By EverythingUSB
Presumably in response to the Apple Magic Mouse which mates a multi-touch touchpad to the top surface of a desktop mouse, we now have access to Microsoft’s take on the idea. The almost all-terrain BluTrack laser is heart of the Microsoft Touch Mouse and its performance isn’t in question. The BluTrack system is a proven performer on just about any surface and only sips on batteries delivering long life. The top of the mouse, from the button area to the rear palm-swell are all touch sensitive. With two thirds of the mouse being touch sensitive, Redmond has delivered a handful (pun-intended) of gestures to leave that old school, mechanical, 3 button number in the dust.
The gestures are enabled by software, which are currently only available for Windows 7. They are not currently highly configurable but that may change over time. There are only about 10 available gestures including single finger scrolling and a clever forward/backward thumb control. Custom gestures are not currently on the road map for this device but software upgrades and later models may evolve to this function. Only recently available to consumers, previous impressions were from brief exposures at trade shows and have been mixed. While many have been ready for the touch enabled surface, many are hesitant once they feel the absence of tactile buttons. For a more thorough review of how it fared after prolonged use surf over to Everything USB.
