Keyboards and mice have come a long ways since the days of having basically two different types to choose from, the days of 84 key or 102 key keyboards is long gone. Sure you can still buy them, they are dirt cheap, but why would you want to. With the wide range of things that computers can do today from e-mail, to web surfing, to playing music and videos to playing games and more why would anyone be looking for one of those old style keyboards?

Keyboards today not only offer a high level of coolness in their design, size and feel they offer a wide range of capabilities from wireless, to Bluetooth to media player keys to browser and e-mail access keys and much more. All of these extras can make using your computer not only easier but a lot more fun as well. But, these extra keys offer another important capability and that is most of the keyboards with these extra keys allow you to change what these keys do in the driver software. You can not only assign a different function to the keys but different applications as well as a series of keystrokes. This customization really allows you to work the way you want and to set things up to make your life as easy as possible.

Mice too have come a long ways. While I still have one of the original Microsoft mice and it is still working great, I have to admit that today's ball-less mice with the optical or laser tracking systems instead of all of the moving parts of the old ball style mice are simply incredible. Not only are these new mice more responsive, there is a lot less to break and next to nothing to clean. But, like keyboards mice have also started coming with extra buttons, you still have the left and right mouse buttons, but you also have a middle button, scroll wheel and more often than not side buttons as well. Some even let you scroll not only up and down but left and right as well. Like keyboards these extra buttons and functions can be customized or programmed to do a number of different things again making the lowly mouse a powerhouse of usefulness.

Of all of the brands of mice and keyboards available today there are only two that I highly recommend. Microsoft is one of those two. The reason I feel that Microsoft is one of the top two keyboard and mouse producers is because they not only make innovative products, they make products that are well made as well, while I have own many Microsoft keyboards and mice over the years I have yet to have one fail. Usually I upgrade because they offer features that I want, not because my old one broke.

The Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Keyboard 7000 Product Shot with the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 is a knock out combination. Both of these items are Bluetooth wireless, that means you simply plug a little Bluetooth transmitter (include) in to your computer via a USB port, install the software drivers and then follow the on screen instructions to connect the keyboard and mouse to the computer via the Bluetooth transmitter. All of this comes in one package. Both the mouse and the keyboard run off of batteries. The mouse comes with a charging cradle that you can use to keep the mouse charged when not in use. The keyboard however, doesn't have a way to charge the batteries so you either use regular AA batteries and every 6 to 9 months replace them or use a set or rechargeable batteries and charge them up from time to time. Even with the lack of charging capability for the keyboard I love this keyboard and mouse package.

The keyboard is small measuring 17.7 - inches long, by 8.32 - inches tall. The mouse measures 2.75 - inches long by 4.87 - inches tall. Basically a really nice size. The keyboard is less than 1 - inch thick and the keys are thin but with a comfortable size and feel to them.  Now of course you have your standard letter, number and punctuation keys, but you also have function keys, home, end, page up and page down and arrow keys as well. You have a Window key that pops up the Windows Start Menu. You also have a navigation pad (think touch pad on a laptop), Windows Live button, gadgets button, magnifier button, left and right mouse buttons (for use with the navigation pad) as well as channel up and down, volume up and down, mute, record and standard VCR like buttons for play, pause, track forwards and track backwards.

I find the layout of the keyboard to be quite natural and comfortable. I love the feel of the keys. I only have two things that I have had issues with. First not all of the keys are actual press buttons. The function (F1-F12) keys as well as the escape, print screen, pause/break, home and end keys are flat and unmoving. They have little ridges so that you know where to press, but they are just unmoving plastic. This has taken a little to get used to. However, I adapted quickly and really don't find that they bother me all that much and it is a stylish look they offer.

My second problem is that if you don't use your computer for a bit and you come back it can take between 5, 10 or more key presses before the keyboard responds. I suspect this is the Bluetooth going in to a form of light sleep mode and it takes a little time for it to wake up from. I have looked and have found no way to stop this. I find this quite annoying as the only thing I have set to go in to sleep mode are my three monitors. Everything else remains running and fully powered even after several hours of non-use. I really don't like the time it takes to fully wake everything up after going to sleep so I don't let it go to sleep. This slow to wake keyboard issue is my only complaint about this keyboard, though strangely I don't notice this problem with the mouse so it may not be the Bluetooth.

The mouse is a nice size and fits my large hands nicely. Now I have to be honest I don't like all of the extra buttons on today's mice. Part of the reason is that they always seem to be in bad spots so I end up hitting them when I don't mean to. So the first thing I do is going to in to the driver software and disable them. The only buttons I do use is the left and right buttons and the scroll wheel which I use for scrolling up and down. Everything else I disable. While the Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 has extra buttons on the left and right of it as well as horizontal scrolling capabilities I don't use them. I don't find them all that useful. Also, the scroll where is pressable so that it acts as the middle button, I also turn this off.

