Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500

After their wireless desktop combo we reviewed yesterday, we have yet another mouse from Microsoft's mobile family, the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500. Designed for portability, it's a lot smaller than a desktop mouse but is still very comfortable to use. The Wireless 3500 works on Microsoft's patented BlueTrack technology that works on almost any surface. We tested their BlueTrack mice in the past and were quite impressed with their performance, so this one shouldn't be any different.

Design and Build

The Wireless 3500 has an ambidextrous design, so no favoritism here, as both lefties and righties will easily get accustomed to it. The ergonomics of the mouse is quite good, the left/right buttons and the side where you rest your thumb are depressed slightly so your fingers rest comfortably in the mold. The back is also arched upwards allowing you to rest a part of your palm on it. The black portions of the mouse have a matt finish, while the upper portion has a metallic paint job. The scroll wheel is standard and does not have any extra features like infinite scroll like the one on Logitech mice.

Flipping the mouse over, we see the Wireless 3500 is supported by two large Teflon pads (or at lest they behave like Teflon pads, there's no mention of this on their site though). These mouse feet help make the movement notably smoother as compared to a regular mouse on a desk surface. It's powered by a single AA battery that's included in the bundle. If you use a good Alkaline battery, you can expect up to 8 months of battery life. There's a slot to store the nano receiver and an on/off switch, something that's often neglected in cheaper wireless mice.

Performance

We tested the mouse plugged into a Windows 7 machine. The drivers are automatically installed and the mouse is instantly paired with the dongle. On a normal desk surface we found very little to no lag in Windows. This is with the receiver plugged into the laptop so the mouse was just beside it. Even when we used the mouse from about 10ft away, we didn't find any issue, but then this is meant for the laptop so you wouldn't be using it from more than a foot away from your PC.

We even tried it on glass, and it sort of worked. A lot of the movements weren't registered, so even though it was better than an optical mouse, which wouldn't work at all, we don't recommend using it on such a surface. We even tried a bit of gaming, and the Wireless 3500 handled it well just like a wired mouse.

Pricing and Verdict

You can find the Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 for Rs. 1,075 on ebay, so it should cost a little less in stores. This is not a bad price for a compact laptop mouse with BlueTrack technology. The Wireless 3500 is very comfortable to use despite its size, has good ergonomics and performs well too. The BlueTrack tracking system gives it a slight edge over optical and the long battery life means you won't have to swap the battery for months. To top it all, it's priced well so if you were looking for a mouse to complement your notebook, the Wireless 3500 is a good option and is available in different color trims to match your personality.