Review posted: 8-7-06 / updated 8-31-06

© B Y ..S T E V E ..W E L S H
Oregon MacPioneers User Group (Omug)

So, indeed, you have everything you need to go wireless right out of the box (please see the System requirements for the MS Wireless Laser Desktop for Mac at the top of this review). Microsoft confirmed that the external 27mhz USB receiver is proprietary; so the keyboard and mouse will not work with Bluetooth. Still, this is a nice solution, especially for those whose Mac models do NOT have built-in Bluetooth or a wireless architecture.

Putting the batteries in was a snap, and the keyboard and mouse were ready to go in seconds. Instinctively, I knew I had to install the drivers and/or software from the CD first, so I popped in the CD. Again, keeping to a "Mac-like" minimalism, there was only one item on the CD -- a .dmg file named Microsoft Desktop. I double-clicked on it and finished the install process (which requires a reboot) in about 2 minutes. Now, here's where I ran into my one and only hurdle or hitch ...

Don't throw away your old, USB corded keyboard

My iMac has 3 USB ports on the back. One of those was of course used by my Apple Pro Keyboard, one for my printer, and one by my digital camera. I knew that after rebooting I would have to type in my User password. So I unplugged my old keyboard and used that port to plug in the USB receiver. When the log-in window surfaced, I attempted to type in my password using the new MS keyboard -- no luck. Clearly something wasn't right between the keyboard and the receiver. After double-checking that I had installed the batteries properly, still no luck. I checked to make sure the green indicator light was glowing on the Receiver unit (it was).

Until I could figure out what I needed to do to correct the situation, I was stuck at the log-in window. So I unplugged one of my other USB devices and plugged my old keyboard back in (my Apple mouse was plugged into the keyboard). Done and done. My desktop appeared. Next, I went to System Preferences and, sure enough, found that the install had put in 2 specific Preference icons, one for the mouse, one for the keyboard. I quickly checked each of the options and features of each Preference, but it was in the Help section that I found the Troubleshooting section, which told me I should try pressing the "Connect/Channel" button on the bottom of the keyboard. I did, and then also pressed the reset or power button on the Receiver, too. Voila! Success at last.

The moral of this story is you might as well leave your old keyboard and mouse plugged in (if you have a spare USB port) until you have the new wireless one up and running to avoid the "I'm stuck!" scenario at the log-in window. And remember, since these wireless devices depend on batteries, don't throw away your old corded keyboard.

Also, although I did install the software FIRST (as the guidebook illustrated), it's wise to read QuickStart booklet beforehand. Yes, there are pluses and minuses about being "Mac minimalistic" -- in this case, there is no trouble-shooting section in hard copy form (only on-screen), so you a trapped a bit in my scenario above. What might be better is to have the QuickStart quide AND a trouble-shooting guide or full manual in PDF form on the CD, to read before installing (or, in my case, after rebooting).

I'm wireless!

I have to say its very liberating to use a wireless keyboard and mouse for the first time. There are pros and cons, but I will get to those in a moment.

I have a computer desk with a pull-out keyboard tray (a nice wide one), so this normally puts my keyboard(s) in a lower, more ergonomic position -- which I prefer since my keyboard exposure is heavy. But with the MS wireless keyboard at my fingertips for the first time, my first "reaction" was to place it on my lap. It felt very comfortable there as I typed. With no cord to, literally, tie me down, I could also pivot in my chair to face my screen squarely (my Mac sits slightly to the left for various reasons), or push my chair a bit further away. Of course, you'll have to use your mouse SOMETIME, so you'll have to have a flat surface somewhere close by even if you are now wireless. And, unless you have the eyesight of a hawk, you won't want to drift too far from your screen, either.

For the rest of my testing, and to write this review, I returned the MS keyboard my computer desk keyboard tray area, which is where the MS mouse rightfully sat. I say "rightfully" as in to the right side of the keyboard. There's a key reason you'll put it there.

