Finally, to the top right are the Calculator, Log Off and Sleep keys. Curiously absent is a My Computer key, which was found next to the Calculator button on my old Internet keyboard, after a quick re-assign, things were back to normal. Here you will also notice the “F Lock” key, which functions much in the same way as Caps Lock and Num Lock. It toggles between the normal F1-12 keys and their available alternate functions.
The mouse is the latest evolution of the wireless Intellimouse Explorer, and comes in a black\gun metal look to match the keyboard. Thankfully, the cursed “brake light” found on previous Microsoft opticals is gone. The big feature of the new Explorers is of course the revolutionary “tilt wheel”, which allows you to scroll horizontally as well as vertically simply with a gentle push of the wheel to the left or right. The wheel is also a major departure from previous design in that it has no detents, only a slight amount of resistance that keeps it from spinning freely. It certainly takes a bit of getting used to, but I found that after awhile, the new wheel was more comfortable for scrolling through long pages. The texture of the wheel has a sort of cushy, gelatinous feel to it that most will probably either like or despise, so I would suggest heading to a store and giving the mouse a hands-on try before committing to this package.
On the underside you can see the sensor, battery compartment (batteries are supplied) and a channel button incase of RF interference. The pads are smaller than the ones on my old Intellimouse Optical, and seem to provide smoother operation and less noise, which is a nice benefit.
