Review: Microsoft Touch Mouse combining multi-touch gestures with pinpoint control

The Touch based mouse from Microsoft makes navigating Windows 7 a breeze. It offers many useful multi-touch gestures in a sleek and comfortable design. The mouse introduced in August 2011 is a direct competitor for the Apple Magic Mouse and combines enhanced gestures and touch functionality. It is designed to make navigating of Windows 7 as smooth as with a notebook touchpad.

Microsoft Touch Mouse

What is it?

It is a wonderful offering from Microsoft, which will force you to replace your standard desktop mouse. If you favor touchpad over a mouse on the computer, then this is for you. It allows you to handle scrolling, docking with fingers and minimizing/maximizing. Let us look on the specifications, features, advantages, and disadvantages.

Key features

Before reading ahead anymore, know that the mouse is especially optimized for Windows 7. If you are a Mac user then please do not waste your time. It also supports Windows XP and Vista to a certain level and the only supported touch gesture is the center scrolling. Overall, if you do not have Windows 7 do not waste your money by purchasing the device.

The mouse features smooth corners and a comfortable slide to relax your hand and wrist. The touch sensitive chassis gives seamless movement and fits perfectly in your hand. The surface of the mouse is made of matte plastic and has rows of raised x’s and dots. These rows outline the multi touch part of the mouse surface. A shallow groove separates the left and right clicks. At the bottom, there is space for two AA batteries covered with a shiny plastic surface. You can also keep the USB transceiver in a space given in the bottom. There is also a switch to power on/off the mouse and a blue glowing LED that indicates whether the mouse is powered or not. On the mouse, there is blue track sensor and Nano-transceiver slot.

Let us assume that you are using Windows 7 then the mouse is easy to use without any learning. The mouse comes in a very beautiful package. Once you will open it, there will the mouse standing upright, user documentation, batteries and a wireless dongle. Plug in the thumbnail sized wireless dongle to your PC and insert batteries in the mouse. The drivers needed to run the mouse will install automatically and it will be ready to work. You will see a beautiful introductory practice session that will help you to learn the multi touch gestures and use the Touch Mouse.

What’s innovative

The touch mouse has nothing new except some of the touch gestures. There is a similar product already in the market with the name of Apple Magic Mouse and this is an official answer to Apple from Microsoft.

Price and availability

The mouse is currently available and the price starts from $49.99 and goes until $79.99 depending on the stores.

Accessories

With the mouse, you will get a USB receiver, two alkaline AA batteries, and a USB extension for anyone who is using the mouse with a large computer tower.

The up side

The Microsoft Touch Mouse provides excellent touch based navigation that is compatible with all the Windows 7. It offers full gesture support, works for both left and right-handed users, and provides hyper scrolling. The mouse is capable to work on every surface and remains very comfortable in hand. Last, but not the least, the looks-the sleek and attractive design can make other mouse jealous.

The down side

You can face a tough time distinguishing between left and right click. The scrolling sometimes goes sloppy and it does not support any other operating systems properly except Windows 7. You can use the mouse only for gentle use, it is not recommended for games and gamers.

Our experience

We like the Touch Mouse for the complementary and thoughtful gestures that simplifies the movement in Windows 7 applications.

The bottom line

If you are looking for a mouse equivalent to Apple’s Magic Mouse, which can be unique and useful as a pointing device, then find yours from the nearby electronic outlet. This has all the qualities that you are looking for, a best touch mouse you can buy for your PC.