I decided to treat myself to a new mouse. My requirements were simple, a wanted a mouse that would match my Apple Keyboard aesthetically when on my desk but also be portable enough to take with me when I am working out of the office.
Well to match the Apple Keyboard it needed to be white and it needed to be stylish. Luckily for me Microsoft of all companies have produced the perfect match - the Microsoft Arc Mouse.
The Microsoft Arc mouse is a wireless laser mouse running off two AAA batteries. The benefit of the Arc Mouse is that it is nearly a full size mouse which means it is comfortable for long periods of use. However it works well as a notebook mouse because to turn the mouse off you simply fold it in half making it more travel-friendly.The mouse uses a wireless USB receiver that's thumbnail size. This receiver is so small that when plugged into the USB port on my Apple Keyboard it cannot be seen unless you flip the keyboard over. A clever feature of the mouse is that there is a small, magnetic cradle on the underside of the tail portion that folds in, to hold the tiny USB receiver. When the mouse is collapsed, the tail portion secures the receiver, ensuring you will never lose your adapter when traveling. You also get a small pouch with a magnetic clasp to protect the mouse when it's thrown into your bag.
The quality of the mouse is very impressive, it feels very study considering that it is an arc shape as opposed to the solid mouse you normally use. The hinge mechanism also feels very well put together. Straight out of the box, it felt very sensitive and a bit fast for my taste. On the other side, users with cramped work spaces, like a small table in a coffee shop, will be able to make good use of a little bit of space. However you can adjust the speed. Once adjusted it handled nicely. It cruised across a desk surface smoothly on three glide pads, and the laser is precise. The only drawback I have found with the Arc mouse is that the side 'back' button is just to far forward for me to reach with my thumb, it could do with being a few millimeters back.
When I bought the Arc Mouse I noticed Microsoft advertising their new BlueTrack technology. This new tracking technology which is only available from Microsoft claims to let you use a mouse anywhere and work with confidence on more surfaces than ever before. BlueTrack combines the power of optical with the precision of laser, allowing you to mouse on virtually any surface—from a granite counter top to an airport bench to your living-room carpet. This sounds a great feature for a Notebook mouse. Unfortunately the Arc Mouse doesn't use this technology and they don't make a white mouse with the BlueTrack technology. However I was interested to give this technology a try so I purchased the Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse.
The Microsoft Explorer Mini mouse is like your traditional notebook mouse, it's wireless running off a single AA battery. The USB adapter is depressingly large, compared to the tiny adapter that comes with Arc mouse. Again this adapter connects to the base of the mouse to turn the mouse off when transporting the device. Compared to the Arc mouse though it uses a snap in holder as opposed to the magnetic holder, so the supplied bag with magnetic clasp definitely comes in handy to ensure you don't lose the adapter.
I have to say I am impressed with the BlueTrack technology, the mouse has worked well on practically every surface I have tried. I can see this as a real benefit to mobile workers where you sometimes don't have a choice of surface to work on. I have a glass desk at home and have found that optical mice don't work what so ever, laser is okay but judders a bit, but BlueTrack actually works.
One cool but totally useless feature is the under-mouse lighting which illuminates an arc shape at the base of the mouse in a cool blue halo for about 10 seconds. The little BlueTrack logo also illuminates. This happens when the mouse is first turned on and activates again if the mouse has not been used for awhile.
I like the mouse, it is comfortable and feels well made, there is a twist to the right of the body which for me at least makes the phone fit snugly into your hand. However compared to the Arc mouse the quality does not seem in the same league, I think Microsoft have used cheaper plastics in its manufacture. It feels smaller than the Arc mouse, but that's because it is.
Overall I like both devices, but out of the two devices I have to say the Arc mouse is my favourite. The BlueTrack technology is impressive but on a normal office surface it doesn't have that much of an edge on the laser in the Arc mouse. On other surfaces the BlueTrack wins hands down, but for me 90% of it's use will be in an office. I like the look of the Explorer Mini mouse, even the blue light effect which makes it look like its floating, well for 10 seconds anyway. I think the how the USB adapter fits into the Arc mouse is clever and when compared it makes the Explorer Mini mouse look dated. It's a nice looking mouse but it still looks like a standard mouse, the Arc mouse looks more modern and most importantly it comes in white and matches my Apple Keyboard.
