Yesterday, word got out that the latest in mouse technology from Microsoft is complete, and hitting stores in a few months. The Arc Touch Mouse looks to be very light and easy to use, with an impressive amount of customizable options. Best of all, it is perfect for people on the go, as it can be flattened to make packing easier.
Microsoft has put a lot of clever new features into this mouse. Turning the mouse on is simple: from the flattened mode, simply bend the mouse upward. It turns on automatically. Keeping with the flat, easy to pack mantra, the scroll wheel has been replaced by a touch-sensitive strip. To scroll up or down, slide your finger up or down; flick to go fast, and drag to go slow. Also on the strip are three buttons, to which you can assign one role each. You can assign page down, page up, page navigation and, if you have Windows 7, the 3D flip function, among other things.
I wouldn’t say I usually get excited about a mouse, but this one caught my eye. I do a lot of traveling, and when I do, I like to bring along as few bags as possible. That means I stuff a lot of things into one bag, making a mouse like this a hot item for me to consider in the future. The conversion of the scroll wheel to a flat strip was a great design move to follow up on the sleek design of the rest of the mouse. I haven’t gotten a chance to actually use the mouse, but it looks fairly comfortable and easy to use.
The possibilities are endless for gamers. The touch strip could allow gamers to make more precise movements faster than with a scroll wheel, which is more resistant to movement. On top of that, the mouse looks thin and light enough to move around easily on any surface. I would love to not have a really bulky mouse to move around, especially in a game like StarCraft II, in which you need to be all over the map quickly in order to be successful. Customizable touch buttons could also be very useful, allowing for quicker actions without having to use force to press on an actual button, although with all three buttons on a fairly small strip, there could be a problem with accidentally pressing the wrong button.
The only thing I wonder about is how my thumb and pinky will adapt to not having a solid surface to press against. Arc mouses in general are still pretty new, and I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet to know how exactly I would hold it. Regardless, I think the benefits would outweigh any adjustments I would need to make in the way I hold my mouse. If for nothing else, when early December rolls around, I’ll be looking to Microsoft’s Arc Touch mouse to fit my travel needs. A product falling flat has never looked so good.