A mouse that fits like a glove

Alright, PC readers, take note. This is the first time I've used a multi-button mouse on a Mac. Now I won't get into the debate of why, until recently, Apple produced ONLY a one-button mouse (there are great design and user-friendly reasons; which is why Apple's Mighty Mouse still has a very simplistic design), but I will admit that for this veteran Mac man it felt quite cool and more productive to RIGHT click and access contextual menus and perform other tricks with the extra buttons on the MS mouse -- AND to use a scroll knob.

It's full name is the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. It is ergonomically shaped to fit the curves of your thumb and fingers. It felt snug and comfortable in my hand. My right hand. Yes, unfortunately because of its design, left-handed mousers will feel abandoned, since the MS mouse is obviously shaped for the right hand. Microsoft did confirm that they do make a wide variety of ambidextrous mice that are comfortable for use in either hand (although for Mac users buying this combo package, you'll want to mouse right-handed).

This raises the comparison to Apple's Mighty Mouse. One of the pluses of Apple's simple design is that you can use it in either hand easily. Long ago I became an ambidextrous mouse user and actually prefer my left hand now. That said, let's put that issue aside.

The 6000 mouse has just enough weight to it (with the 2 AA batteries inside) to give it a solid feel and stability -- which is actually quite important in giving the user smooth and accurate navigation. It glides almost effortlessly, and the laser optic precision (1000 dpi) is very good. My hands are large, but the mouse fit snugly and fully into my right palm.

The top surface of the mouse has slight grooves for your first and second finger to rest in. Both fingers are comfortably separated by the scroll wheel inbetween. This scroll wheel is much like a tiny tire wheel in shape and is recessed enough to feel quite accessible by either the first or second finger. It's very obvious that the wheel helps you smoothly scroll your pages up and down. What isn't as obvious is that you can press or nudge the wheel SIDEWAYS to scroll horizontally, too. Very nice.

Just above the thumb groove are 2 buttons, so in total you have 5 programmable buttons (including the scroll wheel).

To customize your buttons, you go to System Preferences and choose Microsoft Mouse (in the Other category row). You will find that you have a lot of features you can customize, tweak and explore within the IntelliPoint software that controls your mouse, including the flexibility of using your Mac's System settings or specific IntelliPoint features (such as tracking and scrolling speeds). You can even tie in mouse features to be used with specific software apps, or turn them off. You can also check your battery and wireless signal strength here, too, if you like.

The same kind of customizing and configuring can be done to your keyboard via the Microsoft Keyboard preference.

I found the mouse features, and especially because you have a lot of control over customizing them, to be very good -- enough to satisfy computer graphic artists even, who traditional demand high precision and loaded feature sets. And just to go on record, yes, it feels like a step up to be able to RIGHT click and bring up a contextual menu (without having to hold down the Control key with my other hand)!

Now, back to the keyboard ...

How do you make a keyboard more Mac-friendly?

Well, Microsoft felt one way was to add more buttons, giving us more "one-touch" options. Looking at the keyboard layout in an overhead view (see OVERHEAD VIEW photo), you'll notice a row of buttons at the top of the keyboard -- above the traditional Function keys -- that are tied to sound, music and even video. Microsoft calls that panel "Media Center", but I'll call it "iTunes Row."

It's convenient to have volume buttons and a mute button just a finger tap away, but what impressed me was that MS put music player specific control buttons in this row, too: Play/Pause, Stop, Forward and Backward. So you can control iTunes play from the keyboard. Sweet.

Also sweet in this same row are numbered 1-5 buttons (labeled "my favorites") you can program to access/open a specific file, folder or web page. For example, I could assign button #4 to a URL file that takes me directly to Apple's website with one press (or, even if I'm offline, it will automatically open my browser, connect me, and take me to that site ... if my Mac settings are set up to do so). Or assign button #5 to open my Documents Folder.

However, what I THOUGHT those 5 buttons were for was, because they were in the same row as the sound control and iTunes player buttons, to program in my Top 5 Favorite songs or tunes. Well, guess what, you can!

