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![](top.jpg)
![](wVista-Cert-border.png)
One
of the latest hardware combinations coming out of Redmond is all about
high-end style
while being on the cutting edge of technology by introducing new features to
the desktop. This long-awaited combo was designed to complement Windows
Vista at its fullest, providing hardware specific functionality for Windows
Live, Vista Gadgets and Media Center. While all the features are great, this
is the highest-end and highest priced desktop Microsoft has ever released. Does this
mouse and keyboard combo live up to its promises? Read on to find out.
Mouse & Keyboard Features
- Rechargeable Mouse and Backlit Keyboard
First ever rechargeable mouse and backlit keyboard solution. Microsoft’s
exclusive charging hub allows you to recharge both the mouse and
keyboard in one easy-to-use place.
- 2.4 GHz Bluetooth® Technology
Connect wirelessly right out of the box with First Connect Technology
for up to 30 feet with virtually no interference.
- Battery Status Indicator
You'll know when power is low when the battery status indicator senses
battery life is running out.
- 4 USB Ports
Integrated USB ports in the charging station give you the flexibility to
download images from your digital camera or plug in your thumb drive or
other USB device—right from your desktop.
- Wireless Freedom
Give yourself room to move—wireless mouse and keyboard products let you
work without worrying about tangled wires.
- 3 Year Warranty
Limited Warranty and License Agreement available here.
Mouse Features
- Rechargeable Mouse and Keyboard
Status indicator flashes when batteries need charging. Mouse drops onto
the stable, horizontal charging station to activate charging.
- 4-Way Scrolling
Scroll four ways for greater efficiency and comfort with Tilt Wheel
Technology.
- High Definition Laser Technology
Microsoft® High Definition Laser Mouse products are more precise, more
responsive, and deliver smoother tracking.
- Instant Viewer
Too many open items on your desktop? Click the scroll wheel button to
instantly display your open windows, then point and click to select.
- Magnifier
Point and click to enlarge and edit detail using the Magnifier*.
- Brushed Aluminum
The sleek, symmetrical design features an authentic brushed aluminum
that feels as good as it looks.
- Intelligent Power System
Adjust battery life depending on performance needs.
Keyboard Features
- Navigation Pad
Command your PC from your lap or the comfort of your sofa with the
integrated cursor control.
- Windows® Start Button
Press to launch your Start menu and search your PC or the Web if you
have Windows Vista installed.
- Ultra-thin Comfort Curve Design
Place your hands naturally and work comfortably using the distinctive
and ergonomist-approved Comfort Curve design with quiet touch keys.
- Windows Live™ Call Button
Just press this button to access your Windows Live Messenger contact
list; then select an Online Contact and start a video conversation.
- Compact Industrial Design
This sleek design reduces clutter on your desk, fits on your lap and
complements your flat screen monitor.
- Gadgets Button
One-touch access to gadgets such as weather information, news updates,
traffic maps and slide shows of online photo albums.
- Media Center Start Button
One touch access to Windows Media Center.
- Ultra-thin Keyboard
Experience true comfort with the ultra-thin Comfort Curve keyboard plus
quiet touch keys.
- Intelligent Backlighting
Backlighting comes on automatically when you approach the keyboard and
turns off when you’re away, saving valuable battery life. And, backlight
intensity automatically adjusts itself to the room lighting conditions.
- Media Controls
Media Controls allow you to easily navigate to next track, previous
track, play, pause and volume control.
- "My Favorites" Hot Keys
Access the folders, files, and Web pages you use most with one-touch “My
Favorites” Keys.
![](desktop4_small.jpg)
Setup & Installation
Mouse & Keyboard Setup: The
installation is quite simple, and does not deviate much from other Microsoft
Hardware installations. First, you insert the rechargeable Energizer NiMH
batteries into the mouse and keyboard. There are five total, one for the
mouse and four for the keyboard. The mouse has the standard snap out
compartment and you need a coal or a flathead screwdriver to open the
battery compartments on the underside of the keyboard. Next, turn the mouse
and keyboard on/off switches (located on the bottom) to the on position. Now
insert the USB transceiver (Microsoft Transceiver for Bluetooth version 3)
into the bottom side of the recharging hub. Connect the power cords, and
charge each for at least one hour before use. While charging, install the
software (IntelliPoint / Intellitype Version 6.1) to get the additional
features, but isn't necessary to use the hardware.
