Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 5000 Keyboard and Mouse (B2H-00002)

PREVIEW

Let's just begin by telling you this is the best keyboard from Microsoft we've ever used. We'll admit we were sold on Logitech, but Microsoft is coming on strong on the desktop.

Microsoft's Wireless Optical (Photo) Desktop 5000 includes the Photo Center on the keyboard that makes this model stand out. Zoom in on photos, webpages etc. with a special "Zoom Lever." It includes useful photo management and editing software that is clearly still under development.

The Zoom Lever and Magnifier included with this keyboard and software may be of particular interest to those who find it hard to read web pages while using their computer.

Does the Image Software really work? You bet it does. It is somewhat like Google's Free Picasa2 and enables batch handling of files, so you can rename, resize or convert formats on a whole directory of photos at once.

But before we even get to that, we think there's something we've got to tell you.

WARNING: The "IntelliType Pro" and "IntelliPoint" software that enables the functionality of this keyboard refuses to load on some Windows XP systems.

It loaded on one of our XP Pro machines but refused to load on a nearly identical computer.

This problem is not unique. We found a review on a website that called the install a "disaster."

We have traced our problem to Logitech Mouseware that refuses to un-install. You have to edit the registry (gasp!) to manually get rid of the offending program files. This is detailed in the Appendix at the end of the review.

HARDWARE: THE KEYBOARD, MOUSE AND RECEIVER

Included in the retail package:

- 1 Wireless Receiver
- 1 Wireless Keyboard
- 1 Wireless Optical Mouse
- 1 CD containing "IntelliType" and "Intellipoint" software
- 1 CD containing MS Digital Image Standard 2006 Software
- 4 AA batteries (two each for the Keyboard and Mouse
- 1 Incredibly skimpy "Getting Started" Manual
- 1 Very Well Written User Manual for Digital Image 2006

Wireless Keyboard - Basic Functions

This is an "ergonomic model" that features a slightly curved layout. It's comfortable. We haven't used one of these before and have been pleasantly surprised.

The required typing pressure is a little "light" for our taste, but the amount of "action" or length of travel when depressing keys and the "spring" as they return to full upright gives users plenty of tactile control.

This is a full-sized model that includes a numeric keypad, 4 arrow-keys, and a five key layout for separate Home, End, Delete, Page Up and Page Down keys.

In addition, there are three small buttons above the numeric keypad.

- Sleep blanks the screen and your password will be required to log back on and continue working. Handy.

- Log Off does exactly what it says...logs you off the computer so other users will be able to log in.

- Calculator brings up the default Windows XP calculator. It's a lot easier than going to Start--> All Programs--> Accessories--> Calculator...that's for sure!

F-Lock - This keyboard features an extra key used to toggle between the standard Function Keys and custom controls like Help, Undo, Redo, New, Open, Close, Reply, Fwd, Send, Spell, Save and Print.

Insert and Scroll Lock, however, are not the defaults when "F-Lock" is disengaged. We think Microsoft should have made that Insert key constantly available.

Wireless Keyboard - Advanced Functions

While we're going to address the Digital Image Software in more detail below, there's no avoiding one of the nicest features of Microsoft's Wireless Optical (Photo) Desktop 5000.

ZOOM - A small lever on the left side of the keyboard allows you to Zoom in or out when viewing photos inside "Digital Image Standard 2006" software.

But it's noteworthy that this feature also works inside Web browsers (IE, Firefox, Opera,) MS Word and other applications. It even enlarged the timeline in our Adobe Premiere Pro video editing software.

It doesn't work on the desktop background or file folders, but this is a very handy feature.

Photo Buttons

To the left of the Zoom Lever, there are five small buttons specifically designed for helping you manage your photos.

Library - Brings up the Microsoft Digital Image software on the desktop. OK, nothing special. A key specifically designed to load a program.

Edit - Brings up the Photo Editor, a separate window from the Photo Library. You can drag photos into the editor and adjust Color, Brightness, Contrast etc.

Send - Loads the default E-Mail client, creates a Topic "Photo from Microsoft Digital Image" and gives you options for file size, while showing you how long it will take to download that image using either a 56K modem connection or a DSL/Cable internet connection. Works with Mozilla Thunderbird.

Print - Just what you would imagine, it brings up a print dialogue as a left-side dialogue box in the Editor. What we do like about this is that it automatically selects "Landscape" when the photo would print better in that orientation.

But if you're usually in "Normal" print mode, you'll have to click on the "Change printer settings..." link to reset the Quality, paper type etc.

Slide Show Begins a full-screen slideshow of all the files in a directory or only the files you have selected. You can customize a photo's settings so it will NOT display in slideshows.

