Product: Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000
Manufacturer: Microsoft
MSRP: $69.95     Find Lowest Price @ PriceGrabber
Author: Nick
Date: June 24, 2009

While the quality of Microsoft software offerings is debatable, Microsoft’s hardware offerings are usually top notch. Today we are going to look at Microsoft’s newest wireless desktop set, the Wireless Desktop 3000. Upon first glance, the Wireless Desktop 3000 appears to be like most other Microsoft desktop sets. However, it is one of the first to include a BlueTrack mouse.

Features and Specifications

Mouse & Keyboard Features

• Reliable 2.4GHz Wireless – Up to a 30-foot range and less clutter on your desktop
• Battery Status Indicators – batter status indicators tell you when your battery power is low
• 3-Year Limited Hardware Warranty

Mouse Features

• BlueTrack Technology – Microsoft’s BlueTrack Technology combines the power of optical with the precision of laser for remarkable tracking on virtually any surface
• Snap-in Mini-Transceiver – Stows conveniently under the mouse; automatically turns the mouse on and off for up to 8 months of battery life
• Tilt wheel and more – fully featured mouse with 4-way scroll, 5 programmable buttons, rubber side grips, and Magnifier

Keyboard Features

• Spill-Resistant, Quiet Touch Keys – Integrated water channels drain the liquid away. Quiet, responsive, thin-profile keys.
• Media Center – Control media playback from you keyboard
• Hot Keys – One-touch access to Windows Media Player, e-mail, Home, calculator, My Documents, Zoom, instant messaging, and photos
• “My Favorites” Keys – Customize these 5 keys to instantly bring up the photos folders, files, and Web pages you use most. Simply push and hold to set
• Enhanced F Keys – Perform common commands from you keyboard

Packaging and Contents

The Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000 comes packaged in a cardboard box that looks very similar to the packaging that virtually every other Microsoft keyboard and mouse combo come packaged in in terms of color scheme, layout, etc. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing as the packaging features several pictures of the product and does a good job of pointing out all the features.

Inside the packaging, you will kind the Wireless Keyboard 3000 v2, Wireless Mouse 5000, two sets of batteries (one for the keyboard, another for the mouse), a cd containing the IntelliType Pro and IntelliPoint software, as well as a couple of guides.

Setup

Setup of the Wireless Desktop 3000 as easy as any other keyboard and mouse. Simply install the included batteries, plug the transceiver into an available USB port, and windows should take care of the rest. I usually tend to skip the included software for keyboards and mouse, but if you would like, you can install that as well.

First Impressions

Both the keyboard and mouse are black with white trim and lettering. I found the simply color scheme and design of these keyboard to be quite appealing.

Both the keyboard and mouse use the 2.4Ghz frequency to transmit data to a transceiver which is roughly 1.5 inches long. I found both the keyboard and mouse to work reliably at a range of 20 feet. Also I noticed some problems when the transceiver was placed in a USB port on the back of one desktop connected to the network via 802.11G. This really does not surprise me because 802.11G uses the same 2.4GHz frequency range and was probably due to the transceiver being located only a few inches away from the antenna of the wireless NIC. When I plugged the transceiver into another USB port on the same computer, the problems went away. I didn’t experience any problems with interference while using the keyboard and mouse on a desktop which was connected via ethernet.

Microsoft claims the battery life on the keyboard and keyboard to be as long as 8 months. I can believe the keyboard battery life to be that long but I have my doubts about the mouse. Other BlueTrack mice I have tested have had absolutely horrible battery life, barely lasting a couple of weeks. Granted previous mice only had 1 AA battery, where as the Wireless Mouse 5000 used 2 AA batteries. Due to the deadline for this review, I was not able to test the exact battery life. However, I used the both the keyboard and mouse heavily for a little less than a month without having to change batteries.

The Keyboard

Over the last few years, Microsoft has really become fond of the “Enhanced F Keys” While this may be a nice feature for some users, I find this feature annoying since I routinely use the F keys for their original purpose.

Another thing Microsoft has become quite fond of lately is excluding any type of Lock key indicator lights. With the IntelliType software installed, a message will pop up on screen saying the lock key was either turned on or off. However, after the pop up disappears, there is no way to tell if caps lock, scroll lock, num lock, or F lock is on or off.

Several of the multimedia keys on the Wireless Keyboard 3000 work without installation of the IntelliType Pro software. These were typically the keys I ended up using most often anyways so I did not find a need to install the software if I didn’t want to However, all of the Enhanced F and My Favorite keys required the software to be installed before they would work.

The Wireless Keyboard 3000 features spill resistant keys which use channels beneath the keys. These channels drain liquid out several holes in the bottom. I tested this several times by pouring a glass of water on keyboard. After letting the water drain, I was able to use the keyboard without problems. While this works well for water, juice and soda may leave behind a sticky residue.

The Mouse

With a length of 4.59 inches and a width of 2.77 inches, I found the Wireless Mouse 5000 to be a bit small for my hand. This did not present a major problem while using the mouse but would prefer my wrists not drag on the surface I am using the mouse on.

The Wireless Mouse 5000 features an ambidextrous design, meaning it can be used by both right and left handed people. The mouse did not contour to my hand as nicely as non-ambidextrous mice but was still comfortable to use for extended periods of time. Due to this design there is a programmable button on each side of the mouse, instead of having two buttons on one side. While it took a little while to become accustom to the change, I found this setup to work a lot better than the traditional approach of both buttons on one side. Typically I would have to shift my hand around on the mouse whenever I wanted to use the button which is typically closest to the front of the mouse.

Like many of Microsoft’s newer mice, the Wireless Mouse 5000 features Microsoft’s much touted BlueTrack technology. As with previous BlueTrack mice I have reviewed, I found the BlueTrack to work a lot better than laser tracking but only slightly better than traditional optical tracking technology. This is understandable because to the user a BlueTrack mouse looks a lot like an optical mouse with a blue LED instead of the traditional red LED.

When not in use, the mouse can be turned off by snapping the transceiver into the bottom of the mouse. I did not find this necessary unless I was going to be gone for a couple of days since the mouse will automatically go into standby after not being used for a minute or so. The mouse is quick to resume normal operation after a slight movement.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s Wireless Desktop 3000 is a decent keyboard and mouse combo. The keyboard features many programmable keys and while the mouse is smaller than I would prefer, it is still comfortable to use for extended periods of time. However, the Wireless Desktop 3000 is not without it’s flaws. I found the keyboard and mouse to be prone to interference when used in close proximity to a wireless NIC and the lack of any lock key indicator lights was also slightly annoying. Despite this downfalls, I believe the Wireless Desktop 3000 would a worthwhile investment for someone looking for more than just a basic wireless keyboard and mouse.

Pros:

+ Several shortcut keys
+ Some of the shortcut keys work without installing the IntelliType Pro software
+ Mouse has a ambidextrous design
+ Comfortable to use for extended periods of time
+ Spill resistant keys

Cons:

- F Lock
- No lock key status lights on keyboard itself
- Prone to interference from wireless networks
- Installation of the IntelliType software required to program and use all keys.

Tags: 3000, BlueTrack, Desktop, keyboard, Microsoft, mouse, wireless