Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse Highlights -
Pros: Innovative and stylish. Designed for mobility and portability.
Cons: Not ergonomic. Not suited for gaming.
From a productivity standpoint having the right mouse is as important as having the right computer system, especially for users who find themselves spending hours in front of a computer. This is because repetitive tasks, such as typing, clicking a mouse, or writing is known to cause Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) that can cause damage to a person's muscles, tendons, and nerves resulting in pain, weakness, numbness, or impairment. Anyone who uses a computer regularly is at risk. Therefore having an ergonomic mouse is very essential. An ergonomic designed mouse is meant to keep the hand posture as natural and efficient as possible. The Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse is one such mouse that shapes to the natural curve of your hand. But more than just ergonomics, the arc touch was designed with mobility in mind.
The form factor in itself is a bit unique. The arc touch mouse is flat in design as compared to a traditional mouse. This makes it ideal for mobile users as they can simply slip the mouse into the pocket of their laptop bag. The mouse takes minimum space and is very thin and light weight making it highly portable. To power on the mouse, users simply need to bend it into a full-sized arch-shape, and to power it off users just need to push it flat (i.e. the mouse automatically turns on when arched and off when flat). To us, this is a pretty cool design and works flawlessly. The mouse doesn't have a traditional scroll wheel. In its place, there is a small, touch-sensitive strip between the left and right buttons so users need to flick their fingers up or down in order to scroll. The touch strip is very responsive and even has a wonderful feedback mechanism in place that vibrates when users scroll with it. However, the settings are adjustable with software drivers if you find this annoying.
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The Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse is well built and folds back (to a flat position) with a reliable snap. The back is made of rubber and the top is glossy plastic. The mouse uses a Bluetooth connection to connect to the computer and doesn't require a USB port. To check if your computer has Bluetooth connectivity, please see instructions here. The power-efficiency of Bluetooth makes the mouse a perfect companion for smaller laptops where battery conservation is critical. Also, nowadays these laptops are equipped with fewer and fewer USB ports, so Bluetooth connectivity makes perfect sense as compared to having a traditional mouse where one dedicated USB port is always needed. The mouse uses Microsoft's BlueTrack Technology that combines the power of optical technology with the precision of laser tracking to use the mouse on virtually any surface, from a granite kitchen counter top to the living room carpet.
The mouse fits well in the hand and feels great. It doesn't cause any discomfort but as there is no proper place to rest your thumb, some people may find this annoying. To us the mouse doesn't feel all that ergonomic for regular use. The mouse measures 5.1 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches and weighs only 3.2 ounces.
ReviewsBucket's Verdict:
The Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse is one of the coolest looking computer accessories that we have seen. The design is very innovative and the fact that it turns off when you flatten it is a great battery saver. The on/off process is very intuitive. However, to us it is more suited for occasional use (as a portable mouse) rather than for everyday use. It is a clear winner as far as portability is concerned. Also, it is not completely ergonomically designed. It does shapes to the natural curve of the hand but there is no proper place to rest the thumb. If you want a solid, ergonomic mouse for extended use, you would be better off buying something like the Adesso iMouse E10 wireless mouse. However, if you’re looking for a portable mouse that works much better than the built-in pointing device on most laptops with Bluetooth connectivity, then Arc Touch is a fantastic choice.
Please note, there is also a Microsoft Surface edition of this mouse available - Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition. It is very similar, except that there is Microsoft Surface branding on the device and is dark gray in color.
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