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Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse
with Fingerprint reader
If you ever wanted a wow
factor on your computer gear, this would be it; a mouse that scans your
fingerprint before letting you use the PC! One of the first things that
we have to get out of the way that is even though this product works,
and works well, do not trust it with your bank accounts or any other
type of sensitive material.
It’s funny that
something that would have this sort of technology built into it would
have that warning on it, kind of like saying, weellll, we think it works
but don’t trust anything important to it. The mouse is fairly weighty
but extremely comfortable with brilliantly molded grip that feels
perfect when you use it. There is a light on the fingerprint reader that
does get a little annoying if only for the simple fact that it is always
on. I think it was going to be a design item but it hasn’t worked on
that account.
All the tests we ran
involving logging onto Windows worked fine and then we took the tests
online with successful logins to a test Hotmail account that we made up.
Other websites requiring log ins allowed us to also log in which was all
well and good with a prompt for finger prints at all the right places
that quickly allowed for access to sites and accounts. So far so good.
Then we took the test
further to other browsers (Netscape & Firefox) and the whole test fell
apart. It appears that this gear only works with Internet Explorer which
I found very disappointing as not everyone likes to use that product
when there are great products on the market which are free. We did not
get a single successful login using either Netscape or Firefox let alone
other browsers that we tried such as Safari or Opera to name but a few.
For the rest of the
planet who are using IE, the mouse is so easy to set up that you do not
even need to install the software to at least be using the mouse. Just
whack in the fingerprint reader/receiver and that’s it. However to get
the most out of the product take those few seconds to make sure that you
do a full install that will truly benefit you. The battery life on the
mouse is good as well and you won’t be plowing through them constantly.
The first two batteries come with the package to get you started.
I’m not sure at this
stage whether this item is a must have piece of kit. I can say without
hesitation that the mouse by itself is worth the green, but without
Microsoft putting a bit more effort into ensuring that this product
works across all major browsers, many users may be in for a bit of a
disappointment.
I’ll give the mouse a
huge thumbs up, in fact 9/10 but for the whole package 8.6/10 as it’s
clear that this is not a totally secure solution to a time old problem.
Still recommended but only if you are aware of the limitations. |
