Digital Trends

Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000

February 6th, 2008 | by Josh Norem

Use and testing

We use our notebook just as much as we use our desktop, and we found the Mobile Memory Mouse to be very comfortable. It’s very small but fit perfectly in our palm, and we had no trouble reaching any of the buttons or using it as it is intended.

The charging cable is really cool, which sounds odd to type, but it is. Rather than using normal plugs, the cable has magnets on both ends, so you just have to put the cable near its socket and it literally snaps into place and stays put. It’s a clever design and one we hope other mice manufacturers adopt due to its simplicity.

So the mouse works fine, it’s easy to charge, but what about that 1GB of flash memory? Well, we’re sorry to say that though it may be useful in a pinch, it’s so unbelievably slow we would not recommend ever using it for anything but the smallest of files. How slow is it? We transferred a 700MB AVI file to the key, which took – drum roll please – 14 minutes! Yes, that is minutes with an M. We transferred the same file to our own 8GB Sandik USB key and it took just 1:37. This is honestly the slowest flash memory we’ve ever seen, so its inclusion in the package is more of a detriment rather than a bonus.

Microsoft also includes a snazzy carrying case for the mouse, and we had no problems stashing the mouse inside for transport.

Microsoft includes a handy little pouch to ensure the mouse and transceiver don’t get separated in your notebook bag.

Conclusion

The Mobile Memory Mouse is a very good as a mouse in that it’s comfortable, portable, and just works without any hassles. We also like the magnetic charging cables, as they are very easy to use. However, it’s very expensive given its feature set, and the included flash memory is so slow that we’re just not excited about it. If Microsoft made it a 2-4GB key that was actually fast, we’d had no trouble giving it our highest recommendation.

Pros:

• Comfortable
• Magnetic cables are cool
• 1GB of Flash

Cons:

• Flash memory is unbelievably slow
• Pricey