To assign a file to a button, you go into System Preferences-->Microsoft Keyboard, then find the 5 buttons listed in the window ("My Favorites 1, My Favorites 2" etc.). Click (highlight) the one you want, then click on the "Reassign" button. This will bring up a window where you can browse to find the file you want to assign to that button.

In the case of a specific iTunes song, you have to navigate into User-->(your user name)-->Music (folder)-->iTunes-->iTunes Music (folder)-->(artist name/folder you want)-->(specific song) ... then click OK. Done!

Now, the next time I press that button on the keyboard, iTunes opens up and Dean Martin starts to sing "Memories are made of this." Way cool, man. I mean hip. Far out. One-touch queuing (much like how you assign one-touch personal or memory dialing on your phone). Move over American Bandstand!

And more buttons

Of course, the MS keyboard has the traditional 10-key pad on the right, along with the 4 arrow keys, and 5 navigating buttons (Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Delete). Nowadays there is no excuse for a non-laptop keyboard NOT to have the Control, Option and Command keys mirrored on BOTH sides of the space bar, and here the MS keyboard does not disappoint. Thank you.

Also at the far right (just above the 10-key pad and below the Microsoft logo) are 3 small capsule-shaped buttons: Calculator, Log Off, and Sleep. For you number-crunchers, it is very handy to have a button to launch the Calculator app positioned here. Smart. The Sleep button has a flat surface compared to the rounded tops of the other 2 here; making it easier to differentiate it -- or LESS easier to accidentally press.

At the far left of the keyboard is a curved row of 5 round buttons, labeled and assigned to specific apps/categories: E-Mail, Chat, Music, Photos, Web. Each button has an icon on it to quickly identify it visually, too. By default, they each opened flawlessly the application I most use in each of those categories. Pressing the "e-mail" button opened Apple's Mail app. Pressing "chat" opened iChat. "Music" opened iTunes. "Photos" opened iPhoto. And "web" opened Safari. Very convenient. I'm a heavy speech recognition user, but I like the option of quickly and easily opening any of these Top 5 Apps with one press, too.

A button that's a sight for sore eyes

To the immediate left of the TAB key is a slider (more of a knob than a button) which can be moved vertically, up or down. It is labeled "Zoom." I think I'm in love with this little accessory. In graphics applications, you can use this Zoom slider to increase or decrease your image view -- no more looking for the Magnifying Glass tool in your tools palette on screen!

My acute Mac eye noticed that the Command key, the one with the "clover leaf" symbol on it, does not also sport the Apple symbol on it -- as almost all Apple keyboards have since the Apple II days (see the COMPARISON photo). It was always easier to tell a new user to press the "Apple key" (Command key) than explain how to find and identify that "clover leaf" symbol. But this is a minor point. It might even be that MS would have had to get Apple's permission to use that extra symbol (or they asked and Apple said "No").

MS seems to make up for this by adding explanatory labels onto the INSIDE slope of the following keys: "A-F, X-C-V-B, and U-I." For example, with a quick downward glance, you can see the "V" key stamped with the clover leaf symbol and the word "Paste" on it -- giving you a quick reference that pressing both of those keys will give you the keyboard equivalent of pasting in whatever is copied in Clipboard memory. Or you will see the clover leaf and the word "Find" on the "F" key. And so on. Very helpful for new users.

Typing (not singing) in and out of key

Veteran keyboarders, however, will find one critical feature lacking: no indicator light on the Caps Lock key. ANYONE WHO HAS TYPED HALF A SENTENCE BEFORE LOOKING UP AND REALIZING that they had accidently pressed the Caps Lock key knows how valuable an indicator light is (usually a tiny green light to signal the Caps Lock key is "on"). In the absence of a light, some manufacturers have used a recessed click sound/feel to that key's spring, so that when you press or depress it you can actually hear and feel it "click." The MS keyboard does not use this method, either. It may be that 2 AA batteries would be drained further by adding a light -- for example, if the Caps Lock key was left depressed and the light remained on for hours.

