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RUNTZ · Jan 6, 2002, 09:45 PM

I was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback on the MS Intelli Mouse optical? Today I used one for Windoze and was very impressed. How well does it work with Mac? how many different functions are there for each botton to do? On PC there was like 20 possible functions such as copy paste back forward. Are all of those on the mac version. Also, on the mac version can you have preferences per application like the PC version?

Thanks,

Kelby

LeeG · Jan 6, 2002, 10:44 PM

I've used the optical intellimouse explorer for over 1 year now on the mac - and it rocks. I really love the mouse, unfortunately X drivers aren't around - YET, so all you can do is right/left click and scroll, no forward/back copy paste yet in X - but it works like a charm in 9- I highly recommend-

Lee

ericwass · Jan 6, 2002, 10:45 PM

What you want is the MS Intellimouse Explorer for mac. There are 5 buttons including a scroll wheel. All are customizable using software you download from MS. However, I recommend USB Overdrive, a piece of shareware that works better. It's available at usboverdrive.com

Be aware neither the MS software, nor USB overdrive support the mouse in OS X and many non-cocoa apps. won't respond to even the scroll wheel.

RealMac · Jan 7, 2002, 09:53 AM

I've been using a Microsoft Intellimouse Optical USB for over a year now. A few months ago, it started acting up (bad cable) so after hours of looking, I found a number to call given to me by Shawn King of 'The Mac Show'. Gave the tech support guy my serial and product number, then told him how long ago I purchased it and they sent a new one. Coincidentally, I had purchased an apple pro mouse from eBay with an annoying scratch on the top just a few weeks earlier..

Great mouse, a lot of buttons. Microsoft hasn't released OSX drives for it though. I've been hearing that it will be a month or so before this occurs from a guy who works at MS. Not his department though, so I could be wrong.
[/LIST]

iNeusch · Jan 7, 2002, 10:03 AM

NEEDS DRIVERS FOR X!!!

lucylawless · Jan 7, 2002, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by ericwass:
What you want is the MS Intellimouse Explorer for mac. There are 5 buttons including a scroll wheel. All are customizable using software you download from MS. However, I recommend USB Overdrive, a piece of shareware that works better. It's available at usboverdrive.com

Be aware neither the MS software, nor USB overdrive support the mouse in OS X and many non-cocoa apps. won't respond to even the scroll wheel.

the lower end version now also has 5 buttons, and it's symmetrical for those lefties out there. it is white, with dark grey buttons. I have had one for about a year, and I think it may be starting to send double-click signals instead of single clicks. This happens to me in OS 9, OS X and Win2k, but I haven't ruled out a finger spasm or some other PEBKAC (problem exists between keyboard and chair).

also of note: I originally bought an intellimouse optical when it only had 3 buttons. That mouse suddenly went dead one day, and MS sent me a new one (with two extra buttons, since the model I had bought was out of production), no questions asked. I was on hold for hours, though...

Jansar · Jan 7, 2002, 04:00 PM

Actually, it really does not matter if the mouse is "PC" or "Mac" or whatever. As long as it has a USB port, it will work. My PC friend gave me his, and it works really nice. Listening to the previous posters above, again if you want to use it in X, Microsoft needs to get on the ball to start producing drivers for it.

xyber233 · Jan 7, 2002, 05:59 PM

It is a very nice mouse. I bought a kensington because it was the same as one of the microsoft mice but it was a lot cheaper. I think I might buy the new Optical wireless mouse. That is SSSSOOOOOO comfortable.

Jan 7, 2002, 06:35 PM

Anyone know when Microsoft will release a driver for our beloved Intellimouse Explorer?

zac4mac · Jan 8, 2002, 08:01 AM

I called M$ a couple of weeks ago and was BS'd about a release date. Will try again, but it's a real frustration. Works GREAT in OS 9.
My Explorer died last week, wire in the cable broke. I took advantage and shortened the cord to about 1/2m. I like it better now without that extra 1.5m strewn around my desk.

alien · Jan 8, 2002, 07:48 PM

I really like my Intellimouse Optical, even matches the iBook. Like others have said already, there are no OS X drivers yet. The Explorer mouse is bigger, too big I found (and I don't have very small hands).

