Review on Microsoft WS3 00001 Surface Mouse by Eric Hanson

I spend a lot of time with a mouse, whether it's on my desktop, laptop or now (hooray) my Surface tablet. Touch screens and scrollbars are fine for everyday use, but nothing beats a mouse when it comes to productivity, whether it's spreadsheets, long lists, or editing graphs. I use computer mice at an incredible rate, they rarely last more than 6 months. I used to be married to Logitech mice because of how they feel in my hand, but I got to the point where I was dissatisfied with their build quality and poor support. The Sculpt Bluetooth model was the first Microsoft mouse I've bought in years and I was so pleased with it that I bought two more. I was only slightly annoyed that the scroll wheel wasn't as durable as my Logitech's metal wheel and the fact that Microsoft was a bit smaller than I'd like. So I was excited to see this new model from Microsoft in a minimalist form. and now with a metal scroll wheel and the promise of a more comfortable shape. I really love this new mouse. The added weight of a metal scroll wheel is much more conducive to quick finger movements to move the cursor through multiple spreadsheet cells at once or across multiple web pages without missing a beat. As for the shape, let's be realistic. everyone will have a different idea of what feels good in the hand. My preference is more. The shape of this Surface Mouse isn't bigger, it's different, and once you get used to it, it feels pretty solid. Although it's marketed as a mouse for Surface, there's no reason why it can't be used with any Bluetooth-enabled device. Device. It is backward compatible with previous Bluetooth protocols. I carry the mouse with me and use it with my desktop, laptop and tablet without batting an eyelid, it just works. Microsoft also promises longer battery life. This hasn't been a problem with any of their mice that I own, they seem to last forever on a set of batteries but I'm happy to take longer battery life. The $50 price tag is right if you're used to paying more for style. But honestly, the mouse isn't all that different from the basic black-clad Sculpt mouse, which often sells for less than half what the Surface mouse sells for. SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW. The mouse looks more like a rectangle with rounded corners, while the Sculpt Mouse looks more like an egg. Sculpt Mouse appears to be much larger, but is actually only about ¼ inch taller. It just "appears" to be a lot bigger. The Sculpt Mouse also appears to be a lot heavier, and the actual weight is 4.65 ounces compared to the 3.20 ounces Surface Mouse. Another difference is that the Sculpt Mouse has a blue "Windows" tab, which I thought was so cool when I bought it, but then never used it because I kept hitting it by accident. Unlike the Sculpt Mouse, the Surface Mouse's three active buttons (left click, right click, and mouse wheel click) require a bit more pressure to activate. I think that's a good thing... One of the most annoying things about Sculpt Mouse is that I always mistakenly press the left button just by putting my finger on it. Not so with the Surface Mouse. There is only a tiny power/pair button on the bottom of the Surface Mouse, there is no slide switch to turn off the mouse. I like that the ring around the bottom of the Surface Mouse is a teflon glide surface that keeps the mouse from rocking back and forth and also keeps dirt from building up on the glide pad that gets in the way. many mice. Finally, a subtle touch, the battery cover becomes magnetized. This can be a small convenience to avoid breaking the flimsy plastic clip one day, but it can also be a very small problem if you accidentally place your mouse on a credit card or something else with a magnetic strip. Aside from the physical feel of the device, the most important thing about any mouse is how well it tracks. As a photographer/graphic designer, I have a graphics tablet handy for every artistic task, but sometimes it feels like a mouse is always needed for precise tracking. The Surface Mouse is more accurate, especially when following complex curves, but just as important, the Bluetooth signal "wakes up" a little faster than the Sculpt Mouse, so there's not that slight lag before the cursor is moved. Obviously Microsoft invested significantly more into the development of the Surface Mouse than the Sculpt Mouse, and I daresay there are many other inexpensive pointing devices that I use. SO good it should be worth $50, so the price is a smack against it.