One of the slips included with the
keyboard states: "If you are running Microsoft Windows Vista..., you must
install a critical update from the Web before setting up the Microsoft
product. Before following the setup steps...install the following update
from:
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/vistaupdate " The update is:
Reliability update for USB stack in Windows Vista 32-bit (KB925528)
![](desktop1.jpg)
Microsoft
IntelliType Pro Software
If
you would like to adjust your keyboard settings, i.e. reprogram its hotkeys,
then you’ll want to install Microsoft IntelliType Pro 6.1 software.
Installation of the IntelliType Pro 6.1 software (although not needed) is a
breeze. Just pop in the CD included or download the software (about 8 MB).
To customize your keys, select either “Keyboard” from the Control Panel or
“Microsoft Keyboard” from the Program menu. On the Key Settings tab, you’ll
see a list of thirty hot key defaults, which you can reprogram if you like.
Another nice feature is you can print out a list of the key assignments,
which is good for those who like to reprogram a significant amount of keys.
From here you can edit your key assignments from a list of fifty-five
available commands. Options include disabling, programming to open a webpage
or file, and reprogramming to fit Microsoft’s available commands. Some keys,
however, such as the Caps Lock, you can only disable the key, not reprogram
it.
To
customize your keys, select either “Keyboard” from the Control Panel or
“Microsoft Keyboard” from the Program menu. On the Key Settings tab, you’ll
see a list of thirty hot key defaults, which you can reprogram if you like.
Another nice feature is you can print out a list of the key assignments,
which is good for those who like to reprogram a significant amount of keys.
From here you can edit your key assignments from a list of fifty-five
available commands. Options include disabling, programming to open a webpage
or file, and reprogramming to fit Microsoft’s available commands. Some keys,
however, such as the Caps Lock, you can only disable the key, not reprogram
it.
Microsoft
IntelliPoint Software
If you want to customize
your mouse, you will have to install IntelliPoint 6.1 (about 60 MB), which
requires a restart. To customize your mouse keys, select either "Mouse" for
the Control Panel or "Microsoft Mouse" from the program menu. On the buttons
tab you can click on the different buttons and reassign the keys to a
variety of functions. In this software you can also change your pointers,
other pointer options, view which hardware is connected, change scrolling
options, and view wireless features. The software is easy to use and is
required for advanced functionality of the mouse.
Mouse Design
The Microsoft
Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 is about 5 inches long, 2.5 inches
wide, 1.5 inches high and weighs just a few ounces. The mouse
includes five buttons (two on top, the wheel and two sides) in
ambidextrous form, so both left and right hand people can use the
mouse with ease. The mouse has a three-tone dark silver and grey
design with silver buttons and is very aesthetically appealing, with
a brushed aluminum front. I must admit, the aluminum is cool
looking! I believe this is the first time Microsoft has used metal
in the design of a mouse. The scroll wheel is the standard
translucent tilt wheel with scroll wheel detents. The mouse has a
grey bottom, with a single battery compartment for the rechargeable
battery, a "Microsoft Laser Technology" sensor, an on/off switch,
Bluetooth connect button, and two recessed prongs to connect to the
rechargeable base. There is a light at the top of the mouse which
flashes red when it needs charged and green when is fully charged.
The integration of the light is quite nice.
Please see our separate Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000
Review. |
Microsoft High
Definition Laser Technology
This product includes the Microsoft Laser Technology which aims to improve performance at much higher
levels than the previous optical technology, including the High Definition
Optical Technology on other Microsoft mice. The
technology is 6000 frames per second (FPS) - an improvement over the 2500
FPS of most of the previous optical mice. Other technology improvements that
have been made include 1000 dots per inch (DPI) resolution (responsiveness),
85 million operations per second (MOPS), .18 CMOS technology (preciseness)
and the Microsoft Intelligent Tracking System (smoother tracking). Unlike
the Microsoft High Definition Optical mice, the Microsoft Wireless Laser
Mouse 6000 has a 600 nm laser providing optical input. Microsoft optical
technologies have been well tested for many years now and work smoothly on
most surfaces. It has been broken-in well with previous mice, so you know
you won’t have any problem.
