Home > Consumer Reviews > Micro soft Intelli Mouse Optical

This is my second Microsoft mouse since December. I purchased the Intellimouse Explorer as a Christmas gift to myself and loved it. The size and button placement never bothered me, but the color and overall appearance did.

Microsoft got it right with Intellimouse Optical! Its color more closely matches the rest of my system, the placement of the extra buttons is admittedly more logical, and the price is even cheaper! Best of all, it's identical to its more expensive sibling in terms of features and performance.

The included Intellipoint software allows you to customize the mouse action (scrolling speed, cursor speed, etc.) and cursor appearance to your liking, and each of its five buttons can be reprogrammed to perform some other function if you'd like. As with the Intellimouse Explorer, my favorite feature allows you to lock the scroll wheel by depressing it momentarily. Then, to scroll through a document, simply move the mouse upwards or downwards. The farther upwards or downwards that you move the mouse, the faster the scrolling speed will be.

It's rare for me to spend this much money on a product, especially when a previous product is functioning properly, but I gladly parted with the money for Intellimouse Optical. It performs beautifully, looks and feels great, and is worth every cent of the purchase price.

It's been over a decade since the standard mouse saw any real change in design. Sure they found a way to place 40 million buttons on the face of it without any trouble, but it still had the same problem that has been plaguing mice for years and that has landed them in the trash after about 6 months...they get junked up from massive use. And on top of that, no one wants to clean them. So, as usual, the think tank at Microsoft worked it out for a while and came back with what I think is not only the most inovative mouse of its kind, but also the most stunning, precise, and comfortable mouse ever made.

The Intellieye, or optical eye, in the IntelliMouse Optical is the thing that makes this mouse so great. Using a small motion sensor camera in the base of the mouse, the mouse will respond even to the slightest touch and work just about on any surface. In addition, since there are no internal tracks or moving parts, there are no more cleaning jobs or sticky mice. It works perfectly every time.

Also, this mouse, unlike it's larger brother the Explorer, fits beautifully into your hand as if it was meant to be there and all the buttons are positioned in easy to use places. Also it is great for both righties and lefties since the side and top buttons can be programed for either type of user.

Besides all of that, the red glow it emmits from its base around the "eye" creates a very cool effect, no matter what kind of place setting the mouse is in, and especially in the dark. It is also made to connect with any type of PC (PS/2 input) or Mac (USB Adapter included) and is an all around great product.

Only one little gripe, if you happen to be one of those people with slightly bigger hands, you might want to go with the larger model simply because you won't bump into the side buttons as often. However, beware, It's big and clunky compared to this mouse. And in most cases, the IntelliMouse Optical will do just fine even without those two extra side buttons. . . This mouse is a must buy, even if you think you have the best mouse out, you ain't seen nothing until you've seen this mouse in action.

Revuman: I need a vacation, peace people!

This mouse looks and feels really nice. The buttons have a solid "click" feel to them and the wheel turns with confidence. The mouse fits nicely in your hand. The extra buttons on the side also are handy when surfing the web. It is well designed and aesthetically pleasing. Also great for all those lazy computer geeks who don't want to bother with cleaning the mouse. With all the quibbles about Microsoft's software, they make excellent top-quality hardware.

As with all other mice with the "optical technology" feature there are some problems. When you move your mouse really quickly, the pointer on the screen goes crazy. I guess the technology isn't yet advanced enough to read those quick jerky movements. This is sometimes bad if you are a gamer that plays "first-person shooter" games such as Quake or Unreal Tournament and use the mouse. You can be playing and want to make a quick turn and end up facing a wall. I personally do use this mouse to play games but I realize the risk.

Overall this mouse is wonderful. The software is great and it works with all the programs I have. I would recommend buying it for general use but would give it second thoughts for gaming purposes. I believe there will come a time when the "optical technology" will advance so that these problems will go away.

Some people will flat out refuse to buy this mouse because it's made by Microsoft, and they'll certainly be cheating themselves out of a convenient, innovative product.

I have both the IntelliMouse Explorer and Optical, and while I like them both, I can't deny that my Optical mouse is my favorite. The programmable buttons on each side of the mouse make web surfing so convenient and fun that there's hardly a reason for you to move the mouse at all. The side buttons on the mouse work as your BACK and FORWARD from your browser, and the scroll wheel makes reading pages extra easy. The wheel isn't loose, and scrolling one line at a time is actually possible -- of course, click & lock the wheel and you can scroll down at supersonic speed...

With the exception of a glass surface (glass reflects--this mouse works on images of the surface), you can use this mouse on anything. I tried it out on my pants leg, on crumpled wrapping paper, and even my cat (he liked the massage), and it moved beautifully. Though slightly pricey for a mouse, it's worth the investment. This mouse fits better in your hand than the Explorer--a real plus if you have small hands like me. You can even be a Southpaw and use the Optical; the Explorer curves sharply to the right, thereby denying lefties any use of it comfortably. While the buttons react easily, they are balanced on each side of your hand, so you're less likely to click the wrong button (not true with the Explorer).

With no track ball, it eliminates the need for you to bang your mouse down to get it to work (you have cookie crumbs on your desk, etc.). Mousepad manufacturers will probably throw a hissy and want to file a lawsuit, as this mouse is cool anywhere and renders a mousepad unnecessary. On a trivial note, the red light emitting from the underside of the mouse looks interesting on a desk, and folks who've never seen this mouse will want to try it out because it's that attractive/weird. Kids will no doubt enjoy using it because it doesn't look like a conventional piece of hardware. Seems that computer companies are catching on to the idea that functionality and personality CAN exist in towers, mice, etc.

Would make a great gift for a devoted WebHead or anyone tired of cleaning crud out of a regular mouse!

I purchased this mouse because my previous mouse with a mouseball had not been functioning very well. I love the accuracy of the optical light, it's really good for a serious gamer. The only fault is the two side buttons -- they would be fine, but have been placed too far up on the side of the mouse. I found myself constantly accidentally clicking them and finally had to disable them both. The product info says that there are 5 programmable buttons, but that includes the regular left- and right-click and the wheel click. Don't get me wrong, it's a great mouse, but there are better alternatives available at Amazon. I have the Logitech MouseMan Wheel Optical on my other computer and I like it so much better. It only has one additional button, but it is perfectly placed. Buy the other mouse, it's more comfortable and isn't any more expensive.