May 20, 2011 by Amy-Mae Elliott on Mashable
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging … now that’s positivenergy™. 
Product: Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse
Price: $69.95, but can be found online for $42.65
What It’s Good For: It’s good looking, travel-friendly and benefits from Microsoft‘s BlueTrack tech.
Who It’s Good For: Anyone stepping up from a boring old mouse, and digital nomads who want the best looking kit.
Limitations: It’s not a fully-fledged touch offering, and it takes a little getting used to.
Bottom Line: As a precursor to the forthcoming Microsoft Touch Mouse, the Arc Touch is tasty.
A Look at the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse
Microsoft has always enjoyed a good reputation for its hardware, but was perceived as lagging behind Apple when it took a whole year to offer an alternative the Magic Mouse. The Arc Touch, released late last year, is Microsoft’s flagship designer mouse. It bridges the gap between the previous Arc mouse and the forthcoming launch of the Touch Mouse, due this summer.
The Arc’s functionality comes from a touch strip, the silver bar on the front. It allows you to flick and scroll, tap to page up and down, and double tap to middle click. The touch strip takes a little getting used to, but does provide fast scrolling once you do. It’s great for navigating around websites or within documents. There’s also haptic feedback and associated sound that emulates an old scroll wheel. Some may find this comforting, but we found the sound an annoyance.
The buttons are nice and stiff, and Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology is fantastic for anyone who finds himself working on a variety of different surfaces — desktop, arm of the sofa, wooden floor, kitchen counter, duvet, etc. The mouse will track on virtually any surface.
As far as the design goes, the Arc Touch looks good. It’s the kind of aesthetic that gets a second glance in a coffee shop, and to give Microsoft its due, the cool design has not come at the price of comfort. The mouse feels good in your hand and is comfortable for day-long use. Thanks to its ability to fold flat, it’s also very travel friendly, with a slimline design that will easily slip into a pocket of your laptop case or bag. The wireless transmitter is so teeny-tiny you literally pop it into a USB port and forget about it. If you do need to transport it, it attaches (via the magic of magnetics) to the underside of the mouse.
Anyone looking for a gentle introduction to the wide world of touch-based mice will find the Arc Touch a pleasure to use and own, and only mildly challenging to get used to. Anyone who is already convinced touch is the future will do well to hold on for Microsoft’s forthcoming option.
Here, the mouse is shown with its wireless nano transmitter.
The curved design feels comfortable in the hand -- the silver bar is the touch strip which offers scrolling at the flick of a finger.
The design is pretty striking. The back end of the mouse boasts a soft-touch finish.
The Arc Touch folds flat for storage and when on the go.
The Arc Touch has a slim, travel-friendly profile.
The Arc Touch boasts Microsoft's "BlueTrack" tech which means it will work on any surface apart from glass.
Here you can see the ridges that make up the mouse's flexible design.
The 2.4GHz wireless transmitter is tiny.
Series Supported by Energizer®
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging. Energizer®has always been designed with performance and responsibility in mind … now that’s positivenergy™.
Source: Mashable