On the driver issue, if I remember correctly, MS licenced USB Overdrive as the basis for their driver. This is what the author says:

Please note that the Mac OS X version of the USB Overdrive is not ready yet, but rest assured that I'm working hard on it. Stay tuned.

He is also working on MS USB Keyboard drivers.

zac4mac · Jan 8, 2002, 09:08 PM

Cool info, that could explain why the guy at M$ still has no idea when. All he'd say is "soon". Called again today and he was more vague than before and very apologetic. Guess I should call him again and tell him about USB-OD. Thanks.

Zack

Macogenes · Jan 10, 2002, 06:59 PM

I've been using the M$ Intellimouse Explorer since April, when I bought my Mac, and have been fairly satisfied with it.

However, as I've added various goodies onto my computer, I've noticed that the mouse either slows down for a few to 5 minutes, then picks up again, or stays slowed until restarting. I've tried all sorts of things to isolate the problem, but in vain. Very annoying. I am now trying USBOverdrive's drivers instead of M$'s, and so far so good.

Still, I don't want to be overly critical. Like I said, generally I'm satisfied with the mouse: it looks cool, feels good--and, I hate to say it, have always been fond of the left-right click thing, formerly the domain of PCs. And, of course, as a Mac user, I love options!

I'd say the M$ Intellimouse Explorer is worth the money, although you may want to wait if you're running OS X.

Anyway, since I've brought the issue up, has anyone else had similar problems?

I'm running a G4 533mhz (Digital Audio) under OS 9.2.1.

-Macogenes

seanyepez · Jan 10, 2002, 07:07 PM

I wouldn't buy an IntelliMouse Optical. Instead, I would buy the brand-new IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 that refreshes 6,000 times per second as opposed to 1,500 on the Optical. It's the ideal gaming mouse, and it doesn't suffer from the skipping issues encountered on older optical mice.

The Logitech mice aren't bad, either. I highly recommend the MouseMan Dual Optical, and the Wheel Mouse Optical Special Edition (red) is a wonderful optical mouse for left-handed people or gamers who prefer a more nimble, lightweight mouse.

Max8319 · Jan 10, 2002, 09:24 PM

on a side note:

i got one of the wireless optical MS mouse. sooo comfortable, BUT

the tracking isn't too good. it doesn't follow one for one when i move the mouse. it jumps and hesitates a little. i'm returning it and looking for a new mouse. if i can't find one, then i'll just stick with my trusty logitech optical mouseman wheel etc (the blue one).

zac4mac · Jan 23, 2002, 10:23 PM

OK, I told y'all to pester the hell out of M$ -

Just checked my e-mail and the guy I've been talking to on the phone sent me the Beta driver. It's loaded and working just like the CP in OS 9. Seems stable, sure is good to get my buttons and cursor speed in OS X up to OS 9 standards. The cursor seems jerky but I haven't tried to tune the speed yet.

As good as this looks, I'd sure think the release version will be out soon. Wish I could post the driver, but while loading it I couldn't miss the big "Do no distribute, non-public Beta"
http://homepage.mac.com/zac4mac/.Public/Xmouse.tiff http://homepage.mac.com/zac4mac/.Public/Xmouse2.tiff - big 1.8MB screen grabs from X
http://homepage.mac.com/zac4mac/.Public/Xmouse.jpg - small, 19k

[ 01-24-2002: Message edited by: zac4mac ]

xyber233 · Jan 24, 2002, 08:47 AM

Anyone have Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer? How is it?

erwagner · Jan 24, 2002, 03:53 PM

Intellimouse explorer is great, back and forward buttons are great for surfing, however the wheel scroll isn't as smooth as a PC and the click and scroll with the wheel is way worse than the PC. Which is a shame cause I use it in Word a lot at work.

