Microsoft's Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer 2.0

IN 1996, Microsoft forever changed the mouse by introducing its first scroll wheel. The wheel was an instant hit, and now nearly every mouse manufacturer has its own version of the revolutionary scrolling tool. In fact, scroll wheels have become so ubiquitous, I can't imagine using a mouse without one. It's amazing what a little rubberized wheel can do, isn't it?

As I grew accustomed to—and then dependent on—the ability to scroll down a web page, document, or window with just the flick of a finger, I couldn't help but wish someone would come up with a mouse wheel that could scroll left and right in addition to up and down. Years passed, and just when I began to lose hope, Microsoft announced that it had developed Tilt Wheel technology to bring horizontal scrolling to the vertical mouse wheel.

Microsoft's first mouse product to use the pivoting tilt wheel is the Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer 2.0, which packs plenty of other neat features in addition to the tilting wheel. Is the tilt wheel really all that? What else does Microsoft's latest Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer have to offer? Read on to find out.