Microsoft house. The Microsoft
Touch Mouse is the latest update
of Microsoft's wireless mouse
series. Does it bring anything
new to the wireless USB mouse
genre or should you skip this
Windows 7-only compatible
mouse? Read on to find out.
Packaging and Contents
The Microsoft Touch Mouse
comes in a slightly bulky box.
Inside is the mouse with the USB
dongle, 2 batteries and the
manuals. It would have been nice
if the device came with a
carrying case, like the original Arc
mouse.
First Impression
It is difficult not to refer to
Apple's Magic mouse or the
previous generation Microsoft
Arc mice while talking about the
Touch Mouse. For starters, the
Touch Mouse brings to the table
Apple-like multi-touch gesture
features. There is a textured
front on the device, which acts as
the touch sensitive interface. The
device isn't the sleekest out there
as the latest generation Microsoft
Arc mouse or the Apple Magic
mouse take the cake in terms of
style and design. The Touch
Mouse is bulky and heavy.
The mouse has an optical sensor
at the bottom along with the slot
for the two batteries and a nice
little pocket for the USB dongle.
Overall, the mouse is fairly simple
to look at but it won't turn heads
if you use the device in public.
The again, it's a mouse.
The USB connector of the mouse
is pretty interesting too. It is
extremely small and fits easily in
its socket at the bottom of the
mouse. It has a nice springy
action every time you fix it or
release it from the socket.
Performance
The Touch Mouse performs well
as a mouse with its BlueTrack
laser sensor ensuring that the
device runs smoothly on all
surfaces and is very accurate. The
touch sensitive front of the
device takes some getting used
to. There are gestures that can
help you split up windows, scroll,
and reveal the desktop with a
swipe of your fingers. This device
could really give the Apple Magic
mouse a run for its money if it
weren't for one little flaw; the
device is compatible with only
Windows 7. Not XP or Vista.
There is no assurance that the
device will be compatible with
Windows 8 either.
Another cool feature of the
device is that it is ambidextrous
which means that both right-
handed and left-handed people
can use it with absolute ease.
There are just two disadvantages
that we see with the product.
The first being its sheer size and
the second that you can't take
full advantage of its potential on
any other OS apart from
Windows 7.
If you're a gamer we wouldn't
recommend this mouse to you as
its form factor is a bit
uncomfortable for those 8 hour
gaming experiences and the fact
still remains that Razer, Corsair
and Logitech make some really
good gaming gear including
mice.
Verdict
For the price point of nearly Rs.
4000, this device just adds
novelty value. It could have taken
on Apple's Magic mouse in terms
of performance had it not been
for the compatibility issue. The
good part is that the gestures
work well and the optical sensor
makes it easy to use on
transparent glass surfaces. If you
are looking for value, we'd
suggest you stick to the previous
generation Microsoft Arc Mouse
or take a look at the offerings
from the Mouse house of
Logitech and Razer.
Pros:
Optical Sensor
Plug and play setup
Good multi-touch interface
Well built
Cons:
Bulky
You can take advantage of the
features only on Windows 7
A little uncomfortable
ergonomically
Price: Rs. 3,999
Ratings:
Performance: 3
Price: 2.5
Ease of setup: 5
Ergonomics: 3
Wow Factor: 3
Overall: 3
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