October 20, 2008 No-one would deny that laptops are wonderful things. They’re portable, powerful and give us something to do on boring train rides or plane trips. But, like everything, they have their downsides and relying on a trackpad or micro-sized portable mouse to shift the mouse cursor around the screen is one of them. Now Microsoft, who makes some pretty decent keyboards and mice it has to be said, has introduced the Arc Mouse, which it says combines the comfort of a desktop mouse with the portability of a notebook mouse. This combination of form and function comes courtesy of a folding design, which allows the mouse to fold to 60% of its fully expanded size so it can fit easily into that laptop carry bag.
The Arc Mouse is wireless, unfortunately 2.4GHz with a USB micro-transceiver rather than Bluetooth, which provides a range of up to 30 ft. It also includes a scroll wheel, battery status indicator and an extra button on the left side of the device as well as the standard two topside buttons. Microsoft claims the Arc Mouse will run for over 6 months on three AAA batteries and the fact that it will turn itself off when in the folded position ensures the unit isn’t draining power while sitting in your bag.
Mice comfort tends to be a subjective thing for most people, but the Arc Mouse could well find a market by recognizing a specific need and filling it.
The Microsoft Arc Mouse is available now in red or black for USD$59.99.