Over the past couple of days, Neowin got a chance to look at the Microsoft Arc Touch mouse. The small, portable, sleek looking design really gets your attention. The bendable mouse is curved for comfort and lies flat when off for easy storage.
Look and Feel
The overall look of the Arc Touch mouse is very appealing to the eye. This mouse caught my attention, making me want to test this device out. The mouse has a shiny black finish, with a unique small grey stripe for the touch scroll wheel. As stated previously, when in use the mouse is used in its familar curved posistion. When the device is turned off, it lays flat allowing for easy storage.
Parts of the Arc Touch, like the body, feel really smooth and built with quality, while the front of the mouse has that cheap plastic feel to it. However, there aren"t many mice out there that do feel as durable and strong. Compared to other portable mice, this actually feels fairly nice in your hand.
Functionality and Performance
After using the mouse for a couple of days, I started to get the feel for the device. The tracking on my wood desk was slightly off, when compared to my Microsoft wireless laser mouse 7000. There was some steady issues while using programs like Photoshop, and if you have ever used Photoshop, you know exactly how important accuracy and smooth fluid movements are.
The performance of the Arc Touch really depends on how much interference is between the mouse and nano snap-in transceiver. The mouse features a 2.4Ghz 30-foot wireless range, more than an ample range for you to work with on your laptop or even desktop computer.
The mouse doesn"t stack up when compared to the Microsoft wireless mouse 7000, but it is on the same level of performance, if not more, than the Microsoft wireless BlackTrack laptop mouse (3500).
The under belly of the mouse has a simple, yet very effective feature, a magnet. The magnet allows you to stick your nano transceiver to its belly, giving you more portability without the thought of losing it.
Cost and Conclusion
After a quick search on BestBuy.com, the pre-order price for the Microsoft Arc Touch mouse was listed at $69.99 USD, a fair price for the mouse.
My overall thought of the mouse is a fairly positive one. It does take some getting used to, but so do all other mice. This isn"t a gaming mouse, if that"s what you"re in the market for, but it is a fantastic portable laptop mouse. The only real downside to the mouse is the feel.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Lightweight, making it easier to carry around as a portable mouse.
- Sleek design.
- Better accuracy than most wireless mice.
Cons:
- Left and right click buttons feel cheap.
- Not really suitable as a desktop, gaming mouse.
- No back and forward buttons