Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 7000

List Price: $129.99 Discount Price: $104.64

Features:

• computer and laptop
• input devices
• mice

Customer Reviews:

Very Stylish, Form Fitting, Awesome feel [Posted on 2008-05-01]
I have always used Microsoft peripherals and this one does not disappoint. The keys have a nice feel to them. They don't click loudly and the curve adds to the overall comfort. The keyboard has removable feet that can be moved to the front of the board to raise the front instead of the rear or removed completely for a low-profile thin keyboard.

The mouse is spectacular. It has a little LED in the middle of the mouse indicating if the power is low. It runs on a single AAA battery, but it is rechargeable and comes with its own convenient charging base. The form of the mouse is unlike I have ever felt. In my opinion, it is the best one yet.

My only complaints regarding this board is that it didn't come shipped with any protective film on the board. I had a couple of stray scratches, fingerprints, and some stray glue on the beautiful finish of the board. It has a very cool looking smokey/clear border which may be hard to keep clean and may scratch easily. Regardless this is a great piece for the style conscious who also want function.

*EDIT: In response to a review about the missing "sleep button" and log off button compared to other models, yes it can be an issue. The good news is that shortcut keys can be reassigned with the keyboard software. For instance: I don't plan on using the internet call button, so I assigned it to be a log off button instead. I use iTunes more than WM Player, so the media button launches iTunes. Definitely an inconvenience for the power users. For the average user, this keyboard has tons of extra buttons.

Best Keyboard Yet!!! [Posted on 2008-05-09]
I have a long history with keyboards (Logitec and Microsoft). Mavis Beacon rates me at 175wpm so keyboards don't usually last too long with me. My last keyboard was the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment 7000 keyboard (still working after 1+ years). I was debating getting the Wireless Entertainment 8000 but this keyboard was over $100 cheaper. Yes, I am using this keyboard (Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 7000) to write this review right now (I bought 2, one for work and one for home).

Upon opening the package I put the batteries in and plugged in the USB bluetooth toggle and hit the connect buttons. There were no flashing lights that I could see on the mouse/keyboard but 5 seconds later everything connected without installing any software. Talk about getting that perfect, being able to connect on the very first try!

This keyboard is beautiful... I love the keys as they are not easily scratched. The windows key is in the right place and it has a numberkey pad! The mouse is incredibly light (with one battery) and feels great in the hand, almost 100% natural. There is no keypress lag on the keyboard however the mouse is not as sharp as my Microsoft Habu gaming mouse (to be expected). I've gotten 175+wpm on Mavis Beacon so lag annoys the heck out of me. None here!

The Aero design is really cool, just like Windows Vista. However it is EASILY scratched. One thing I like is that the keys are not glossy and easily scratched like they are on the Entertainment 7000 desktop. This keyboard has the same ergonomic curve as the Entertainment 7000 so if you are coming from that keyboard like I am you'll be right at home. I did put on the keyboard risers in back and it feels great (the Entertainment 7000 was a too little flat for me).

For the price, I definitely recommend this keyboard over the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment 8000 ($243!!) and definitely over the Microsoft WE 7000 as this keyboard has a nicer mouse and a numberkey pad AND the Windows Key is in the right place (between Ctrl and Alt).

I definitely recommend this keyboard to anyone looking for a perfect keyboard for work/home. I rate this higher than the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment 7000. Very nice Microsoft!

Awsome Keyboard and Mouse [Posted on 2008-05-10]
Great keyboard and mouse. Only problem I have with it is the trim came all scratched up right out of the box. Keys are all quite, except for the space bar, which does click on press. Other than that everything works great and I could not be happier. Def recommend.

Very nice, except ... [Posted on 2008-05-14]
I agree with all the other reviews. This is a very nice product. However, for me, there are a couple of minor negatives that I think bear mentioning. First, the escape key and function keys are "chicklet-style" keys, not full size keys. Second, the function keys are not arranged into groups (either 4 groups of 3 or 3 groups of 4 like on most other keyboards I have used in the past 5 years). They are all mooshed together in one long horizontal row. My job involves using applications that have a LOT of function key use and this change is causing me major grief. I might be able to get used to it after a while, but this, combined with the small chicklet keys has made every attempt to press a certain function key an exercise in uncertainty. Finally, there is no "sleep" key on this keyboard. I always put my PC's into sleep mode when I am not using them and not having the sleep key that I had on my previous two keyboards is a minor annoyance. I've looked at some of MS's other keyboard offerings and the Wireless Laser Desktop 3000's keyboard does not have the function key issues this one does. I may pick up one of those too and move this 7000 to another PC that I don't use for work.

Neither as attractive or functional as I expected [Posted on 2008-05-15]
Why is designing a good keyboard seemingly so difficult even with decades of experience? I've favored Microsoft's keyboards because of their good ergonomics and key feel. Microsoft seemed to be putting a lot of effort into the Wireless Laser Desktop 7000. There were some prototype images that got net exposure before the set was officially announced, and once this product was announced it took months before it actually shipped. I figured this may be one of Microsoft's best hardware efforts, but sadly it's not.

First of all, the keyboard isn't as attractive as I thought from the product photos. The smoked transparent plastic perimeter has a warm tint that strikes an off note, particularly next to my cool gray Wacom Intuos tablet and the cool gray and metal colors of various hardware I use. The chrome bands around the keyboard and mouse look like cheesy automotive styling to my eye.

The key feel is better than on many keyboards, but it's not as good I've experience with multiple other Microsoft keyboards I've owned. The missing sleep key is a big disappointment. With other Microsoft keyboards I would set the sleep key to hibernate, and the key could alternately be defined to go to standby or shut down the system. The soft key definitions are not a solution for this missing capability. You can only assign a log off function to a key. And that's all you can do with this function - log off. On a single user system this function is useless and logging off doesn't save power.

The tiny escape key is purely cosmetics over function and the function keys aren't as functional as they should be with their small size and low profile. They're not keys you can get used to finding without looking. The small delete key isn't to my liking, but it's less difficult to adapt to. The three programmable "touch" keys require a firm touch to activate them -- about the kind of pressure you need to activate a bad retail checkout touch pad device. And you're limited to setting these three keys to opening applications -- none of the standard set of soft key functions applies to the touch keys.

I'm not a mouse user and just keep one as backup to my drawing tablet. As Microsoft mice go, I'm not impressed with this one. The shape looks sci-fi and the chrome "fin" edge isn't very pleasing to the touch. I find the location of the two thumb-controlled buttons awkward and it's hard for me to even feel the rear button. The mouse doesn't align easily with the charger's pad. The charging pad takes up as much space as Microsoft's old wireless transmitter modules, but at least with the wireless module you got caps lock and num lock indicators. The charging pad does nothing but charge the mouse.

There are no specific intructions for the keyboard and mouse. Help is generic and describes features across a range of products. I wasn't pressing hard enough on the "touch" keys to activate them, but there's nothing in the help to advise you on how to use these keys.

My verdict is this is an expensive keyboard that's inferior in functionality to far less expensive Microsoft products. I'm tempted to go back to the Logitech Wave wireless keyboard that the Desktop 7000 replaced. The Logitech is better in most regards, but is has a cheap, spongey key feel that's hard to tolerate and most keyboard use is typing.

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