At the 2011 CES show in Vegas, Microsoft unveiled the Touch Mouse, a new multitouch device designed for Windows 7 that lets people click, flick, scroll and swipe, making it easy and fun to interact with their PCs. The guys over at ZDNet have put together a nice little review about this mouse and it looks like it is something worth looking at.
Born from the Mouse 2.0 project conducted by Microsoft Research and the Applied Sciences Group, the Touch Mouse combines the virtues of a mouse with the rich natural language of gesture that lets people interact with Windows 7 in a more intuitive way. This mouse is different compared to the Explorer Touch Mouse, which Microsoft announced a while back. Microsoft claims the Touch Mouse is an “advanced peripheral.”
The package comes with the mouse, two AA batteries, a USB receiver, and a USB extension cord. The Touch Mouse does not utilize Bluetooth.
As far as features go, this mouse is designed for Windows 7 use only. “Technically, the device is somewhat supported by Windows Vista and XP, but the only touch gesture supported is center scrolling. Thus, it’s not really worth it to spend they money on this mouse if you don’t have Windows 7,” ZDNet states.
“In terms of different uses, I found the Touch Mouse to be more responsive and helpful when browsing and doing word processing. However, I found it to be a little harder to control when editing photos, so I would not recommend this device for designers,” ZDNet explains.
The bottom line is this. If you want a mouse that offers multi-touch gestures for navigation, this is the mouse for you. It will be available beginning August 11th for $79.95.
Head over to ZDNet for the full review.
