I mentioned the calculator button above, and this is used not to launch the Windows calculator but instead to use the built-in calculator of the MX 5000. While at first, this may not seem like much of an addition, considering you can pick up a basic calculator at the corner store for less than $5 that will do the same functions as the one built in to the MX 5000, it turns out to be quite useful, especially if you're in a job where you're working with numbers a lot. Not only the MX 5000 provide a calculator that can't be lost and doesn't take time to find, but the result of your calculation can be automatically copied to the clipboard every time you hit "Enter" or "equals". This is quite handy if you need to make a quick calculation for something. The numpad provides a natural input for the calculator.

Moving on to the mouse, you may realize that it's basically the same as the MX 1000 mouse, save for the fact that it now operates with Bluetooth and has been slightly re-colored to match the keyboard. Indeed, the design is identical, from the shape to the buttons and features. Using the MX Laser Engine but featuring a resolution of 800-dpi, the MX 1000 may seem a far cry from today's 2000-dpi gaming mice, but it would be hard to be disappointed in its features.

Scrolling in all directions.

3 thumb buttons.

Side grips extend all around.

For right-ies only.

The shape forms a very comfortable design, if used by your right hand. Side grips extend all the way around and are contoured for comfortable placement of your thumb and fingers when you hold this mouse. The mouse provides more support for your hand than a regular mouse and as a result feels fuller. Left-handed users are unfortunately, out of luck.

This mouse is also relatively big, so some may find it heavier than a run-of-the-mill corded one; however, I found it to be lighter than most cordless mice. This is due to the Li-Ion rechargeable battery within; it may need to be charged prior to turning on the mouse for its first use.

A full charge took only 3-4 hours; three LEDs on the mouse indicated the battery level and will tell you the mouse is in need of a recharge. While the internal battery makes things a lot easier, unfortunately it seems as if it will be quite hard to replace when its time is up.

The mouse has a total of 8 programmable buttons, plus the tilt-wheel that also allows for side-to-side scrolling. This should be more than enough for any user, especially if one is coming from the standard wheel mouse.

The three thumb buttons can be quite useful; two are for forward/back functions, helpful browsing websites, and one is for application switching, similar to Alt-Tab in that when it is pressed, a menu pops up allowing you to bring any open application to the foreground.

The tilt-wheel was nice, but the cruise-control buttons below and above it were less so, since they basically do what the scroll wheel already does well. Furthermore, it was tricky to reach the upper cruise control wheel.

Bottom.

Recharger.

In recharger.

AC adapter.

The mouse's feet made it glide quite effortlessly over most any surface. When used with a smooth surface or mousepad, friction will be next to zero. The bottom also shows the re-charger contacts, and the on/off switch that can be used if you want to save power if you're going to be away from your PC for a long time - the keyboard also has such a switch. (For most of us, this will not occur) The mouse fits nicely into the re-charger, which this time is separate from the receiver. A small AC adapter connects it to your power bar, and unfortunately, this AC adapter is like most others in that it will probably block off an adjacent outlet. The LEDs on the mouse flash upwards when the mouse is being recharged and are solid green when it's fully charged.

BT mini-receiver.

Has one button.

The whole setup.

The Bluetooth receiver is a small USB device that resembles a USB data-key. It is featureless, save for a small connect button on the underside, and plugs neatly into a USB port, and shouldn't block ports above or below it. However, ports to the left or right of it may be blocked off. It's an elegant receiver and works well, especially with laptops.