MS 4000 on Amazon. I'm on Amazon today to buy another - as a gift not a replacement. My mouse is still going strong! Read more