Keyboard Design
The keyboard is 8.3 inches wide and 17.7
inches long, and at most .75 inches high, but really much thinner at the
front because there is a gradient from front to back. The great thing about
being thin is the keyboard is also quite light. From right to left, there
are mouse buttons (yes on the keyboard), magnifier, gadget button, media
center buttons, function keys up top, start button in the center of the
keyboard, back light adjusting keys, and finishing up with the
directional pad (for the mouse) and media center button. There is also a
switch between directional pad and mouse mode
on
the right. There is a connection point at the top center of the keyboard. On
the back side, there is an on/off switch and battery compartments (with
screw lock) at each corner. The overall finish is two-tone silver aluminum
and has a quite sophisticated look. The keyboard is nearly identical to the
one included in the
Wireless
Entertainment Desktop 7000. The major differences between the two are
the following (as the mouse is nearly identical): the keyboard has a
aluminum finish, is rechargeable, has a magnifier button, and the recharging
hub (now used for the mouse and keyboard) has been upgraded. In addition,
there are 4 USB ports on the charging hub. A few negatives, there is
no keypad and the keyboard is quite flat, if you are used to a more angled
keyboard. Also, it looks like there was some extra room, as the B, G, H and
N keys are disproportionately big compared to the rest. Although you can't
tell from looking in the daytime - the keys are backlit (see picture), which
I must admit, is pretty cool. The mouse controls are useful for media center
applications and in case your mouse dies, but I don't think most will use
them. I am not sure why they didn't include the controls on the same side of
the keyboard instead of having the buttons on the left and the directional
keypad on the right.
![](desktop5.jpg)
Miscellaneous
The recharging hub is much better than
the one that came with the WED 7000 and integrates nicely with the keyboard.
There is a aluminum edge that says Bluetooth. There are four USB ports, two
in the back and one on each side, which is a nice welcome for those of us
who have a ton of USB devices. The charging hub cord is split - the USB end
plugs into the back of the computer, while the other plugs into the power
unit - and then the power cord plugs into that. Don't worry though - the
power unit is fairly small.
Final Comments
How It Grades |
Installation:
90%
Performance: 90%
Design: 100%
Price/Value:
85%
Overall:
91.25% |
This product is perfect for those who want the latest in technology and
style on their desktop. While best suited for Windows Vista Home Premium /
Ultimate users to take advantage of all the features available (such as the
Media Center features, etc.), this desktop can also work on Windows XP. You
can get a similar desktop (the WED 7000) for $100 cheaper, so you need to
determine if this version has enough different features to justify the extra
cost. I think the back lighting is very cool, but I know I do not use the
keyboard in the dark too much. The mouse is great, though it is the same
already available on the market ($90), it would be nice if they would tweak
the one included in this desktop to help add some edge to the total package.
I really like the new recharging hub and the 4 USB ports, as that will be
something that will affect me on a daily basis. While I feel this combo is
excellent, and one of Microsoft's best products, I think the cost may be
prohibitive to some users. But if you feel there is value and can afford it,
definitely go for it! Otherwise, the WED 7000 is still a very nice option.
Specs & Package |
Overall Score |
91.25% |
Version Reviewed |
Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000 |
Release Date |
Out Now |
In the Box |
Keyboard
Mouse
Recharging Hub
USB Transceiver
5 Energizer NiMH Rechargeable Batteries
Power Cord
Power Pack
Quick Start guide
IntelliPoint/IntelliType CD
3 other small flyers |
The Good Points |
Sleek Aluminum Design
4 USB Ports
Charging Hub
Backlit keys
Features Best Suited for advanced versions of Vista
Windows Vista Certified |
The Bad Points |
No keypad
Expensive
Keyboard is pretty flat
Mouse is the same as stand-alone |
Similar Product |
Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000 |
System Requirements |
Requires a PC that meets the
requirements for and has installed one of these operating systems:
Windows Vista® or Windows XP (XP Professional/Home Edition/Media
Center Edition/Tablet PC Edition).
IMPORTANT: For best results and Bluetooth® device compatibility,
use the included Microsoft mini Bluetooth transceiver. Service Pack
2 is also required with Windows XP.
For a Windows-based PC:
Pentium 233 MHz or higher processor
128 MB of RAM
60 MB of available hard disk space
Internet Hot Keys are supported for use with:
Windows-based PC: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later;
MSN® Explorer versions 7.0 or 8.0; Netscape Navigator versions 6.1,
6.2, 7.0; and AOL , 6.2, 7.0; and AOL versions 7.0, 8.0, 9.0
Multimedia Hot Keys are supported
for use with:
Windows-based PC: Versions of Microsoft CD Player, Microsoft Deluxe
CD, Microsoft Windows Media® Player, and certain versions of other
popular media players and browsers
Macintosh: iTunes
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