In the past, the debut of a piece of new hardware from Microsoft would be something to celebrate. As of late, the quality control of newer hardware releases has become spotty, so the anticipation is not at the same level it once was.

The wheel actions of the latest mice from Microsoft have become a thing to ‘live with’, rather than enjoy, as the older designs were. Positive detents were once there, allowing very good gaming performance, and for scrolling through a list of documents, or perhaps looking through a picture gallery. It was easy to get exactly the place needed, with no fuss. Lately, Microsoft mice with the side motion of the wheel have lost the detent, and also the wheel action, which out of the box is so firm and luxuriously smooth, becomes slippery and mushy. It is like the engine that needs 50W oil, because the bearings and rings are so loose that terrible noise and smoking occurs when any standard viscosity oil is used. But like that old engine, after a few minutes of use, the oil heats up and thins, and the sloppiness of the fit becomes apparent.

Hopefully the new designs will bring back some of the older designs feel of quality

The gaming mouse announced a few weeks ago is something I am looking forward to trying. It should have some very nice features for the gaming set, and the grip area looks as though it will be very comfortable for long sessions at the computer. The ability to know the resolution by sight, and the positive feel of the scroll wheel will certainly be a welcome change from the releases of the last couple of years. Unfortunately the release of this has been pushed back, by an unknown amount. Certainly it should be available by the Christmas shopping season.

The newest mouse in the Microsoft cage, is a notebook style mouse that includes flash memory in its receiver. The mouse uses Bluetooth to connect, so the local CB radio fanatic will not interfere with your work. If the charge starts to fade, it is possible to ‘wire’ the mouse for a few minutes to renew the charge - a nice feature which allows continued work with a minimum of fuss.

This mouse also includes a tilt wheel, which has hopefully been upgraded from the sloppy engineering of the Wireless Laser 6000 style. The mouse will have a list price of $99.95.

On a side note, it is somewhat amazing to me that notebook mice are needed. Using a notebook mouse implies a surface to mouse upon. When there is a surface, how small must it be to need a smaller cramped up mouse? Most notebook mice are units best used by children, as the sizes involved fit with smaller, more flexible hands.

Still, it will be nice to see these new designs from Microsoft, and cross fingers that the quality and feel will have returned to the level that made Microsoft a big player in the input technology market.

Tags: microsoft, gaming mouse, mobile memory mouse 8000, flash memory, vista features