Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000

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5 Responses to 'Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000'

1. Alex - January 23rd, 2010 at 11:36 pm

   Keyboard:
   
   Pros- Buttons are easy on the fingers and shortcut buttons are plenty and easy to identify.
   
   Cons- Spacebar is the loudest I have ever used. Very loud “clacky” sound. The rest of the keys are not quiet and louder than Logitech S510. The spacebar was loud enough for me to stop using the keyboard. The palm rest has a rubbery surface which attracts dust. Somewhat sharp edges on the sides and top of keyboard.

   Mouse
   
   Pros- Tracking on black shiny desk is excellent, mouse moves across the surface easier than any other mouse I’ve used. Scroll wheel has excellent build quality and completely smooth scrolling without any noise at all. The thumb button is also silent. Ergonomics are great and the mouse is perfect size and bigger than notebook mice.
   
   Cons- The left and right click buttons are the NOISIEST I have ever come across. It almost sounds like they breaking when I click them. Much louder than the mouse that comes with Logitech S510 and even louder than Microsoft’s Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. UNACCEPTABLE.. stopped using the mouse as well.
   Rating: 2 / 5

2. A. Schuette - January 24th, 2010 at 12:21 am

   Ordered two of these for some stations in an office comprised of XP Pro desktops. XP Pro does not recognize the transceiver, and Microsoft’s support site for the device is atrocious. While it works on our Win 7 machines, we will not be upgrading the XP Pro for the forseeable future due to application requirements. Since the Desktop works on the Win 7 machines I can’t return it, but I have my doubts about any other wireless transceivers for this environment.
   Rating: 1 / 5

3. Christina Batten - January 24th, 2010 at 2:05 am

   Nothing fancy or new here. This is your typical wireless keyboard and mouse. My boyfriend and I occassionaly use our flat screen television as our computer monitor and this allows us to do work from the couch (nice once in awhile but not as convenient as it would seem). I owned a far cooler wireless set where the mouse did not require a flat surface to work on, you could use it in the air (or) on a flat surface. I’d recommend that type of wireless setup over this one any day but if I recall, that set was $100+ at the time (bought it a few years ago so maybe not as expensive anymore) – so if you’re just looking for a basic wireless desktop, this’ll meet your needs.
   Rating: 4 / 5

4. Steven A. Godun - January 24th, 2010 at 3:40 am

   I am a keyboard snob. There, I said it. As a touch typist I’ve gone through (and worn out) quite a few keyboards in search of the perfect keyboard. My current keyboard of choice is the Matias Products FK202SB Tactile Pro 2.0 USB Keyboard – Silver and Black, though it will never replace the King of All Keyboards, the original Apple Extended Keyboard. So when I set aside my Tactile Pro and started working with the Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 3000, I was immediately reminded of why I love the Tactile Pro so much.

   I’m getting ahead of myself. If you want the basic summary skip to the bottom of this review. If you want to know exactly why this is only getting three stars, read on.

   The keyboard and mouse combo arrives in a single box along with a USB dongle, four AA batteries (two each for the keyboard and mouse), installation CD and owner’s manual. The keyboard is advertised to work with both Macintosh and Windows systems, though like most keyboards the modifier keys are designed with Windows users in mind. Since OS X can remap modifier keys it takes only a moment to “Mac-ify” it. You can also install Microsoft’s software which enables all of the special keys and key combinations.

   The keyboard itself is reasonably attractive. Glossy black plastic surrounds the matte black plastic key caps, and the keys are silkscreened in white for easy reading. A nice touch is the addition of silkscreened “tips” on the face of the key (the part that faces the user, not the part that faces up). So the Z, X, C, and V keys have UNDO, CUT, COPY and PASTE on the faces, respectively. Veteran users won’t need those reminders but it can be helpful for newcomers.

   The keyboard also sports a rubberized wrist rest that runs the width of the keyboard and about 2 1/2″ deep. It’s smooth and pleasant to the touch, but it’s still hard plastic underneath. I wouldn’t have minded a bit of soft padding below the surface. Still, it was comfortable to use.

   The underside of the keyboard sports the battery compartment (which requires no tools to open) and a pair of cheap but effective flip-down feet to elevate the keyboard at an angle. I actually found the elevated position to be less comfortable than the flat position, a trait that I also found on virtually every low-profile keyboard (like this one) I’ve ever used.

   Like virtually all keyboards these days the row of F keys (there are 12 of them here) doubles as application macro keys, so you can set them up to do things like create a new email message, check your spelling, save a file, etc. Mac users will see them used as standard Apple shortcuts such as volume adjustment, screen brightness adjustment, Exposé, etc. One disappointment: The actual F numbers (F1, F2, etc) are printed in medium-dark blue on the shiny black plastic above each key, not on the key itself. The combination of the blue color, the shiny black plastic, and the slight curve on which the printing is placed makes the markings virtually unreadable in anything other than office-type lighting conditions. If your desk lighting is, like mine, perhaps less than ideal, you’ll miss these markings completely.

