Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000

This is a great set, well-priced in this category. The construction of the keyboard and mouse is great, and the blue LED mouse (the mouse is a class 1 LED) is my all-time favorite. I actually had the Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000 before this, but the USB transmitter broke. This is definitely the Achilles' heel of these sets. Although the transmitters are nicely compact, they are, in my opinion, fragile. DO NOT DAMAGE THE TRANSMITTER. There is NO REPLACING IT. Somehow, these transmitters are married to the set with which they come. This means there is no replacement part; I've looked, A LOT. If you're using this in a desktop application, you will (probably) not find the transmitter easily damaged. One of my favorite things about this set is the great range. I like to hook my laptop to my TV and utilize its HDMI output for movies and surfing the internet on the TV. I've never really tested the range, but I can definitely say it's around the range of an Xbox 360 controller (if that helps). Additionally, since it's not infrared, you don't need a clear line of sight to the transmitter. So, you can hide the transmitter on a back port of a desktop; or, use the mouse under covers as you control your computer, and meanwhile view it all via your TV. Anyway, you can tell I enjoy this set, and I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a new keyboard and mouse. (in spite of said transmitter fragility). Last, the battery life is AWESOME. It seems pretty rare that I have to replace the batteries in either the keyboard or the mouse. Also, they let you know when the batteries are dying by slowly pulsing a red led in an unobtrusive way and place. I think it's a great purchase for home or office, and it would make a great gift. Enjoy what may be the best mouse you've ever owned! (And a great keyboard, too!) EDIT: I originally stated that the mouse was a class 1 laser product; this was incorrect. It is a class 1 LED product. My apologies.

I purchased the MS Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 to replace an older MS Wireless Laser Keyboard 6000 v2 that was seeing quite a bit of wear and whose right mouse button had stopped working after about 2 years. I enjoy the slight curve that Microsoft used on both models but I prefer the key response and overall feel of the new 5000. The only problem I have with the keyboard is the very small and recessed function and Esc. keys. I have no idea why most new keyboards are going to this smaller style of function keys but I wish they'd rethink it as it slows me down a bit. I do a decent amount of [esc] + [special character] functions as a UNIX systems administrator and this keyboard took some getting use to. The mouse is just average. It works well, but since it is ambidextrous it is not the most comfortable mouse ever. It does track and respond well which is probably more important. I have had no issues with the wireless response of this desktop set, but I never move them more than 3 or 4 feet from the transmitter. For reference, I use this desktop set for work only, so no gaming stats from me. I have a G15 and G500 at home for that purpose. Oh yeah. I should also mention that the first desktop set I received from Amazon had a faulty mouse wheel. Amazon's RMA policy is very good however, and they shipped me a new set and a pre-paid return shipping label at no charge.

In short, this is a great keyboard and mouse combo for those who are looking for something to use with a mainstream desktop system or with their laptop and a docking station. Here is the list of pros and cons I can think of after using it for a good period of time. (+) Good wireless reception: I don't notice any delay or drop in typing and moving my mouse curser at all. (+) It only needs one USB port to work. This might not seem to be a big plus but hey, it helps me eliminate the need for USB hub. (+) Solid construction: admittedly, I already spilled my coffee all over the keyboard and to my surprise. I was able to "gently" run water and wash off the coffee completely. I'm absolutely impressed by this. It's well designed and well made. (+) Programmable hotkeys and easy installation software: it's from Microsoft so even without the software, it will work right off the box. However, I really recommend go to Microsoft hardware website and download the latest intellipoint, type software so you can take advantage of all the feature it has to offer. (+) As advertised, comfort: I don't have any problem at all adjusting to the curvy keyboard even if this is my first time using it. The keyboard, the mouse and the feel makes me wanna type up the storm! (=) I'd give this a plus but it's really up to your preference. The keyboard has a desktop feel keystroke. The feel is a lot lighter and softer than many other keyboard in the market which I really like, but it still isn't as light as those scissor laptop keyboard. (+) Update 4/23/10 it can be used with rechargable NIMH batteries. Another plus for it. Also, the batteries that come with the set only last one single month. That was quite a surprise considering the spec said 6 months lol but again, I'm a heavy user, I play games with it, and I use it 10+ hours per day. (-) And here is why I knock one star off instead of giving it a perfect 5 stars. The bluetrack system in the mouse is really a disappointment. May be I was expecting too much since it's not a gaming mouse afterall. Microsoft really promote it "as if" it's even better than laser mouse. It isn't. Even at max speed or dpi, it is still slower than my logitech or microsoft arc laser mouse. It's noticeable but not an issue for any application save for a really fast FPS game. In conclusion, for $60 or so, a very good product, virtually no problem to set up and use, I strongly recommend it.

