Microsoft Optical Desktop Review

**NOTE**

Pictures coming later tonight, when I find the CD and install the camera driver on my computer.


What/Where

The Microsoft Optical Desktop is a wired keyboard and wireless mouse package which runs at a surprisingly cheap price. I purchased mine from TigerDirect for $40 and another $8 for shipping.


Why

I bought the Optical Desktop because I like having my notebook screen somewhat far away from me, and this puts a strain on my back because I need to lean forward quite a bit to reach the keyboard. Also, I prefer having a real full-sized keyboard rather than a somewhat full-sized one. I got this package instead of only a normal keyboard because it also included a mouse, which is wireless. Yum.


Review

Keyboard
The keyboard is silver with black keys (which are very quiet; can't hear them if you're over 10 feet away), and is unique in several ways. Number one is that it has a fingerprint reader. This can be used to log into Windows, save passwords on Internet Explorer, and do other neat things. The bad thing is that it doesn't seem to work with Firefox or third-party programs such as Steam. Another bad thing is that it seems to always be on. It shines a bright red. I'm not sure if it's only my problem, or it happens on others as well. The second unique thing is that it has media buttons. Media buttons are something which most conventional keyboards are missing. Now that I have media buttons, I don't know how I've lived without They are on the side (volume up/down/mute) and on the top left hand (pause/stop/play, RR/FF, previous/next). They are very easy to use, and are small rubberish buttons which are nice to the touch. The third unique thing is that it has buttons for... everything. It has 5 programmable "Favorites" buttons, which lead you to any given webpage you like. The other buttons are "My Documents", "My Music", "My Pictures", "Mail", "Web/Home", and "Messenger". These are useful to go right were they say. The last somewhat unique thing is about the Function buttons. They double as hotkeys. F1 = Help, F2=Undo, F3=Redo, F4=New, etc. The rest are Open, Close, Reply, Fwd, Send, Spell, Save, and Print. In other words, the Function buttons are useful for any type of documents or emails. If you want to use them as normal F buttons, you can choose to push the F Lock button. Push it again if you want to use the document buttons.

The wrist-rest is black and can snap on/off. It may seem like it shows wear very quickly, but that's not the case. The marks that are visible on the rest are oily imprints of your palms. They are somewhat visible, but you can hardly notice them unless you know they're there.

The USB keyboard may put some people off, but there's no big deal about it. It's a nice USB keyboard, and provides you with a little hiding place for the cord if you don't like having unsightly things on your desk. If you put the keyboard feet up, you can stick the cord right under the notebook and slither it around to your nearest USB port. It's nearly invisible.

Mouse
The mouse is like any standard mouse, only a bit larger. It feels very nice. It is symmetrical, so it can be used by both left and right handed people. The scroll wheel is nice and smooth, without the annoying clicking you have on most scroll wheels. It has scroll up, scroll down, tilt left, tilt right, and click. The mouse itself is nice and slick looking, and matches the keyboard and most any computer very well. It's wireless with a standard laser. Nothing fancy.

The wireless receiver for the mouse isn't as beauty-friendly. It is about half the vertical size of the mouse, with the same horizontal size. Your only option to make it unseen is to hide it under your desk or behind your computer. It is attached to a USB wire of about 3', so you can put it somewhere where it's invisible.


Conclusion

The Optical Desktop is a great solution for anybody who plays games and needs a fullsized keyboard and doesn't mind not having 10,000 DPI on your mouse, and is also a great addition to anybody who does word processing or uses email. It's also nice and cheap



Pros:

• Fingerprint reader
• Programmable Favorites buttons
• Great and easy-to-use media buttons
• Very quiet keys
• Keyboard color matches mouse color, and both match 90% of notebook colors
• Mouse wheel is very comfortable
• Price is Right!

Cons:

• Fingerprint reader light is always on, which may put some off
• Mouse is larger than standard mice, albeit comfortable
• Wireless mouse receiver is large and unsightly
• Keyboard is USB
• Wrist-rest shows marks from your palm (can be wiped off with paper towels)
• They charge too low of a price for such a great combo package