   Above the F-keys are yet another row of keys, seventeen in all. These are yet more user-definable keys, by default set up for things like volume control and music playback controls (pause, play, stop, etc). On the Mac the volume control keys work as you’d expect, meaning that Mac users get two sets of volume control keys out of the box. Happily, this is easily changed through Microsoft’s software.

   There are a few other “random” keys as well. To the left of the keyboard are four buttons arranged vertically (yet more user definable buttons), there’s the PrtScn/ScrLk/Pause triumvirate above the Page Up/Page Down cluster, and (very odd, IMO) a special calculator key above the NumLock key on the numeric keypad. In practice this calls up the Calculator app on your computer, but I find that to be a particularly odd speciality.

   Finally, in the upper-right corner is a battery replacement indicator LED to let you know when it’s time to change batteries. I cannot comment on battery life as I haven’t used it long enough for the original batteries to wear out.

   But the verdict is: How does it type? Well, on my Tactile Pro I average between 90-95 words per minute. After a few hours of using this keyboard I was averaging about 85 words per minute. The biggest problem I found is one which all low-profile keyboards share: They’re all basically repackaged laptop keyboards. The key height is very low so there’s not a lot of rebound on the keys. Any seasoned typist will tell you the same thing.

   One particular annoyance is the CAPS LOCK key. Unlike every other key on the keyboard, this one is “double bezeled”. The key is rounded like every other key, but then there’s a sort of raised-up section on it as well. When you’re typing, your finger feels the edge of the CAPS LOCK key and you THINK your finger is no longer above it, but the “A” key is actually about 1/4″ to the right so you wind up having to correct yourself while typing. I would have much preferred the CAPS LOCK key to be just like all the rest.

   The mouse is unremarkable, styled in the same glossy black and rubberized plastic as the keyboard. It has four traditional buttons (left and right click, plus one button on other side in the “squeeze” position) and a clickable scroll wheel that also leans to the left and to the right. I found the two “squeeze” buttons to be reasonably placed but too high, forcing you to adjust your grip on the mouse whenever you want to use them. I find this to be a common design flaw on all Microsoft mice, including the Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 that I commonly use. The mouse is universally shaped for left and right-hand users. The action on the wheel is smooth but weighted and is comfortable to use. The side-to-side rocking action of the wheel takes a little getting used to at first but, once mastered, lends itself well to tasks like switching between browser tabs, moving amongst applications, or using OS X features such as Exposé or Spaces. The optical mechanism uses a blue LED; I prefer my less obvious infrared LED of my Laser Mouse 6000, but either way I detected no anomalies in tracking or using the mouse.

   It’s worth noting that this set is NOT for Bluetooth. It includes a small dongle, low profile and suitable for laptops (where USB ports are often crammed tightly together). When plugged into my Mac mini, OS X immediately asked to identify the keyboard and it worked perfectly after installing the software. Wireless range for both keyboard and mouse was tested up to about 12 feet without any problems or difficulties.

   Finally, the software. Microsoft includes Microsoft Desktop v7.0 on CD. It installs without a problem and demands a restart afterwards, and (on the Mac, at least) is accessed through a pair of preference panels within System Preferences. Here’s the set’s biggest flaw. In typical Microsoft fashion, the software is not particularly elegant or intuitive but it does get the job done. The key settings are set up in two columns; the name of the button on the left, and what you want it to do on the right. The problem is, Microsoft’s icons may not be that readily identifiable for new users. I see no reason why Microsoft couldn’t have also included an image of the key cap icons; it would make things a lot easier.

   One small detail caught my eye; when I checked Microsoft’s web site for a later version of the software I was told that version 6.41 was the most current version, even though the set shipped with version 7.0 and several web sites indicated that 7.01 was the most current version. I was unable to download anything past 6.41 from Microsoft, and the internet-update function with version 7.0 that I installed from the CD indicated that version 7.0 was the latest version. Go Microsoft.

   SUMMARY: On the plus side we’ve got attractive styling, a LOT of customizable custom keys, out-of-the-box *supported* Mac and PC compatibility, crystal clear white-on-black markings, tool-less battery replacement, and a reasonably pleasant wrist rest. Taking away from that is the mushy laptop-like feel of the keys, the CAPS LOCK key that is a textbook example of What Not To Do, poorly designed software, and a questionable update process. The most impressive thing about this set is that it excels at absolutely nothing. Given the amount of keyboard and mouse sets that gets more right than wrong, I therefore bestow three stars on this set as it is, overall, perfectly mediocre.
   Rating: 3 / 5

5. robgman - January 24th, 2010 at 4:39 am

   I had received the Logitech MK 300 (I think that’s the model number) wireless desktop and was very satisfied with its functionality. However, after about 3 months of owning it I dropped it about less than a foot onto a soft sofa and one of the little plastic legs that allows the keyboard to sit on a table at an angle making it ergonimcally better for typing broke off. Accordingly, the first thing I looked at when I opened this wireless desktop was those little plastic legs. It was immediately apparent to me that the legs with this keyboard are sturdier and of better quality than the Logitech.

   The range, comfort of the keyboard and all the functions are standard and useful.

   I’ve only been using this product for about a month but after 5 or 6 months I’ll update this review so it will be more comprehensive.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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