I know that Microsoft gets a LOT of things wrong and even I'm surprised to find times when Microsoft gets things right, so I'm pleasantly surprised that Microsoft got the Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 RIGHT! This is actually the 2nd Wireless Comfort 5000 that I've purchased and this one is for my Angel who needed a Wireless Keyboard for her Laptop that is now sitting 8 feet away connected to the 55" LED HDTV from Samsung. Of course, after two weeks of using her new keyboard, she wonders how she ever got along without this Wireless Keyboard before now! My Comfort Desktop 5000 is 8 years old now and STILL running as good as the day I unpacked it. I know some people won't believe me, but I strongly recommend the Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000, it may actually be your first Microsoft product you like ;) I didn't forget about the Blu Laser Mouse either, just wanted to save an area for itself. My Angel and I are both stricken with Disabilities that have gone so far that we are confined to a Recliner or Craftmatic Bed for the majority of our days and nights. I'm not looking for sympathy here, but wanted everyone to understand why I say the Microsoft Blu Laser Mouse are the single best Mouse product out there. Because I sit in a Recliner all day long, there's not a lot of room available and you have to live with the room you do have. The Keyboard takes up my lap, so my Mouse sits on the Recliner Armrest and works as well as any other Mouse Products out there, and I'll be willing to say this Mouse does a hundred times better job then ANY Mouse products out there today. The idea that you can put your Mouse on your Recliner Armrest and get precision movement and accuracy is one more thing that Microsoft did right. I find it amazing that a great product like the Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000, with the Blu Laser Mouse, gets no love from it's own maker, Microsoft. The people in advertising apparently haven't used or heard of this product, but if I were able to work in the Advertising Department of Microsoft, I would have a year round Campaign to sell these two items. Show the people that Microsoft can get things right! If I were the CEO of Microsoft, my Yearly Goal would be to have a Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000, with Blu Laser Mouse, in everyone's home and one in the pot to boot! YAY Microsoft, you got this right, now let's take this momentum and carry it to the Operating Systems! Watch out Windows8, Windows9.5 is going to be the most amazing OS ever seen by man! OK, maybe I got a little carried away, but who knows, it could happen.

I used a wireless 4000 for years and liked it. When my mouse finally bit the dust I decided to replace it and the keyboard with the 5000. It took me over 3 hours to get the drivers installed. I installed, got errors, uninstalled, rebooted -- repeatedly. Then I installed it on another computer and it installed instantly. Both computers are Windows 7 SP1. Back to my primary computer, I decided to install IntelliType first. That finally installed successfully, so I next tried the Mouse and Keyboard Center 2.3. It failed again, but now my keyboard and mouse work. I like the keyboard. The touch is quite nice and it's pretty quiet. The keys are laid out with the same curve as the 4000, which I like, but the Escape and Delete keys are the same size as all the others and hard to hit without looking. As others have noted, I can only guess at what some of the keys do. The mouse is quite a bit wider than the 4000. At first use, it's not as comfortable. I'll get used to it once I find a surface it likes. It seems to prefer slippery surfaces to old-style mouse pads. What took me 3 hours? All that installing and uninstalling took time. As did the searching for answers to the problem. I can report that the problems I had have been widely reported. And the solutions are all similar to mine. Just keep at it, in various order, and eventually your computer will succumb and install the drivers. Edited to add on 10/15/2016: In April of this year I decided I wanted a wireless keyboard at home, so I purchased another 5000. It installed immediately and worked well until last night, courtesy of my dog. Long story short, the dongle no longer works. That's when I learned that Microsoft doesn't sell a replacement dongle and other dongles don't work. I went out this morning and bought a Logitech. I've used and like Logitech mice in the past and I knew the Logitech dongle is small. The Microsoft dongle is long enough that it was constantly being bumped by my dog. That won't happen with the Logitech dongle. The old 5000 will go into the office, where dogs aren't allowed, as a backup.

