Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse Review

Arc 2.0 Design
While the overall shape and appearance is very similar to that of the original Arc mouse, the all new MS Arc Touch is not simply a product refresh with one new feature. In what is a very bold move Microsoft Arc Touch mouse is almost completely different in all the key areas. Please don't get me wrong, on a quick cursory glance the two generations of Arc mice do look very similar. They have the same overall "arc" design where only the front and back of the mouse actually touch and thus have very similar ergonomics and handling characteristics; but in the actual function of this mouse they are radically different.

MS Arc Touch Mouse in its signature arc position.

The biggest change is in how they transform their shape for storage. With the original Arc, the mouse basically was hinged in the center and turned from a long and tall full size mouse into a fairly compact ball (or a clam). This was certainly interesting and unique, but when you are dealing with a laptop bag, storage length is not an issue but width is an issue; and boy did the original Arc take up a lot of room in a laptop bag! Microsoft may take a lot of flak, but one thing they actually do very well is listen to their customers; and when their customers told them in no uncertain terms that the original "compact" design was extremely flawed at its intended purpose of making it easier to travel with... Microsoft listened! The all new MS Arc Touch does not fold into a ball, rather it flattens out and looks a lot like a cell phone! Basically you push gently down on the center peak of the curve and the Microsoft Arc Touch gets longer but much thinner! This is a brilliant move as my laptop case has plenty of additional length (as my laptop is a 15" model) but not much spare depth (as I don't own a ultra thin macbook air)! Slipping this bad boy in along side of laptop really is a heck of a lot easier than it would be with finding room for a frickin' ball!

This compares the new MS Arc Touch Mouse (black) with the original Arc wireless mouse released in 2008.

As an added bonus when you fold it flat or pop it back up into position this action acts as a on/off switch turning off (or on) the mouse. MS claims you can get upwards of 6 months off of one set of batteries. Even better is the fact that it uses standard AAA batteries which are not only easy to replace but easy to find at even a gas station late on a Saturday night.

Back of the MS Arc Touch Mouse.

Of course where this is a wireless mouse it comes with a small 2.4GHz nano-transceiver which MS claims is good for about 30 feet. I don't know about 30 feet but it easily worked from across my 25 foot room with no noticeable lag in responsiveness. To help out all us road warriors, MS designed the rear half of the MS Arc Touch with magnets so this itty-bitty transceiver can be stored with the mouse (and stays put). While I am not a fond lover of the idea of magnets and computer equipment, the magnets are not exactly super powerful and only are strong enough to keep the transceiver in place - but nothing more - so this is not a deal breaker as far as I am concerned. As an added bonus the size of the transceiver is microscopic compared to the original's, making it easy to install the transceiver in your laptop's free USB port and then simply leave it there (as it doesn't stick out enough to get snagged on things while in transit).

MS Arc Touch Mouse's wireless USB dongle (middle).

Where this is a new mouse, Microsoft opted for their high end "BlueTrack" laser & sensor technology. This laser and sensor combination allows for accurate tracking on near any time of surface. This is a great thing to have in a laptop as any road warrior will tell you: you don't always have access to a mouse pad and anything from a boardroom's table to the top of your leather brief case can and will be used in a pinch. While I did not try it out on glass I did try it out on near everything from highly polished, high gloss wood to the top of my attaché case and it tracked amazingly well on everything.

Sadly there is one area that MS improved upon and yet still royally screwed up. The key area I am talking about is in the control buttons included. The original Microsoft Arc had your typical left, right, buttons, wheel and one side button for input control; sadly the Microsoft Arc Touch only has the main left and right and touch sensitive bar for a wheel. Yes MS in their infinite wisdom removed the side button! Instead of adding a second button they really did go and give it less input controls. Side buttons really are crucial this day and age; and as the old song goes "you don't know what you got till it's gone"! I caught myself numerous times searching for these missing buttons with my thumb until I remember they were removed. This is not a good thing.

On the positive side, Microsoft removed the wheel and replaced it with a pretty nifty silver touch sensitive bar. If you want to scroll up you simply slide your finger upwards. To scroll down you slide your finger downwards and supports accelerated scrolling which just requires you to flick your finger up or down to get it scrolling like a madman! Making things even better is the fact that Microsoft included vibration feedback which helps mimic the feedback you would get from a typical "click" wheel; heck it even makes a clicking sound when you use the "wheel"! If you don't like this physical and audio feedback, it can be turned off via the software. It is simple, easy and very intuitive; and the fact that the silver contrasts nicely with the glossy black buttons and matte black arch is just icing on the cake. If only this mouse had those thumb buttons and I would truly be happy.