It’s the best touch experience on Windows yet. No surprise, ’cause Microsoft’s designed the Touch Mouse’s drivers and software, which is what really ties everything together. The ergonomics are quite solid too – unlike the Magic Mouse, which is passable, but not great. As you can guess, the hatches dotted all over the mouse mark the touch area.
The list of gestures is quite familiar:
• One finger scrolls in any direction inside of a window
• Swiping your thumb up and down acts like the back and forward buttons common on Windows mice
• Two fingers to the left or right activates Aero Snap, pinning the selected window to the side; two fingers up or down minimizes or opens minimised windows
• Three fingers – wait for it – activates a Mac OS X Expose-like view, showing all of your windows in a neat grid.
Why, oh why, can we only get these gestures with the Touch Mouse and not natively? (To boot, the Touch Mouse is for Windows 7 only.) An Expose ripoff is the one thing that’s been missing from Windows 7′s Aero interface, but right now it’s only part of the Intellimouse software package that comes with the Touch Mouse. The Touch Mouse shows exactly how touch should work in Windows, but all too often doesn’t, like in HP’s Envy.
It’s a little pricey at $US80 when it comes out in June, but for a taste of what touch should be like in Windows, it could be worth it. [Microsoft]
Peter Simpson
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 10:46 AMAre we really going to waste materials for capacitive displays on mice? Bad enough it going on home appliances, which shit you off every time you accidentally stroke a “button”
Jon
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 11:37 AMMagic mouse passable?……are you kidding me! It’s an awesome design. It’s comfortable, it delivers exactly what it sets out to, and is a hell of a lot more stylish then Microsoft’s rip off. Passable my eye!
The trouble with Microsoft is that they always feel the need to make everything idiot proof. The hatched surface on this new mouse to denote the touch sensitive area is another classic example. It’s totally unnecessary to identify the touch sensitive zone when you consider the design of the mouse itself; with a high point that nestles into your palm it’s not like people are going to be trying to scroll the mouse on its bulbous arse! Unless of course you’re some sort of idiot that uses the mouse backwards…..oh but wait, Microsoft squared off the front end to eliminate any confusion there too.
Sammy
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:13 PMJohn, are you using the same magic mouse as i used to? yes i agree its a nice design, but not much else. whats with the ski’s on the bottom?? note to apple… mice need to move sideways just as easily as forward & back! using it was a horrid experience so i went back to a regular corded mouse :)
James Mac
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 1:06 PMSee the problem is the Apple use style as a justification and design principle for everything.
Form follows function for a damn good reason
Neil Nuttall
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 1:06 PMJon, You are just not aware of the “genius” of some of the idiots out there. I am aware of a Mac user who’s first experience with any type of PC was one of the original Macs. Not having used a mouse before she used her “logic” that mice (the cheese munching ones) have their tails at the bottom, so that’s how she used the mouse (up-side-down, with cable at the bottom). Brings new meaning to “Think Different(ly)” doesn’t it?
As for it being a rip-off of the Magic Mouse, the Touch Mouse is the result of MS Research’s Mouse 2.0 project that started in ’09.
They tried some pretty radical ideas, check it out: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/about/feature/touch_mouse.aspx
eclipse
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 1:45 PMThe apple magic mouse is horrible – much too flat for a normal hand. I was given one at work to use and only lasted an hour before my wrist and hand was extremely uncomfortable. Got the IT guys to swap for a much plainer logitech mouse the next day. Not as pretty but at least it doesn’t cause RSI and carpel tunnel syndrome.
wsDK_II
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 1:46 PMThe apply magic mouse is just another glossy dump from App$e, being really annoying to use at the same time. The Microsoft mouse looks really good!
David Choy
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 11:20 PMLOL that’s exactly what I’d expect from a Telstra employee. Just as “easy to use” as the telstra website and so unlike the “glossy dump” copycat telstra stores designed exactly like Apple stores minus the actual service. Is anyone at telstra have anything other than an MCSE certificate?
boc
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 5:07 PM@Jon
“The trouble with Microsoft is that they always feel the need to make everything idiot proof.”
I believe you’re describing your beloved Apple there.
For more than a decade the most important aspect of mouse design has been ergonomics. Apple ignore that with pretty much every one of their mouse designs.
Indeed, great design …
What I’m curious about is can I rest my fingers on the mouse without it thinking I’m trying to press a “button”.
Paul
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 2:28 PMMicrosoft have always done mice well. I bought a Microsoft trackball mouse years ago, great design and lasted years. I have 2 magic mice – one I bought when they came out and another I got with my last imac. Not a great mouse.
The Apple trackpad on the other hand I LOVE.
Rod
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 4:14 PMI wonder how games will handle a touch scroll wheel? (or a touch anything, for that matter)
P.Russell
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 4:41 PMthe mouse may be better than apple magic mouse, but that just show microsoft has no innovative. they always live under the shadow of apple. looking at all what microsoft has to offer now, that just reminds me of something apple already had a few years ago. apple is always a leader and microsoft a follower..i’ve been using microsoft products for more than than 10 year until i started using apple products 2 years ago….. and will never look back
olearymo
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 5:25 PMYeah, Apple has much more ‘innovative’ (I believe you mean ‘innovation’). Like, the Apple XBox, and the Apple Kinect… and how Apple invented touchscreens, and TOTALLY didn’t do it after Microsoft had been using them (albeit crappy versions) for 10 years.
Apple doesn’t innovate. Apple improves. It does it wonderfully, but there’s no innovation.
Touchpads – already existed
HDD Mp3 players – already existed
PDA/music player phones – already existed
The list goes on. Apple made those things MUCH better. But they didn’t invent them.
Rj
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 5:49 PMBoth of these devices may work well, or not, but I have a problem with them. I have arthritis in my fingers and I have found the finger actions required. I.e. Bending your finger back toward your hand quite difficult as the movement is over too small an area.
Bill
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 6:46 PMMagic mouse? That’s the worst mouse I’ve ever used, it is incredibly annoying. This applies to all capacitive mice. You can’t rest your finger on the so called button. Same for every capacitive touch button. bloody annoying.
Bud
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 5:46 AMFor those that has/are using an Apple Magic Mouse…use the program called Better Touch Tool. See if that’ll change your mind. :]