Actually, I’ve always found Microsoft’s mice in particular to be beautiful creatures and, in some cases, works of art. If I try, I can even imagine designers and engineers hunched around a table overflowing with sketches, circuitry, wires, and lumps of clay; poking and prodding, pinching and pressing, and pushing and pulling incarnations of rodents in an effort to construct the ideal model. Though Microsoft’s recent Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and 7000 aren’t my favorites aesthetically (that would be Logitech’s MX Air [$149.99; www.logitech.com]), they’re the most comfortable I’ve set my right hand upon. Both mice reek of superior craftsmanship at every contour, groove, and angle.

Other than their disparate colors, the 6000 and 7000 could be identical twins, although with divergent purposes. Both have sweeping curves sculpted where the thumb and ring finger rest and slight grooves for the fore and middle fingers. Both include a four-way Tilt Wheel and two thin, programmable buttons. Both provide one-click access to Windows Vista’s Flip 3D utility (or Instant Viewer in WinXP) and Microsoft’s Magnifier tool. Both also have a two-color LED (light-emitting diode) (green and red) to indicate power status, use Microsoft’s HD Laser Technology (6,000fps [frames per second] precision; 1,000dpi [dots per inch] responsiveness), and bundle with Microsoft’s IntelliPoint 6.2 software.

Only on the underside will you detect striking differences. The 7000, which is designed for desktop use, sports a battery connector for attaching the mouse to a charging dock that juices the 7000’s one NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) battery. There’s also an On/Off switch to conserve power, of which Microsoft says you’ll get three weeks from a full charge. The 6000, meanwhile, is designed for desktop and mobile use. Its underside includes a slotted carriage that holds the mouse’s 2.4GHz USB receiver (30-foot range). Though the 6000 requires two AA batteries, the receiver automatically powers the mouse off when it’s slotted.

Comfort and affordability are where the 6000 and 7000 really earn kudos with me, however. Ergonomically, I’m hard-pressed to name a mouse I’ve liked better for long-term use. Both mice are designed so the entire arm must move the mouse side to side. This takes some adjusting to if you’re an ergonomic slacker like me. Still, pushing either mouse around my desktop feels as if the designers used my hand as a starting point to mold the mouse’s shape just for me. Unlike other mice I’ve used recently, the 6000 and 7000 don’t force my palm to scrunch around their frames. Instead, my palm rests naturally with my fingers slightly spread.

Additionally, I appreciate that the full-sized 6000 doesn’t pack its mobile features into an impish body that sacrifices size for mobility. Microsoft claims one-third of consumers buying mice for notebook use purchase full-sized desktop mice. I can’t confirm that, but I’ll make room in my travel bag for the 6000’s larger, more comfortable frame. The 6000’s gumstick-sized USB receiver isn’t as travel-friendly as, say, the nickel-sized receiver Logitech’s VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse ($69.99) bundles, and Logitech’s methods for storing its receivers in mobile mice are more innovative than Microsoft’s. I’ll live with these inconveniences in exchange for the comfort of a full-sized mouse.

I can’t declare the 6000 and 7000 as the best mice I’ve used, but I can say it will take a mouse packing mighty comfort to knock either of these out of my rotation.

by Blaine Flamig

Send your comments to blaine@smartcomputing.com.

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