Microsoft Announces Touch Mouse
Microsoft's Touch Mouse is due to launch in June.
Much like Apple's touch-sensitive Magic Mouse, which the Cupertino-based company launched back in 2009, the Touch Mouse combines a multi-touch surface with an optical mouse. This, according to Microsoft, offers its users the best of both worlds.
Designed for use with Windows 7, which brings improved support for multi-touch devices to the platform, the Touch Mouse varies how it reacts according to the number of fingers touching the surface.
Sliding a single finger across the surface of the mouse will enable scrolling, while a thumb-swipe moves backwards or forwards in a web browser. Meanwhile, two finger movements will maximise, minimise, snap and restore windows, and a three-finger swipe enables the user to jump to the desktop.
Mark Relph, director of the Windows developer and ecosystem team at Microsoft, claimed that the Touch Mouse represents 'a great way for customers to interact naturally with their Windows 7-based PC. We worked closely with the Microsoft Hardware team to help develop the multi-touch gestures that make Windows 7 easier, simpler and more fun to use. After just a few minutes with this mouse you’ll see why.'
The optical portion of the mouse uses BlueTrack technology, which the company claims will enable it to be used on any surface except mirrored or transparent glass. Meanwhile, the mouse's wireless connection is facilitated by the included 'Nano' transceiver; a device so small that the company claims 'it never needs to come out of the USB port.'
The Touch Mouse is expected to launch in June in the US at a recommended retail price of $80 (around £51), but UK pricing and availability has yet to be confirmed.
Do you think Microsoft's Touch Mouse could spell the future for mice, or is it a niche product that's unlikely to find a market? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyThe Magic mouse released around a year ago, on the other hand, does.
Bit of a mistake in the article there :/
Noted and corrected.
it's the feature I miss most abotu normal mice ever since I got used to my Magic Mouse on my mac.
And buttons are good: I tend to leave me hand on my mouse and without having to pick my hand up and mess around, I can close windows/tabs, go forwards and backwards and if I didn't want to be able to change the sensitivity I could do a load more.
/me hugs his G5 and MX518
not to mention middle mouse button on hyperlink to open in new tab. I use that one a LOT!
otherwise I like the idea in principle
*applauds*
Although Apple got there first, it is a nice device: like the Apple Magic Mouse, only more ergonomic. Big Fail on drivers only being available for Windows 7, though, although I'm sure the hacking community will correct that.
The problem with touch is simply a lack of accuracy. If you're playing a fast-paced game, you frequently end up not making the correct gesture (even for right-click), and scrolling accurately becomes a lot harder. Oh, and then the lack of any other buttons!
a touch sensitive surface isn't useful at all when it sits on something designed to slide around easily, and mice are just the same as keyboards - it's nice to have a tactile border to the button you want to press.
I was coding, so constantly going from two-handed typing to the mouse, and each time I grabbed the mouse the cursor jumped across the screen until I had a grip on the mouse - not annoying once, but multiply it by a thousand times a day. It also forces you to rest your hand on the mouse in an unnatural position due to the fear of the aforementioned nervous cursor.
All this is, is Microsoft ticking a comparison box for a useless device.
That sounds very intuitive. I think i like it, but what about left clicking?
And I agree it'll be annoying for most FPS, though if the gestures are re-programmable it *might* be as good as a regular programmable buttoned mouse.
In the picture, it looks like there is are proper left and right buttons. Unlike the Magic Mouse, where I guess you have to take your fingers off to click?
I'm still waiting for a keyboard with a pointing stick ;)
£50 isn't bad for a premium mouse but I bet that $80 will translate to £80 :(
it's perfect for a phone though
Word. I dig the mouse nipple on my ancient Thinkpad. Partly due to my horribly unergonomic setup, I would pay over $9000 for a keyboard with a stick/mouse nipple. Not for gaming, obviously, but most of the time, I don't need a full-blown mouse, and not everything can be done with kb shortcuts. That's not going to stop me from getting a Gigabyte mouse right about now, though, as I just can't take my ancient PS/2 ball mouse anymore. Which will also mark the first mouse I've bought that wasn't from $1/as is box at the local used computer parts store :D
I think the idea of a touch mouse is awful, but then I've never been a fan of Apple's 'innovations'.
I wonder if there will ever be a touch sensitive gaming mouse? I'm talking to you Razor! Of course include those custom profiles to set up different swipes for different actions; "swipe to reload" ;D