Home > Consumer Reviews > Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 1000 (PC & Mac)

This is a really good "basic" wireless keyboard and mouse set. The software installed just find and after that I plugged in the receiver and was ready to go. It was really snappy and responsive right out of the box. Sometimes people get issues because the battery is low to begin with (remember the battery has been sitting in the package since it was shipped to Amazon, Best Buy, Staples, etc.) Also the proximity of portable phones, other wireless devices, etc will sometimes mess with the signal.

I really like the keyboard. It has a soft feel and is rather quite comfortable. It's not like those old loud IMB clicky types. Depending on your preference you might find the keyboard "mushy" but I think it's just right. There's a few special function keys for e-mail, web homepage and volume controls. I can do without most of them except for the calculator quick launch button. Its great to just hit a button have the calculator popup. I think all keyboards should have this.

The mouse is good too. It's a basic optical mouse a two button one scroll wheel job. It's nothing fancy but then again I don't need a fancy mouse with 5 or 7 buttons. The scroll wheel is nice. It's a clicky one meaning you can scroll line-by-line. There are ridges on the wheel itself which I appreciate as I severely dislike the smooth wheels. The mouse is a bit heavy towards the back end. Probably because both the battery and transmitter are there but it only takes a few minutes to get used to.

There are two things that I don't like but they aren't deal breakers. The first is the rather large receiver. It's not a deal breaker but if you've got limited desktop space it's a pain for sure. The second is that the mouse and keyboard are always "on". As far as I can tell they don't auto-hibernate when not in use for a while or turn themselves off when the computer is shutdown. So in order to fully power them off you've got to take the battery out. I have owned the mouse that's included in the set separately and used it with my old computer. The battery (2 AAs) lasted for about 3 months. I'm sure if I pulled them out every time I shut the computer down it would have lasted for 6. But I'm lazy and had a bag full of AAs so what did I care?

This is a very good product for a decent price. I don't know what's up with the bad reviews they must have gotten a lemon or something because every MS mouse or keyboard I've used has been awesome. If fact the only bad keyboards and mice I've used have been non-MS ones. The Logitech mice are too large and expensive. Belkin keyboards are awful and anything made by Kensington is just atrocious. Overall, I really like this keyboard mouse set and if you can pick it up on the cheap it's a great product.

The keyboard is great. No glitching and the range is really about 4 feet with line of site. The battery life on the keyboard is also great, I have had it for four months and i havent replaced the batterys. The mouse on the other hand is a bit diffrent. In the four months ive had it the batterys have died twice. It glitchs, especially when playing games, and it is a bit small and not very ergonomic. Its a good product but i wouldn't buy it if you spend more than 2 hours on a computer a day.

I have to start remembering to look at Amazon prices first before I buy elsewhere, I actually went to the Staples Store, they had this set for $54.98. But they did have one out, on display. The keyboard keys have a very nice feel to them, as well as the options and design make typing a very easy task. The keyboard is quiet when you type and the mouse is a very nice addition to the set. The mouse moves very quickly and accurately, the setup was easy. I just installed the software and plugged the USB into the back of the computer and it recogonized the new hardware immediately. Batteries were included, which makes it an even better deal.

Great buy, esp if this is your first time wireless keyboard and mouse, as it is mine. And for thsi Amazon price, you can't go wrong, especially due to the free shipping. Grab it now, you wont be disappointed.

After approximately nine months, my faithful Logitech MX3200 Cordless Laser set stopped working dependably due to age and extensive use (and nine months is not a long time for a keyboard and mouse, but nowadays manufacturers are not making products that last a long as they used to anymore, and I won't complain too much about it here). Specifically, the keyboard no longer accurately typed my character inputs. I would type on it, and the keyboard would lag, and then miss some of my stokes, so it became a challenge to type accurately. I decided that I couldn't continue using the keyboard, so I searched for a replacement.

I went to local stores, and I found it hard to find a wired keyboard to replace my old set, so I ended up settling on another wireless device. Since I just wanted the basics this time (no bells and whistles, just solid usage), I decided to go with the Microsoft Wireless Multimedia Keyboard 1.1, since it was the least expensive for me. I tested the keys on the store display model, and I found them to be perfect for my use. I type quickly, and on the MX3200, the keys were perfect at first, but got very stiff over time. I wanted a keyboard that had a good spring to the keys, but wasn't too firm to push down. It also didn't hurt that the whole set only took four AA batteries (two for the keyboard, and two for the mouse).

When I got the product home, I set it up just like the manual said: I installed the software first, then I plugged everything in. Software installation was SLOOOOWWWWWW. I am used to Logitech products, and the drivers for them are usually a little slow to install, but I could have installed the drivers for Logitech twice over in the time to install the drivers for this set. I don't understand why the install was so long because the keyboard does not have any advanced functions in it. After the installation finally completed, I tried to type with the keyboard and got nothing. The mouse was working, but not the keyboard. I troubleshot the device and found out that only the mouse was paired to the receiver, and not the keyboard. So I manually paired the mouse and keyboard to the receiver and then they worked. Why couldn't Microsoft have sent the set pre-paired like almost every other wireless desktop manufacturer does?

Then when I tried to use the set, I noticed it acted strange. I took a quick look at the settings, and that revealed that even though I had chosen "Microsoft Wireless Multimedia Keyboard" as the device (and this is the label that was on it), the installation chose a completely different wireless combo as the device, and the keysets were all wrong. After I reselected my device, the set started working.

My initial review of the product was going to be "good but not great," but as I was typing my review with the keyboard, when I pressed the caps lock key, I saw my screen flash, and two of the programs I had open, including my browser, were gone. I was perplexed; I wanted to know where my screen just disappeared to. So I pressed the caps lock key again. My taskbar disappeared, and my computer asked me if I wanted to shut down. I was completely surprised.

I decided to restart my system to see if it was just a glitch. After the restart, I tested every function button on the device. Everything worked fine. So I went back to my browser and I started surfing the net again. About five minutes afterwords, I got a notice on my screen that said that the wireless signal quality was low. I had the keyboard and the mouse in the direct line-of-sight with the receiver, and the batteries were brand new.

I packaged the keyboard, mouse, and receiver up and took them back to the store. This set did not only not work properly, it messed up the functioning of my computer in ways that were remarkable. I just bought it, and it gave me more trouble in one hour than my old Logitech gave me in the whole nine months that I had it. In fact, I would have done better to keep my old keyboard and mouse than to use this one. I am sure that if you find a version of this set that works, (and you are lucky if you do), it would be wonderful. But as it stands, I am very disappointed with this set, and I would advise any prospective buyers to stay away from it, unless you want a possessed keyboard and mouse combo that does whatever it wants to.

This product is pretty much plug and play if you are running XP or Vista. IT WORKS GREAT WITHOUT THE SOFTWARE. In fact installing the software actually makes this product function worse. By not installing the software, you will not be able to use some of the multimedia buttons (My Docs, My Pics, My Music, and the Media Play Controls), I never really missed these buttons any way.

Its a solid product at a good price which does not drain batteries (batteries will last about 4-6 months). Mine even came with a bonus travel mouse which I use with my laptop. Recommended if you can live withs its quirks.