Still I got it for Unreal. Didn't want to bash my Apple Pro...

zac4mac · Jan 25, 2002, 08:55 PM

Just talked to Steve at M$ and he said they could use some more beta testers for the driver.

If any of y'all are interested, drop me a line and I'll pass on your e-mail addy.

As far as the jerky scrolling goes, check the control Panel and make sure it's set for one-line at a time. Default is 3.

I'm getting real close to a complete move to OS X now. Classic is looking more and more like the Sunday funnies.

Zack

-Q- · Jan 25, 2002, 09:11 PM

Originally posted by zac4mac:
Just talked to Steve at M$ and he said they could use some more beta testers for the driver.

If any of y'all are interested, drop me a line and I'll pass on your e-mail addy.

Zack

You've been emailed. :-)

mgl · Jan 27, 2002, 09:05 AM

I have 3 Intellimouse Opticals, one at home on a PC, one I travel with for my iBook, and a third at work for my PowerMac. I love them. I prefer the Intellimouse Optical over the Explorer because it fits better in my hands and because it better for lefties. I'm not a leftie, but I share my home computer with one.

You can compare the entire family of MS mice here: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouse/grid.asp

Note that you can use your MS mouse with OS X, you just don't get all of the features. That's okay with me because the first thing I'll do when the driver arrives is disable the left and right side buttons. They are poorly positioned and I click them by mistake too often. (They do work inside IE5.1 in OS X without the driver unfortunately.)

Mike

rambo47 · Jan 27, 2002, 11:43 AM

I'm using the Logitech Scroll Wheel Optical mouse and the thing works in OS X right out of the box. Couldn't live without my scroll wheel, and setting the right button to control-click is a thing of beauty.

lucylawless · Jan 27, 2002, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by mgl:
(They do work inside IE5.1 in OS X without the driver unfortunately.)

Mike

Mine Don't! you want to trade computers?!

zac4mac · Jan 27, 2002, 10:37 PM

Today, while playing with OS X, I managed to lose all my mail since Dec 05.

I forwarded the first 3 replies I got Friday already.
Had 4 ready to go this evening but they are gone. I got two today, from Brian and Adam.
If you e-mailed me Saturday, please re-send if you don't get a reply from me that your info was forwarded.
I'll send them in tomorrow, I also lost Steve's e-mail, but have his phone no.

The buttons programmed just like in OS 9 but the cursor is quite jerky. It helps some to turn off the "snap-to" feature.

ebow · Jan 29, 2002, 12:20 AM

Originally posted by xyber233:
Anyone have Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer? How is it?

Yeah, I've been using a Wireless Intellimouse Explorer for almost a month now. It works fairly well... Tracking is about on-par with Apple's Pro Mouse. There's a tiny but noticeable bit of a lag from the instant you start moving the mouse to when you see the movement, but I've heard that's the case with all wireless mice.

The scroll *button* never works (for any app), nor do the 4th and 5th buttons. Buttons 1 and 2 work in all apps, even Classic. The scroll wheel works in many apps, but certainly not all, and not at all in Classic.

The scroll wheel doesn't always "take" in apps where it normally works, meaning that sometimes I'll have to scroll several clicks before getting anything to happen. Finally, the button sometimes "lets go" on its own, meaning that if I've clicked-and-held, and am moving the mouse, the system might register a button release in the middle of moving. That's the most annoying thing about the mouse. It might be situational: it could be not-quite-fresh batteries, though tracking seems just fine; it could also be interference between the mouse and the receive (cell phone, thin metal stand, etc).

So to wrap up a long answer to a short question, it works fairly well for me. I don't do much gaming, so tracking and very slight lag aren't an issue. The limited button support gives more functionality than I had with the Pro Mouse and should only improve with drivers. The hiccups in signal (or whatever causes the unintended mouseups) are the biggest irritant, but I still find the freedom from a wire to be worth the annoyance.

[ 01-29-2002: Message edited by: ebow ]