It’s not high heels, it’s not a boomerang and it’s not even a cute furry rodent but it’s close enough – the new Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse. It’s the first mouse designed to flatten for portability and pop up for comfort. The new mouse sports another first from Microsoft, the touch scroll strip for easy navigation. Simply move a finger slowly on the strip for controlled scrolling, or flick a finger for hyperfast scrolling that can be stopped with a tap. Using a capacitive sensing technique and sensor pads, the strip matches up to each changes in position and velocity to give users precise and controlled scrolling regardless of how fast or slow the movement is. The strip also has three tap “buttons” for added functionality: page up, page down and the programmable middle click area.
Changing from the traditional scroll wheel to the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse is also made easier with haptics, a vibration technology that simulates the bumps users would feel while using standard scroll wheel mouse. The Arc Touch Mouse is also outfitted with Microsoft BlueTrack tracking technology and a tiny magnetic snap-in Nano transceiver which is conveniently located at the bottom of the mouse.
Windows-based PC users will appreciate carrying their laptop bags without the added familiar bulk of a mouse, as the Arc Touch Mouse goes in a “flat†mode with just the touch of a finger and only measures less than 15 millimeters thick at its widest point. For additional convenience, two AAA batteries will power the Arc Touch Mouse for more than six months.
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