Multi-Media and "Favorites" Keys

Across the top of the Wireless Optical (Photo) Keyboard 5000 are 13 various sized buttons.

5 of them can be assigned to programs or web pages. The default browser is used rather than just Microsoft Internet Explorer. There's a little "Star" key below them that will bring up the list of currently loaded "Favorites" and allow you to edit them.

The standard Mute, Volume up/down keys work across all Multi-media programs.

The Play, Stop, Reverse and Forward keys appear to only work in Microsoft products, like Windows Media Player. We haven't tried every program, but we couldn't control Winamp with them.

Wireless Optical Mouse

What's to get excited about with a mouse?

This one does have a couple of nice features.

Just like the Zoom Lever makes the keyboard more interesting, the default setting for one of two small "thumb" buttons on the mouse brings up a "Magnifier" on the screen. This small window overlay then enlarges text, images etc. that are beneath it. You can size the area to enlarge and move it around the screen. Clicking the same button a second time turns the feature off.

What is new to us is the huge range of key assignments that can be linked to the mouse buttons. There are 30 of them. If you do a lot of "cut and copy" and "paste" routines, you can assign those tasks to any of the buttons.

Horizontal scrolling is also enabled on this device. You apply a small amount of pressure to the left or right on the scroll wheel and away it goes. The speed is adjustable, of course.

Moreover, we found this Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 2.0 device to be outstanding in its comfort and ergonomics. The scroll wheel feels substantial and there are concave grooves for your fingers which direct them toward the two main buttons. Full marks to Microsoft for the design.

The Wireless Receiver

It's larger than comparable receivers from Logitech. But it also includes three handy L-E-D's that indicate when CAPS LOCK is engaged or NUM LOCK. The third light signals when F LOCK is engaged.

Like most wireless keyboards today, this one includes an adaptor so you can connect it via USB or PS/2 connectors.

Microsoft warns you'll get uneven results using this wireless desktop in combination with a KVM (Keyboard/Video/Mouse) switch. Ours is a Linkskey dual-monitor switch...and horizontal scrolling doesn't work as expected all the time. We can live with that. Your results may vary depending on the KVM switch in use.

THE SOFTWARE

There are really 4 programs included with this package.

- Keyboard Software allows you to customize almost all key assignments for the function keys and specialty keys on the keyboard. You can choose to link them to programs, web pages or a wide variety of task like opening a view of your hard disks (My Computer) the Control Panel etc.

Very full-featured, the ability to map the keyboard exactly the way you want is a strong point for the Microsoft Wireless Optical (Photo) Desktop 5000.

- Mouse Software allows you to adjust scrolling speeds and change button assignments. Again, it's very full-featured, giving users more options than they've probably ever had before. That doesn't change the basics and most of us will never make use of all those options.

Digital Image Software

As we noted at the start of this review. This software is clearly still in development. There's even a link in there to "Help Us Improve..."

The keyboard ships with a copy of Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Standard Edition. This is the low-end product from Microsoft ($49.95) and lacks a lot of the features of Digital Image Suite ($99.95) and Digital Image Suite Plus ($129.95)

There are two basic Programs, the Viewer or Library and the Editor.

We already have Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Fireworks for Photo Editing, and it would be pointless to do a point-by-point comparison in this review.

Perhaps Microsoft recognizes that the Digital Image Software isn't going to be enough power for some users. One of the options available using the Library Viewer is to call ANOTHER Digital Image Editor instead of Microsoft's as the default when you double-click on the photo or image file. That should satisfy most power users.

We found the software up to the task of resizing, converting the most common file formats and making basic changes to our digital images. You can do some tasks within the Library software, while any re-touching etc. is done in the Editor.

It does include some nice "Auto Fix" features:

- Color Auto Fix
- Exposure Auto Fix
- Contrast Auto Fix
- Levels Auto Fix
- Camera Phone Auto Fix

We tried that last feature on a typically poor camera phone picture. It adjusted the hues and provided an overall improvement in the photo, but it was nothing to shout about from the rooftops.

We think it's adviseable to save the original copies of your photos in one location and edit copies in another.

Microsoft's Digital Image 2006 Standard Edition isn't trying to be a competitor to Photoshop. It's trying to give Aunt Martha a way to sort the increasing number of family photos she's receiving by e-mail these days...and fix up some of the mistakes she made with that new-fangled digital camera she got for Christmas.

On that front, the software included with this desktop is filling a rapidly growing niche in the marketplace.

But there are a few annoying points that should be considered.

1. No "Undo" feature in the Library. Can't live without it. There is an "Undo" feature in the editor.

2. No option to preserve aspect ratio in resize operations in the Library. Coupled with "1" above, this could ruin a lot of photos. There's an option to write new filenames appending "Large Web" or somesuch to the newly sized files rather than overwriting with the original filename. That puts two versions of the file into the directory in different sizes...and saves the original.