I discovered much later that a Caps Lock light indicator DOES exist, but it resides on the USB receiver unit. In fact, the traditional set (more a PC keyboard standard, not necessarily true of Mac keyboards) of additional NUM Lock and Power light indicators are also represented on the receiver unit. So, if you need to check the status of any of those 3, make sure you keep the USB receiver in your line of sight.

Speaking of the keys themselves, the tactile feel, responsiveness and sound of keyboards can sometimes make or break a model's success. In the late 80s, Apple produced a giant, extended keyboard that was almost the size of an aircraft carrier (in fact, that was one of its code names!) ... but it had one of the best tactile feels and touches ever, according to most Mac users who used it. At first, after pressing the keys randomly after taking it out of the box -- specifically to hear their sound -- I thought the MS keyboard would be a bit noisy and might have a "spongy" tactile action. But I was wrong. After using this keyboard for several days now, the keyboard tapping noise is quite acceptable (although there are keyboards that are quieter), and the response/feel of the keys (semi-transparent plastic) is comfortably good.

It's a wide, wide, wireless world

Again, there are pros and cons of going wireless, even with keyboard and mice. One con for me, although not immediately apparent, was when I wanted to plug in my tiny USB flash drive to transfer some files before I went out the door. Whoooops. No USB port on the wireless keyboard. Now it's either to the back of my Mac (a drag, inconvenient) or use the extended USB cable coming out of one of my Macs USB ports that I leave unplugged on the other end to "port" devices to (this works, acceptable). So in essence, you lose a USB port (most Mac users with corded USB keyboards use one of the 2 USB ports on those keyboards to plug in their mouse, leaving one keyboard USB port free).

Still, it's a small trade-off for the mobility and freedom of "losing" 2 cords. Well, you are not TOTALLY wireless, because your external Receiver has to be plugged in. MS gives you a plenty of room with a 6-foot cord, however, so you can place the Receiver in or out of view. Which also gives us a nice segue into the useable range of our 2 wireless puppies.

I almost felt like a laptop owner when I walked out of my room and into the hallway with the MS keyboard, a good 15 feet away. I swiveled my iMac screen around and increased the point size to 64 in my TextEdit document so I could see what I was typing even at a distance. Worked great. I kept walking and around the corner, into the bathroom. "Tap, tap, tappity tap." No problem at 25 feet and out of the line of sight, behind a wall. Cool. The specs say you'll max out at 30 feet (signal loses strength/reliability). I could get used to this, but somehow my eyes told me to get back to my desk.

On the QuickStart booklet it recommends that you keep the mouse within 1.8 meters (or roughly 6 feet) from the Receiver. I still had success further away, but, again, how far will you want your mouse from your keyboard?

Going wireless also means you have to have more batteries around, although you get a reported month life-span or so with normal to heavy use out of a pair of AA batteries per device. I can live with that extra cost (you can use rechargeable ones, too, of course).

A last word on the value of ergonomic design

My favorite keyboard of all time? The Apple Adjustable Keyboard from the early 90s. Why? It could slide into different positions, the split keyboard actually parting or closing horizontally to various angles. So, if you had a user who loved a split, ergonomic keyboard it was great -- but if you had someone else sit at your desk who hated split keyboards you could collapse it back into a "normal" or traditional keyboard ... the best of both worlds. It had other nice features, too, but sadly, the Apple Adjustable Keyboard had a short life (design infringement lawsuit by another ergonomic designer). Apple has since never made another "ergonomic" keyboard. A handful of years ago I asked an Apple employee if they ever would again and he replied, "No, we'll leave that to 3rd party manufacturers."

Back in the days of Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) plug architecture, that wasn't such a big option. These days with USB, thankfully it is. Which is another reason I give the MS keyboard a thumbs up. The curved keyboard layout, although not in the high-level ergonomic ranking, and the synthetic-leather padded built-in palm rest bring a much healthier product to the table for heavy-use keyboarders.

So, for ergonomically concerned Mac users as well as those needing to be wireless, this new combo from Microsoft is a welcomed choice.

Nice job, Redmond.

END OF REVIEW