Microsoft bluetooth mouse 5000

I haven't tried that one but the first thing I bought to expand the function of my new MacBook pro was a Logitech VX Nano Mouse.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/3271&cl=us,en

I thoroughly endorse it and there are Mac specific downloadable drivers which are great (I quit using USB Overdrive in favor of the Logitech drivers.

I purchased mine from PC Connection as it had a $30 rebate offer which cut the final price in half.

http://www.pcconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=7885905

I should add that I also have used a Microsoft Wireless Optical 3000 which I also liked a great deal but the Logitech has a tiny receiver which goes into a USB port and stays there even in tight fitting sleeves, five programmable buttons as well as a tilting scroll wheel with a very nice action and there's a little embedded On/Off switch on the bottom of the mouse to save battery life. It is an extremely well engineered mouse.

How about the Kensington S1670m?

Been using mine for a few months now, since the scroll ball failed on my BT Mighty Mouse...

I'm using it now - love it! 🙂

Well it works well, but it's not perfect. The left "back" button doesn't do anything in OS X and it cannot be configured. I guess we will have to wait for Microsoft to release an update to IntelliPoint. The scroll wheel only works up/down. You do not need the Microsoft IntelliPoint software at all for this mouse.

Other than the back button not working, I really like it.

Horizontal scroll does work on the Kensington... without drivers, it does only have 3 buttons though.

Dan,

I believe you could get full function of all the buttons by using either USB Overdrive... http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/7115/usb-overdrive-x

or Steermouse.... http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/19058/steermouse

I happen to have been using USB Overdrive since OS 10.1 was surprised when I found the Logitech drivers to my taste. The author of USB Overdrive is the programmer who Microsoft contracted to create the original IntelliPoint drivers.

Did you have any difficulty getting the MBP to recognize the mouse? I'm helping someone who just switched to a Mac from a PC. She just got a new MBP. She also has the wireless mouse 5000 and would like to use it. She installed the MS software that came with the mouse and a configuration icon appeared in the System Preferences; this is just for button assignment. When I go through the Bluetooth Assistant to pair with the mouse, it can't find it. I've clicked the "connect" button at the bottom of the mouse and that doesn't help.

Do you have to use the MS USB receiver in order for it to work? I'm not using it since I thought that was only necessary if your computer didn't internally support Bluetooth.

Thanks.

Todd, did you click on the little "+" sign in system preferences > bluetooth?

I just bought the 5000, Microsoft told me it wouldn't work on Leopard, but I knew the lady I was talking to at sales didn't know a thing. It works real well. It feels more natural than my bluetooth mighty mouse. But button functionality... yeah that's why I found this thread. I'm gunna' try that USB Overdrive, thingy.

Yeah, after I pushed the "connect" button on the bottom of the wireless mouse 5000, I went to Bluetooth under System Preferences. I clicked on the '+' button to setup a new device. I then clicked the button saying I'm looking for a mouse. It then started looking for a device and eventually times out, saying that no device was found.

So, I take it you are not using the bluetooth USB dongle when you got yours to work?

Nope. Mine didn't even come with one. Wait, let me check again. Nope definitely didn't come with one. Just the case, a couple of batteries, and the mouse. Oh, but I guess mine's technically called the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000. Is that the same mouse?

The only problem I'm having now is getting the back button to work. When I have Spaces enabled, the back button takes be to Space 4 instead of going back. When I have Overdrive enabled, the autoscroll doesn't work right. Argh!

I found a couple of links that might help out here:

This is Microsoft's Intellipoint software. I haven't really found it helpful yet, but...
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/DownloadResult.aspx?prod=wlmouse5000&os=macmk&lang=en&driverVersion=IntelliPoint%206.22%20for%20Mac

Here's a similar thread about our discussion here:
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=79874

And here's the SteerMouse homepage:
http://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/index.html