3. Rename, file format conversion, and resize are all separate operations. It would be much more convenient to be able to do this and export to a new directory in one step.

4. Rename operation only works inside directory where files are located. No export of files to another directory, preserving the originals within the rename operation. You've got to copy them to another directory first. There is an option to copy to a new directory from the main 'File' Menu.

5. You double click an image to bring it up fullscreen, but double-clicking again does nothing. You've got to press [ESC] to get out of it. Really irritating, two handed technique.

6. Double-clicking on the images in the Library brings them up full-screen. Microsoft apparently doesn't think anyone should be using dual-monitors. The software overrides display adaptors specifically designed to handle this behavior and plunks the image down smack center across the two monitors. Irritating. You can't size the display...it's fullscreen or nothing.

The image editing software is clearly designed for the "Auto" adjust features that will serve most casual users very well.

CONCLUSION

We should note that the only reason we purchased this keyboard was that we needed one and it was on sale at Costco for $70. The "Imaging" aspect of this product wasn't even a consideration.

Having said that, we find it to be a bonus when using the software in combination with this keyboard. Still, no one should rush out and buy this keyboard for the free $49.95 image software and its capabilities. Convenient, yes. Essential, no.

Google's free Picasa2 software has similar features and is somewhat less complicated. Each of the programs has its own advantages/disadvantages. (The Zoom lever doesn't work inside Picasa2, acting as a scrolling tool instead!)

But considering the target audience, it can be argued that Microsoft Digital Image is a strong blend of simplicity and power.

Ask yourself this:

"Would I want to talk Aunt Martha through Photoshop on the telephone?"

We prefer wireless keyboard/mouse combinations for the ease of movement it gives us on the desktop. We've already got too many wires around this place. An optical mouse is, of course, an essential for its performance advantage.

Microsoft's Wireless Optical (Photo) Desktop 5000 is an attractive, comfortable solution. This is the best Microsoft keyboard we've ever used.

The padded leatherette wrist-rest at the base of the keypad is very nice. Much, much nicer than the plastic ones that have shipped on just abou every model in recent years. We'll watch to see how it weathers heavy use in the coming months.

Finally, this keyboard is a delightful mix of black and silver with a tasty flair of metallic blue thrown into the mix.

The keyboard neither skimps on the number of keys for you to cutomize or overburdens the layout with useless keys like "Shopping" or "WebCam."

Smooth, sleek and responsive...this Keyboard/Mouse combination is a winner. And if it helps Aunt Martha sort through all of our photos and get them e-mailed out on a regular basis, it will become a welcome part of the family.

APPENDIX

Removing Logitech Mouseware

It's not in the skimpy "Getting Started" manual, but you absolutely, positively have to remove other Mouseware programs before you can install the IntelliType and IntelliPoint software/drivers for this desktop.

First, try going to the Control Panel in Windows XP and select Add or Remove Programs. (Start--> Conrol Panel --> Add or Remove Programs)

When the list of installed programs loads in the window, scroll down to Logitech.

Click on "Remove" and see if that will remove your Logitech Mouseware. You will reboot the computer as a part of this process.

Re-check the "Add or Remove Programs" list to see if it has really been removed from the system. If it has, consider yourself fortunate and proceed with the Microsoft Software installation from the supplied disks.

If it's still there, or if Microsoft still refuses to install, brace yourself for a journey into the Computer Registry.

You can seriously damage your computer installation if you don't follow these instructions carefully. It is absolutely essential to back up the registry BEFORE you delete any files!

This was found on the Logitech User Forums, we used it and it works!

1. Start regedit from the Start --> Run window. Just type "regedit" (without the quotes) in the entry box.

2. Highlight "My Computer" on the left pane at the top

3. Select 'File' and 'Export' from the menu across the top and back up the entry registry. Again, backing up your registry is VITAL. If you make a mistake in the following process, you can always go back to "regedit" and "Import" the backup you saved here!

4. Press Ctrl-F and search for "mouseware"

5. Look at the very bottom of the window and keep pressing F3 going through all the different pointers until you get to this one:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Cursors\Schemes

6. Delete the values on the RIGHT pane that corresponds to Logitech mouse pointers...just highlight and press Delete.

7. Continue to Press F3 until you see the uninstall info of Logitech in the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{5809E7CF-4DCF-11D4-9875-00105ACE7734}

8. Make sure the value of Display Name is "Logitech MouseWare 9.xx" and delete the key on the LEFT pane:

{5809E7CF-4DCF-11D4-9875-00105ACE7734}

That's it. Now all the references to those non-existent pointers are gone and MouseWare no longer shows up on the Add/Remove Programs list.