We’re going mobile! No longer do you need to feel restricted to a desk in the corner of your house, because just about anything you’d be able to do on a desktop computer, you can probably achieve at the coffee shop with your laptop. Lugging around a webcam and a mouse to accompany your notebook used to be quite the chore, but with the Microsoft Mobility Pack, that desktop experience is captured in a package that’ll fit in your pants pocket.
It’s Microsoft, so you can have some assurance that the build quality will be among the best in the business. Based on my experience with the provided Microsoft Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000 and the Microsoft Lifecam NX-6000 webcam, I’m quite impressed with this mobile communications solution. It’s all so easy to set up and to use.
What’s In the Microsoft Mobility Pack
Microsoft is marketing the Mobility Pack as an all-in-one mobile solution. Honestly, I was much more interested in the webcam than I was in the mouse, seeing how there are much better versions of the latter available. I personally prefer something like the Logitech MX Revolution or the VX Revolution, but this mouse is a lot more compact and easy to transport. Anyways, here’s what you get as part of the ~$100 package.
- Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000
- Lifecam NX-6000 Webcam
- Standard documentation
- Webcam carrying case
- One AA alkaline battery for the mouse
- Installation CDs
Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000
The wireless laser mouse is pretty much what you would expect it to be. It’s much more compact than the full-sized mouse that you probably use on a desktop computer, but this is in an effort to be as portable as possible. You can gauge its proportions based on the images provided throughout this review. Thankfully, the mouse does offer more than the standard two-button interface.
The scroll wheel in the center has a very soft feel to it, almost like the wheel has been wrapped in some sort of gel. Vertical scrolling does not have any of the line “clicks” that you may get with other mice, instead going with a smooth continuous motion paired with slight rubbery resistance. You can also scroll horizontally by tilting the wheel. On the left side of the mouse is a single button that activates the Magnifier function.
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Bottoms Up!
Flipping the mouse over to its underside, you’ll discover the Microsoft High Definition Laser. They promise that this laser is more precise and offers better responsiveness than some of its competitors. I was able to use the Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000 on a variety of surfaces, including a leather couch. The physical size of the mouse, however, made it awkward to grasp for extended sessions, so I would not recommend the mouse to an avid computer gamer.
You’ll also notice from the underside that there is a definite indentation where you can fit the provided USB wireless receiver. This is supposed to preserve battery life. That’s because on the inner edge of the indentation is a push-in tab. If the receiver is in place, the tab is pushed in and the mouse turns off. Handy. I would have liked if the receiver sat flush with the bottom of the mouse, but it’s not a huge deal, seeing how small the mouse is overall.
Power comes by way of a single AA battery. An Energizer battery is provided as part of the package and you insert the battery through a slide-out holder in the base of the mouse. The spec sheet calls for a 6+ month battery life, but that’s probably wishful thinking from Microsoft. Reception was fairly strong and I had no breaks in the connection. Having wireless freedom, especially with a notebook, is a definite plus.
The ergonomic design is kind of a moot point, considering the size of the Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000. I did appreciate the slight rubber grips on either side of the mouse and they claim that it is comfortable in either hand. This is mostly true with the exception of the third “magnifier button.” Lefties might find it awkward using the ring or pinky finger to access this button.
Overall, this mouse has been designed reasonably well with a fair number of features above bargain basement offerings, but the smaller size can prove to be uncomfortable after a while. I also found the choice of materials was a touch on the cheap side, but you get what you pay for. For the same price as the entire Mobility Pack, you can barely afford to buy just the Logitech MX Revolution Laser Mouse.
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Microsoft Lifecam NX-6000
The second half of the Microsoft Mobility Pack is the Lifecam NX-6000. While I wasn’t all that impressed with the mouse, I found the webcam to be extremely easy to use and its more compact form factor is a definite plus. The provided cable is very short, but considering that the application is for a notebook, this isn’t an issue. You should be able to reach from any USB port to the top of your laptop display without a problem.
The Lifecam NX-6000 offers a 2.0 megapixel imaging sensor that will produce both still pictures and videos at that resolution. In fact, stills can be interpolated up to 7.6 megapixels. Along with the image capture, there is also a built-in microphone to make mobile video chats an absolute breeze. It’s not the most powerful microphone, but it fulfills its purposes just fine.
Looking around to the back, you’ll notice a clip-like mechanism. This is used to clamp onto the top of your laptop display. If it looks like the spacing provided is a little snug, that’s because it is. The clip does extend out a little though, so it should be able to fit over most notebook covers. The rubber feet on the inside edges ensure that your cover doesn’t get scratched. Here is a picture of the webcam clamped onto my Dell Inspiron 640m.
Further to its compact size, the actual camera portion is spring-loaded and can retreat into the body of the Lifecam NX-6000. Very handy. Rolling up the USB cable, the entire webcam fits into the provided hard cylindrical case. This case is only about three or four inches tall with a diameter of about two inches. This easily fits in the palm of your hand.
The build quality on the webcam, I found, was more impressive than the mouse. The choice of materials is slightly better and I liked how the Microsoft logo would light up to indicate that video was being recorded. Nice.
You’ll also notice that the camera has pan and tilt functionality to accompany its 71-degree wide angle lens. Just because it’s clipped to the top of your laptop doesn’t mean that you are restricted to a single point of view. Taking everything into account, this is a very healthy supply of features for such a compact and portable package. The only thing that is missing is a manual focus adjustment ring.
In terms of picture quality, it’s not the best, but it’s pretty good for a webcam. Video was reasonably smooth, but I’d recommend dialing the resolution down to VGA or QVGA is you plan on doing any video calls over the Internet. Stills can be captured at 2.0 megapixels and here is a sample picture, resized to fit in the confines of this site.
As you can see, color recreation isn’t totally up to snuff and the crispness of the picture is a little lost. It’ll do for most webcam applications, but don’t expect to get image quality anywhere close to what a standalone digital camera can offer. I’d say the camera is on par with a 2.0 megapixel camera phone.
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Conclusion
All said, I’m quite pleased with the overall offering that Microsoft has created with the Mobility Pack. I understand that they wanted to address the two primary needs of mobile computer users and the two products that they designed to toss into the bundle are of reasonably good quality. The Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 is definitely on the smaller end of things, but it does come with a formidable feature set. The Lifecam NX-6000 boasts an impressive 2.0 megapixel resolution that will also capture video at that res. The retractable camera, along with the tilt capabilities and compact carrying case, are what really sold me on the webcam.
In terms of improvements, it would be nice if the USB wireless receiver for the mouse actually sat flush with the surface when tucked away. I also would have opted for slightly better materials for the mouse and perhaps one additional programmable button. The gel scroll wheel is very comfortable. Regarding the webcam, picture quality could be improved, but it’s definitely “good enough.”
I look forward to what the next generation Mobility Pack can offer. Microsoft has a good thing going here, but for some people, it might be better to buy the two components separately for a little more customization.
Pros
- Very easy to set up and to use
- Complete mobile communications solution
- Great build quality and design on webcam
- Good bundled value
- Nice comprehensive feature set
Cons
- Mouse is too small for comfort (extended use)
- Webcam quality is a bit disappointing
- More buttons would be useful on mouse
- Material choice on mouse could be better
Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10.0
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