Digital Trends

Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000

October 24th, 2006 | by Brandon King

Performance Cont'd

The Wireless Laser Desktop will not disappoint, per say, but it lacks the feel of a finely tuned product. We noticed after moderate use for a month that the key labels showed signs of chipping, something we also saw much more drastically in the older Wireless Optical Desktop. There is no charging cradle for the mouse, which means you will need a stand-alone AA charger plus your own rechargeable batteries. The four tiny mouse feet are sure to wear out within a year with moderate usage, and the mouse is designed only for right-handers. What we were annoyed by the most is the key press quality which felt far too mushy for our tastes. Also, all the added shortcut keys have a little too much travel to each press (distance from the button’s depressed position to the fully pressed position).

The drivers and software for the Wireless Laser Desktop were excellent, and we had no compatibility issues. All the actions for the extended functionality buttons were easily customizable, and the mouse button assignment worked as advertised. (Who really needs to zoom so badly that they need five different ways of doing it anyways?) One thing to note however, should you decide to use this Desktop on a PC that also uses a Logitech keyboard and mouse, you will be forced to uninstall the Logitech software before installing the Microsoft software. While this is not an issue for many, we could see someone only wanting to use the keyboard or mouse, with the other device being from another manufacturer, or a laptop situation where this Desktop is used at home, and another company’s used at the office.

Image Courtesy of Microsoft

Conclusion

The Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 is a decent contender in the wireless keyboard/mouse combination setups, but makes several mistakes which keep it from being a great product. Every aspect of it is “half great”: The silver finish is nice, but the keys look like Juju Bees. The mouse uses the most precise technology available, but feel flimsy and lacks low friction feet .The software is excellent but refuses to play nice with others. A little more attention to the quality of the build and the addition of a few features like a charging cradle, and Microsoft’s next Wireless Desktop might be a true winner.

Pros:

• Aesthetics
• Great drivers
• Responsive

Cons:

• Mushy keyboard
• Cheap feeling plastics
• No charging dock
• Button lettering rubs off