I like the mouse, it being laser means it is very accurate, no moving parts to break or clean and it is very comfortable for long periods of mousing around. One thing I would like to see is a pressure sensitive mouse. The harder you press down on it the more pressure it translates to the computer. This would be a great replacement for a graphics tablet in programs like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter. In the end the mouse is great I just like it better with the bells and whistles disabled. If you like the bells and whistles feel free to use them.

This is a great mouse and keyboard package. It is very comfortable, they keyboard is nicely laid out with a good feel to it. The mouse is very accurate it offers a nice range of features and buttons (should you want to use them all), the driver software offers a lot of customization options from how fast the mouse cursor moves to what each button or key does.

The battery life for both the mouse and keyboard is very good. Using Alkaline batteries in the keyboard I get 4 to 6 months of use of the keyboard, though I wish the keyboard also had a charging cradle to keep the batteries charged when not in use. The mouse does have a charging cradle and it comes with rechargeable batteries. My only complaint is the wake up time after non-use of the keyboard. If you are expecting it to wake quickly and work you will be disappointed, it can take 5, 10 or more key presses before it wakes up, making this my only major complaint. Even the non-charging keyboard is minor in my opinion, if the batteries didn't last as long as they do this non-chargeable keyboard would probably be a much bigger issue.

Features

• Wireless Freedom - Give yourself room to move—wireless mouse and keyboard products let you work without worrying about tangled wires.
• 2.4 GHz Bluetooth Technology - Connect wirelessly right out of the box with First Connect Technology for up to 30 feet with virtually no interference.
• Battery Status Indicator - You'll know when power is low when the battery status indicator senses battery life is running out.
• 3 Year Warranty - Limited Warranty and License Agreement available here.
• Rechargeable Mouse and Keyboard - Status indicator flashes when batteries need charging (Mouse). Mouse drops onto the stable, horizontal charging station to activate charging. Keyboard does not come with rechargeable batteries or a way to charge them, you would need to provide rechargeable batteries and a separate charger.
• 4-Way Scrolling - Scroll four ways for greater efficiency and comfort with Tilt Wheel Technology.
• High Definition Laser Technology - Microsoft High Definition Laser Mouse products are more precise, more responsive, and deliver smoother tracking.
• Instant Viewer - Too many open items on your desktop? Click the scroll wheel button to instantly display your open windows, then point and click to select.
• Windows Start Button - Press to launch your Start menu and search your PC or the Web if you have Windows Vista installed.
• Ultra-thin Comfort Curve Design - Place your hands naturally and work comfortably using the distinctive and ergonomist-approved Comfort Curve design with quiet touch keys.
• Navigation Pad - Command your PC from your lap or the comfort of your sofa with the integrated cursor control.
• Windows Live Call Button - Just press this button to access your Windows Live Messenger contact list; then select an Online Contact and start a video conversation.
• Media Center Start Button - One touch access to Windows Media Center.
• Compact Industrial Design - This sleek design reduces clutter on your desk, fits on your lap and complements your flat screen monitor.
• Gadgets Button - One-touch access to gadgets such as weather information, news updates, traffic maps and slide shows of online photo albums.
• Media Controls - Media Controls allow you to easily navigate to next track, previous track, play, pause and volume control.
• "My Favorites" Hot keys - Access the folders, files, and Web pages you use most with one-touch “My Favorites” Keys.
• Longer Battery Life - Long battery life helps ensure that you aren’t stuck without your important tools when you need them.

Needs

• Operating System: Windows Vista or Windows XP (XP Professional/Home Edition/Media Center Edition/Tablet PC Edition).
• Processor: Pentium 233 MHz or higher with 128 MB of RAM.
• Hard Drive Space: 60 MB free (Install 100 MB free).
• Connectivity: USB port.
• Other: CD drive.
• Batteries included: 1 AA NiMH, for the mouse and 4 AA alkaline for the keyboard.
• Internet Hot Keys are supported for use with: Windows-based PC: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later; MSN Explorer versions 7.0 or 8.0; Netscape Navigator versions 6.1, 6.2, 7.0; and AOL versions 7.0, 8.0, 9.0.
• Multimedia Hot Keys are supported for use with: Windows-based PC: Versions of Microsoft CD Player, Microsoft Deluxe CD, Microsoft Windows Media® Player, and certain versions of other popular media players and browsers.

IMPORTANT:  For best results and Bluetooth device compatibility, use the included Microsoft mini Bluetooth transceiver. Service Pack 2 is also required with Windows XP.