Well to match the Apple Keyboard it needed to be white and it needed to be stylish. Luckily for me Microsoft of all companies have produced the perfect match - the Microsoft Arc Mouse.
The Microsoft Arc mouse is a wireless laser mouse running off two AAA batteries. The benefit of the Arc Mouse is that it is nearly a full size mouse which means it is comfortable for long periods of use. However it works well as a notebook mouse because to turn the mouse off you simply fold it in half making it more travel-friendly.The mouse uses a wireless USB receiver that's thumbnail size. This receiver is so small that when plugged into the USB port on my Apple Keyboard it cannot be seen unless you flip the keyboard over. A clever feature of the mouse is that there is a small, magnetic cradle on the underside of the tail portion that folds in, to hold the tiny USB receiver. When the mouse is collapsed, the tail portion secures the receiver, ensuring you will never lose your adapter when traveling. You also get a small pouch with a magnetic clasp to protect the mouse when it's thrown into your bag.
The quality of the mouse is very impressive, it feels very study considering that it is an arc shape as opposed to the solid mouse you normally use. The hinge mechanism also feels very well put together. Straight out of the box, it felt very sensitive and a bit fast for my taste. On the other side, users with cramped work spaces, like a small table in a coffee shop, will be able to make good use of a little bit of space. However you can adjust the speed. Once adjusted it handled nicely. It cruised across a desk surface smoothly on three glide pads, and the laser is precise. The only drawback I have found with the Arc mouse is that the side 'back' button is just to far forward for me to reach with my thumb, it could do with being a few millimeters back.
When I bought the Arc Mouse I noticed Microsoft advertising their new BlueTrack technology. This new tracking technology which is only available from Microsoft claims to let you use a mouse anywhere and work with confidence on more surfaces than ever before. BlueTrack combines the power of optical with the precision of laser, allowing you to mouse on virtually any surface—from a granite counter top to an airport bench to your living-room carpet. This sounds a great feature for a Notebook mouse. Unfortunately the Arc Mouse doesn't use this technology and they don't make a white mouse with the BlueTrack technology. However I was interested to give this technology a try so I purchased the Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse.
The Microsoft Explorer Mini mouse is like your traditional notebook mouse, it's wireless running off a single AA battery. The USB adapter is depressingly large, compared to the tiny adapter that comes with Arc mouse. Again this adapter connects to the base of the mouse to turn the mouse off when transporting the device. Compared to the Arc mouse though it uses a snap in holder as opposed to the magnetic holder, so the supplied bag with magnetic clasp definitely comes in handy to ensure you don't lose the adapter.
I have to say I am impressed with the BlueTrack technology, the mouse has worked well on practically every surface I have tried. I can see this as a real benefit to mobile workers where you sometimes don't have a choice of surface to work on. I have a glass desk at home and have found that optical mice don't work what so ever, laser is okay but judders a bit, but BlueTrack actually works.
One cool but totally useless feature is the under-mouse lighting which illuminates an arc shape at the base of the mouse in a cool blue halo for about 10 seconds. The little BlueTrack logo also illuminates. This happens when the mouse is first turned on and activates again if the mouse has not been used for awhile.
I like the mouse, it is comfortable and feels well made, there is a twist to the right of the body which for me at least makes the phone fit snugly into your hand. However compared to the Arc mouse the quality does not seem in the same league, I think Microsoft have used cheaper plastics in its manufacture. It feels smaller than the Arc mouse, but that's because it is.
Overall I like both devices, but out of the two devices I have to say the Arc mouse is my favourite. The BlueTrack technology is impressive but on a normal office surface it doesn't have that much of an edge on the laser in the Arc mouse. On other surfaces the BlueTrack wins hands down, but for me 90% of it's use will be in an office. I like the look of the Explorer Mini mouse, even the blue light effect which makes it look like its floating, well for 10 seconds anyway. I think the how the USB adapter fits into the Arc mouse is clever and when compared it makes the Explorer Mini mouse look dated. It's a nice looking mouse but it still looks like a standard mouse, the Arc mouse looks more modern and most importantly it comes in white and matches my Apple Keyboard.
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