Every so often, Microsoft releases a product that combines high tech, stylish design with something very functional that would be a pleasure to add to your desktop. Think of the special Phillippe Starck mice, several years ago and more recently the Microsoft Arc Mouse and Arc Keyboard. To compliment the Arc series, Microsoft has now released the Arc Touch, a high-tech, ultra mobile and convenient mouse. Is it a worthy addition? Read on to find out.

Features

• Flexible Design
  Curve for comfort, flatten to pack. A perfect fit for your hand—and your mobile lifestyle.

• Power On and Off
  Curve to turn on. Flatten to turn off. No button to switch. A green light flashes to show the battery is working, and then turns off to save battery life.

• Touch to Scroll
  Click. Tap. Flick. Control.

• BlueTrack Technology™
  Works on difficult surfaces1—rough glossy, or soft.

• 2.4 GHz—30-Foot Wireless Range
  The 2.4 GHz wireless USB Nano Transceiver connects wirelessly right out of the box with virtually no interference and has up to a 30-foot wireless range.

• Snap-in Transceiver
  Nano Transceiver snaps into the bottom of the mouse.

• Comfort for Either Hand
  Use your mouse with your left or right hand.

• Device Stage
  Quickly and easily access common tasks, including product information, registration, settings.

• Up to 6 Months of Battery Life
   

Setup & Installation 

The mouse setup with Windows 7 could not be easier. Simply insert the transceiver, put in the two AAA Energizer batteries (included), and The IntelliPoint 8.0 software is automatically loaded and within seconds the mouse is ready to use. Upon first use, there is a windows that appears to optionally direct you to Microsoft's site, arctouchmouse.com, for additional information. If possible, check the site out, there are some cool videos on design and more.

Mouse Design & Use

The mouse has a very compact design, about 5.14 inches long,  2.25 inches wide, and only about 1/2 inch at its thickest point. The front part of the mouse is a high quality, high gloss plastic, with two silver matte buttons in the middle. At the bottom of the buttons, is a green indicator light that lights when first turned on. I think four total buttons are just fine for the mobile user, but this is robust enough for everyday desktop use.

The bottom half of the mouse is a very soft rubber material. The battery compartment is in the top, the thickest part. Out of the box, the mouse
is flat, once the batteries are in you have to fold from top to bottom to put the mouse into position. One very cool thing, since the mouse does not have an on/off switch, when the mouse is in the "flat" position, it is automatically turned off. There is a piece of of gloss plastic on the bottom tip of the mouse so you have a nice "smooth" experience.

I was almost afraid at first put the mouse into position, I thought I was going to break it! The USB transceiver (Microsoft version 3.1) is the smallest I have ever seen, and is literally the silver USB tip plus less than 1/4 inch of plastic, and is sturdy and should probably be left in all the time on your laptop or desktop PC. However, another cool feature is if you do not want to leave it in, on the underside of the mouse there is a built in magnet and an indicator on the plastic where you place the transceiver, which stays nicely in place! Nice touch, no pun intended. Microsoft's optical technology of course is great and the laser light is blue, and works very well after many years of testing (Microsoft's BlueTrack technology). One final thing of note, when you are using the mouse, to scroll put your fingers on the center buttons - when you move up  or down with your finger, you hear a slight scrolling sound...probably the first ever speaker in the mouse! It is a very slight sound, hardly noticeable, but I am not sure if you can turn it off.

Final Comments

I think this mouse is a great addition for a mobile or desktop user. It is compact, and small enough to be easily placed in a laptop bag, but the mouse is still full size for every-day desktop use. The design alone is worth the investment, I think. Some people say that the mouse is a little stiff, or the buttons are too hard to click, but I didn't notice any problems using it. I think it would have been nice to include a little travel sleeve or something. If you want a little more full design, for heavier use, I'd try the regular Microsoft Arc Mouse, otherwise, I would definitely recommend the Microsoft Arc Touch mouse as your next mouse purchase.