Everyone already has sung the praises of this glowing little marvel, so let me add just a few observations after extended use. The electric-eye design of the unit lets you toss away the ubiquitous and widely-loathed mousepad, but I've gone back to using one. The non-stick pads on the bottom of the Intellimouse tend to stick on the drops of Jolt cola I leave around, and the wood grain of my desktop can confuse the little sensor at times.

Also, that cool two-tone gray design may look great (a bit like the robot from Lost in Space), but it picks up hand oils. My mouse bears my handprint, an annoying little reminder that I spend too much damned time at the 'puter. Having the greasy image of your own palm permanently burnt into your mouse can be pretty embarrassing, like having worn patches on your La-Z-Boy lounger or a grotesquely oversized left forearm. It tells the world just a little too much about your personal habits. Of course, my wife can't resist spreading this little tale to anyone in earshot. My discolored Intellimouse now stands as exhibit A in demonstrating how "married" I am to my computer. Thanks, Microsoft.

The idea behind Internet keyboards is great - assign the most common Web surfing commands to an extra set of dedicated keys. The basic MS Internet Keyboard, for instance, has ten programmable round keys above the F keys and number pads, assigned by default to "Back," "Forward," "Stop," "Mail," etc. The higher-priced "Pro" model has 19 keys in all as well as two USB ports. This basic model is entirely serviceable, with good tactile feedback and an ergonomic palm rest, which so far has not absorbed any of my apparently prodigious hand oils. And for those of you like me who tried and failed to get used to that supposedly ergonomic split and bent design of previous Microsoft keyboards, be thankful that two of these models use the traditional and flat design. A "Natural" version of the Internet keyboard is available, too, but I still don't know for whom this design is "natural" aside perhaps from Mr. Spock or two-toed sloths. Most ergo devices feel like a back brace, vainly struggling to keep my posture straight.

The problem is that after testing the Internet buttons once, I never used the damned things again. Hovering above the function keys as they do, they are no less inconvenient to use than the mouse, it turns out. Using the Web requires too much clicking on specific areas of the screen, so your hand inevitably has to be on the mouse anyway. Rather than divide some Web surfing tasks for keyboard or mouse use, which can only further addle my bi-polar disorder anyway, I end up using the mouse.