Product: Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000
Supplier: Microsoft
MSRP: $99.95     Find Lowest Price @ PriceGrabber
Author: Nick
Date: 12/17/08

When asked what first comes to mind when one hears the name “Microsoft,” one’s first thought is often of their operating system or software, and rarely “an excellent piece of hardware”. However, Microsoft does still have some often overlooked areas of expertise. Today we will be taking a look at Microsoft’s newest keyboard and mouse combo, the Wireless Laser Desktop 6000.

Packaging

Microsoft’s Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 includes the Wireless Keyboard 6000, the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, a wireless USB transceiver, 2 keyboard risers, 4 batteries, and a CD containing the IntelliPoint and IntelliType Pro software.

Setup

Setup of the Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 is just as simple as hooking up a wired keyboard and mouse. Once the batteries are installed, simply insert the transceiver in any available USB port. Windows will automatically install the required drivers. Installation of the IntelliType Pro and IntelliPoint software is only required if you want to change the programming of the different buttons on the keyboard and mouse

Version 3 vs. Previous Versions

I was sent the third revision of Microsoft’s Wireless Laser Desktop 6000. What makes version 3 of this desktop set different from previous versions? Of course the most obvious change is the Aero-inspired design that was implemented on the keyboard. However, probably the largest difference technologically is that version 3 uses the 2.4GHz frequency range instead of the 27MHz frequency. This means improved range (30 ft. opposed to little over 6 ft.) among other benefits.

The Wireless Keyboard 6000

Both the keyboard and mouse feature programmable buttons. However, the mouse and keyboard each required separate applications to program the buttons. It would be nice to have one program to manage both the keyboard and mouse. Together these to applications have a memory footprint of 22MB.

The Wireless Keyboard 6000 features Microsoft’s Comfort Curve ergonomic layout. The Comfort Curve layout eliminates the divide in between the left and right sets of keys without sacrificing much in terms of comfort. I find that ergonomic keyboards make it a lot more comfortable for me to type for extended periods of time.

Microsoft over the last several years has grown quite fond of the F lock feature that it now incorporates in almost all, if not all of its new keyboards. F lock allows the F keys to function as both a standard F key as well as a programmable key. For non-technical users, who rarely use the F keys, this is a great feature. However, I find myself using the F keys all the time and F lock is usually just an annoyance. The programmable keys are turned on by default, but that can be disabled just as easily as turning on F lock.

The Wireless Keyboard 6000 features two removable keyboard risers. These risers can be attached to either the front or back. I chose to put the risers at the front of the keyboard, and thus causing the front of the keyboard to be a little higher than the back of the keyboard. I found this allowed my wrists to rest a little straighter.

Another annoyance of the Wireless Keyboard 6000 is the lack of Caps Lock, Number Lock, and F Lock indicator lights on the keyboard itself. With the IntelliType Pro software installed, a notification window will pop up whenever any of the lock keys are initially turned on or off but there is no way to know without pressing the lock key you are wondering about.

Wireless Laser Mouse 6000

Microsoft’s Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 is 4.5 inches long, 3.25 inches wide and 1.63 inches high. I found this to be a little too short for my hand. The side buttons are well placed, yet out of the way. I did not have any problems with accidentally clicking the side mouse buttons that I have had with some other mice. The Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 is designed for right handed users.

I use the middle mouse button to open pages in new browser tabs often. However, the middle button on the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 requires some getting used to. At first I was unable to successfully open new tabs but using the mouse for awhile solved this problem.

Both the keyboard and mouse feature low battery lights to indicate when it is almost time to change the batteries. While I can’t testify to the exact battery life at the time of this review, Microsoft claims the battery life is around 6 months.

The tracking ability of the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 is up to par with other laser mice. The sensor is capable of tracking at a rate of 1000 DPI. This is a high enough resolution for most uses.

One wireless transceiver is shared with both the keyboard and mouse. The transceiver can snap into the bottom of the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 for portability. While this really doesn’t make much sense for a desktop set, keep in mind that the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 can be purchased as a standalone product as well. Once the transceiver is inserted in the bottom of the mouse, the mouse will turn off and thus conserving the battery. However, battery life is not something I have found to be a problem with this desktop (mentioned earlier in this review).

Conclusion

Microsoft’s Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 is a very nice keyboard and mouse combo. All of the downfalls of this desktop set were minor and simple idiosyncrasies of all Microsoft keyboard and mice. These downfalls included two separate programs to configure the keyboard and mouse, no “lock” key status indicator lights, and the most infamous Microsoft feature, the F Lock key. Overall, I found the keyboard to be comfortable to use for extended periods of time.

Pros

+ Uses 2.4GHz frequency
+ Tons of programmable buttons on the keyboard
+ Comfortable
+ 3 Year Warranty

Cons

- Requires software installation to program non-standard keys
- Two separate pieces of software for configuring the software and mouse
- No Caps Lock, Number Lock, or F Lock indicator lights on keyboard
- F Lock

Tags: keyboard, Microsoft, mouse, wireless, Wireless Laser Desktop 6000