I LOVE this set. Seriously awesome keyboard. It's super comfortable I forget I'm using it. I'm also long past the days of burning my palms on the cramped palm rest of my laptop which only overheated it further. The palm rest of the keyboard is plastic, in case that's not obvious from the picture, I thought it was cloth at first. It's very easy to clean and in the same vein, it gets greasy or dirty from sweat/food, so it does require some upkeep. It has more "hot keys" you could ever use, I don't even use any of them, except for the volume control (+/-, mute) and the calculator but it has other endless options so that you don't have to make too many clicks to get simple things such as emails done. The mouse is not as bad as some people have made it out to be. Yes, it's not the most advanced or ergonomically designed, but it is comfortable and gets the job done no problem. If you need any more precision, shell out the big bucks for a gaming mouse, otherwise this is perfectly acceptable for average Photoshop and video/audio editing work use among other things. The mouse and keyboard both run on AA batteries. The wireless adapter is a small piece of plastic that tucks into the underside of the mouse when not being used (very convenient because it is easy to lose as it is small and dark colored). It is plug and play, so set up is very quick and I have not had any problems with the wireless connection, the mouse and keyboard never 'disappear' on the computer unless they are low on battery.

As a disclaimer, my computer keyboard (KB) needs are modest and certainly undemanding unlike many sophisticated users. I need a KB that can keep up with my slug speed: This 5000 fully exceeds my needs. I want a comfortable place to rest my palms when typing long documents: Thanks, 5000. You, again, excel. In fact, I have almost nothing but positives for this device and its companion mouse with a few exceptions. The keyboard does not light up. That could be altered with one that makes for a cost that would more than double the cost. I supplement my KB with a small 14 LED desk lamp and my problem is solved. The KB's internal LED that lights up when it is battery changing time could be better in terms of notification; however, when the key is struck and nothing happens, there is a 98% chance that it is due to insufficient power coming out of the batteries. I keep 4 AA batteries on the desk, behind the KB just for that purpose - 2 for the KB and the other 2 for the mouse. Finally, the white characters have a propensity to disappear due to repeated striking. My E and D left several months ago and the A is on its way. The characters are just stamped on and not even indented. That too is O.K. Shucks I learned where those letters were in 1956 and have not forgotten them yet. I try to clean the mouse and KB with a small headed vacuum attachment, a stiff bristle brush and an old toothbrush. The first one I bought bit the dust when I was not paying attention to its placement on the floor and stepped on it with my clunkers and 250# of 'gotta go.'

I'm a fan of Microsoft's Comfort Curve design and have been using the Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 (Wireless Laser Keyboard 6000 v2 & Wireless Laser Mouse 6000) for a few years. My kbd has been giving me trouble for a while (some keys skipping unless punched really hard); after some research, I decided to stick with Comfort Curve design and get Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000, since the kbd is smaller in width. That was a mistake; I could not survive a single day with the new hardware; here's why: 1- The Esc key & the Function keys are very small; consequently, their labels are also small; AND the keys are equally spaced, not in banks of F1-F4, F5-F8, F9-F12. I consider this a design fault. Why design engineers would do this is beyond me. 2- There is a noticeable lag between typing and the letters appearing; most importantly, when the computer starts and the login screen appears, I had to wait a while before the typing on the kbd was recognized. If I started typig right away, nothing would happen. It was as if the software took some time before recognizing the kbd. That was really awful. 3- I knew I really liked my Laser 6000 mouse, but it was when I started using this mouse that I realized how much I LOVED my laser mouse. This mouse is much heavier, much less precise, and shows erratic behavior from time to time. In half an hour, my arm started feeling sore. That was the real deal breaker. I'm going back to the Laser 6000 mouse. Those who give this set high marks have simply not tried Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000. I have ordered Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 v3, the newer version of my existing set. I only hope that the newer version is better or at least the same quality as the older one. Though I think that the hardware should be more durable and therefore last longer, I like comfort curve design enough to stick with it for now.

Nice keyboard and mice and really comfortable. A pair of duracell batteries last around 3 months for each of the device. I would say little power hungry (reason i removed one star) apart from that everything is good.

Overall It's a good product.it's finishing is super. keyboard: 'esc key and function keys' are two small if we compare with other keys.that is very difficult use the esc keys. Mouse : I love this product.

Keyboard is perfect. Mouse, on the other hand, is very erratic in behavior. The cursor jumps around randomly sometimes, and the cursor movement is non-smooth on some graphic heavy apps (like some games on Steam). I had to get another mouse.. ;( Just FYI, this is the behavior I'm experiencing on a Mac Book Pro (OS 10.9).

Besides the 'small' escape key, the keyboard and mouse is really good.