Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer with Fingerprint Reader – Customer Reviews
Nifty gadget w/excellent mouse
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First off, let me say that the price is more than worth it just for the mouse (I got mine for about $35).It has side scrolling, which was new for me, and really nice.The other great thing are the programmable thumb-side buttons, which I have set for Back/Forward--really handy for web surfing.It's a comfortable fit for the average hand.The only weird part, if you're used to an older scrolling mouse, is that the scroll button scrolles smooth (no bumps as you move the wheel), which is something I'll have to get used to. Overall, a great mouse.
As for the fingerprint reader, I think it's a big help.There are plenty of password sites that I rarely use and have a difficult time remembering the password/username for.The reader is great for those, along with other unimportant sites (NOT for sites that require better security measures, i.e. sites that do financial transactions, bank, etc.)While it is a great time saver, there are a couple of downsides:
1) If you forget your password(s) and the reader malfunctions somewhere down the road, I hope you have a REALLY good memory.
2) It only works for Internet Explorer, so all you Firefox, Opera, Safari, Netscape, etc. users are out of luck.
On the whole, the package is a great deal, if you can find it near the price I did.2/16/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:
Might crash your system
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Mouse functioned properly, however, soon after installation, my computer would crash upon attempt to shut system down. Mouse and biometric device have their own software. Removed biometric device software, no more crashes. Conversed with Microsoft Tec. (polite fellow from India). His help consisted of nothing more than reading from the manual that came with product. Suspected biometric device was defective. Tried new device. Same system crashes. Software conflict issues confirmed.Purchase with caution if you are a windows XP user.
10/29/2005 12:00 AM | Rating:
Pretty cool
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I am just an average user, I check my email and casually surf. I probably average an hour or two a day and I think this thing is super! I got it so I could monitor my child's (15 year old) computer and internet use use. She was getting pretty good at figuring out my passwords. Another plus is I don't have to type in my passwords all the time to sites I visit regularly (i.e. shopping sites, my email,...etc.). Although I have several people in the household it recognizes each one, logging only them in to their individual identities. For the price it is a really handy thing. The one drawback which is really trivial is that sometimes I have to try it a couple times for it to correctly recognize my print, but that is only a couple of extra seconds, compared to having to type my info in every time. All in all I think it was definately worth the money!
10/24/2005 12:00 AM | Rating:
Good But For Two Problems
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The Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer with Fingerprint Reader would truly be a 5 star product if it didn't have a serious problem.
The problem is that using the wheel button (with the setting changed so that its function is to close open windows) works erratically and does not work with all windows, especially Microsoft Office windows. It does seem to always work right with windows that are part of the core Windows XP operating system (and not a program that is run, such as Internet Explorer).
I bought it to replace a Logitech wireless mouse and the wheel button on it always worked without a problem and it worked with all windows. I figure this might be a software problem that Microsoft will eventually correct. If Logitech can do it right, why can't Microsoft?
It might appear to be a hardware problem because Microsoft has a tilt wheel for horizontal scrolling but even with horizontal scrolling turned off the wheel button did not work right. Also, sometimes it works after several tries, with the wheel tilted differently. A hardware problem is less likely, as the wheel button works reliably with Operating System windows (that do not have scroll bars).
Also, I happened to know, by way of using a trial of Norton's Password Manager, that software that supplies logon information does not work if the URL of the logon page is not constant. (Many are not, as they have something at the end that changes.) You can't use the finger print reader to logon to these sites.
Norton was honest about it and suggested that there might someday be a software fix in their program. Had I not known this, I would have been more upset about having bought this Microsoft product, as nothing was said about this. I expect, like with so much of their stuff, Microsoft will eventually fix this problem, too.
When these problems are fixed, this hardware would definitely get 5 stars, as everything else works well.9/26/2005 12:00 AM | Rating:
PIECE OF JUNK!!
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This thing is a complete piece of junk and waste of time.Like most of the other reviewers the thing worked fine initially. But now after a week's use, when it scans my finger print, a pop up menu appears.Go figure!No support available.Just a piece of overpriced junk and waste of time.Do yourself a favor and pass on this. Microsoft consistantly gets away with selling error/bug loaded products, it's time we hold them to a higher standard!!
9/22/2005 12:00 AM | Rating: