A Tale of Two Wireless Mice – Microsoft 7000 and Genius ECO
The following evaluations are individually written by Mario Vasquez (MS 7000) and Mark Poppin (Genius ECO). Taken together they are a tale of two mice –Mark Poppin, ABT Senior Editor
The Microsoft Wireless Mouse 7000 is an older mouse that has recently dropped from $70 to $20 and we wonder if it is still a valid choice compared to newer tech. When searching for an inexpensive wireless mouse, one should look for basic features at a good price. The 7000 has features that may instantly attract a buyer: a sleek design, an unintrusive charging stand, and the promise of a 3 week battery life
Specifications:
Rechargeable: 1 AAA 1000mAh NiMh battery
Wireless: 2.4GHz Mini USB receiver
Microsoft High Definition Laser Technology with tracking at 1000dpi and 6,000 frames per second
3 Year Warranty
Retail Price: $69.99, now around $19.95 (Amazon)
Design
The mouse is very “business” black with silver metal accenting the mouse. This is centered around a design intended to ergonomically fit a right hand.
This design tilts your wrist to the right with the intention of creating a comfortable experience while your fingers rest in the notches and curves in the design.
Those who are left-handed will not be able to use this mouse comfortably at all, rendering the mouse useless to those who are not right-handed.
With that being said, after spending a month with the mouse it feels very comfortable and going back to a “classic” mouse feels awkward. The 7000 easily lends itself to your hand.
The 7000 features a notchless wheel. This is one that scrolls effortlessly and with no real feedback. This could be good for those long pages that require a ton of scrolling, but if you need the mouse to be precise and only scroll to a line or two, it can be frustratingly loose.
There are better alternatives out there – like the clickable fly wheel in the Logitech MX Revolution that lets you toggle between free and stepped scrolling.
One thing we did love with the wheel was its 4-way scrolling capability. The mouse also features three configurable buttons which we will cover in detail later on.
The USB dongle cannot be directly attached to the mouse. This may be a downside to those traveling a lot who like to keep the components together and secured.
Battery Life
The mouse comes with a pre-packaged AAA rechargeable battery. We opened up the packaging, plugged the stand into the wall, inserted the included battery and left the mouse charging for one hour. When we returned, the mouse had retained absolutely NO charge.
After reading a couple of complaints on Amazon’s product page we decided to do some trouble-shooting instead of just immediately shipping the mouse back.
This mouse still has the “Ready for Vista” logo on it and we are nearing Windows 8. This indicated the packaging and the battery may be old. Microsoft may have shipped more of these mice than they actually sold or the factory stock may have also been old.
We bought our own rechargeable battery and voila, the mouse worked flawlessly.
We don’t know if this battery issue is the same for every mouse, or even if it’s related to the shipping center that we received our product from, but according to other recent customer reviews this may be an issue.
With a healthy battery inserted, the only complaint we have is that the first charge took much longer than expected, about 2-3 hours. This is bearable because once the mouse is fully charged and ready to be used, it has lasted us close to an entire month on a single charge.
Microsoft claims a 3 week life and we experienced just a little over that.
Microsoft’s Wireless Mouse 7000 also features an LED indicator that allows you to gauge the remaining battery life. The included software will also alert you when the battery is getting low.
The included stand is easy to use and once you are done with the mouse, it is very simple to just put it on charge until it is needed again. This means if you are mainly using the 7000 at home, you will most likely never completely lose the charge.
Features
The mouse is very accurate with tracking at 1000dpi and 6,000 frames per second. While this is not the best on the market, especially for games that require extreme precision, in our use the mouse is extremely easy to use and works well with a lot of modern games like The Walking Dead.
The notchless wheel also features a 4-way scrolling feature. You tend to forget it is there, and once you realize you have such a convenient feature it’s hard to go back to the antiquated windows scrolling.
The wheel is also clickable which is pre-set to Flip-3D. The mouse also has two buttons on the left side, the front of which will bring up a magnified look to the window you are on, the back button is the back (in an window or browser) feature.
These two buttons are where we also have some small complaints. We don’t use the back button often because the way the mouse is designed, your thumb has to go up further than is natural in order to click it ruining the whole point of an ergonomic feel. The front button is much easier to use.
The thing we do love with these three buttons is using Microsoft’s Intellipoint Software. This allows us to map different functions to each button. A total of 36 include copy and paste, magnify, forward and back.
The USB 2.4GHz dongle that is included gave us a range of up to 30 feet, and even at those distances the mouse was very accurate and responsive.
ABT Verdict
If you are the type of person that is looking for a cheap, reliable and long-lasting wireless mouse, then the Microsoft Wireless Mouse 7000 is a good choice.
Be aware that the included battery may be a dud and be prepared to purchase your own. This may possibly be an issue due to the age of the product.
At its original price, the Wireless Mouse 7000 would have been hard to recommend as there are better alternatives in that price range. At $19.95 (Amazon) the mouse receives an easy recommendation from ABT.
Pros
– Charging stand, 3 week long battery life, and LED indicator
– Intellipoint software for 36 different button options
– Precise tracking at 1000dpi and 6,000 frames per second
-Sleek design, lightweight, cheap price.
Cons
-Left handed people are left out
-Included battery did not hold a charge
-Notchless wheel is hard to get used to; “Back” button isn’t very ergonomic
-Portability may be an issue for some
