Arc Touch Mouse Launch
After much anticipation, we are excited to announce the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse! You might have seen the teases we shared on Twitter –we were trying to get you thinking about things that were flat and when you see this mouse you’ll know why. Some of the creative responses we got surprised us!
You can see, Arc Touch is all about innovative design. The mouse is not dead as some articles have said recently, but needs are evolving. Most of us now use our PCs and mice in new ways and new places. In talking to notebook PC users, we realized we needed to find a way for the mouse to transition easier from place to place. This mouse completely flattens for portability to easily fit in your pocket or laptop bag, and also bends for comfortable use. This mouse is perfect for the person on-the-go that doesn’t want to compromise on style.
Aside from the design, one of my favorite features is the new touch strip that was put in the mouse for controlled scrolling with just the flick of a finger. Now I can quickly scroll through my inbox and stop on a dime with a quick tap on the middle of the strip. I do this a lot while I’m thinking or on a phone call.
From fidgeting with the mouse and popping it up from lying flat to the new scroll, this mouse is truly in a category all its own. And it might be too early to think about for some, but we know there are a lot of you out there getting your holiday lists ready so put Arc Touch on it! Pre-orders start today on Amazon.com, Buy.com and BestBuy.com and will be shipped this December.
Check out more information at www.arctouchmouse.com, and let us know what you think!
Various blogs had suggested this product is based on Microsoft’s “Mouse 2.0″ research. As a result, many folks including myself thought this would be multi-touch. You may want to contact some of these sites and set the story straight.
9:09 am JohnCz
why should we buy any mice when trying to report a hardware failure for replacment can’t be done? for two weeks i’ve been getting the same message when i try to submit my case.
“Our system is not responding right now. We apologize for the inconvenience. Our technical team has been alerted and is working on resolving the problem.”
is this by design?
2:57 pm gary
Looks interesting
3:05 pm Brent Morris
@JohnCz Thanks for keeping an eye out for us. We’ve been working to make sure most folks understand the features of this new mouse.
6:44 pm Hardware Team
@gary Thank you for letting us know and we apologize about this issue. We want to make sure our customer support is in working order and will forward your input to the rest of our team.
6:45 pm Hardware Team
Touchpads suck – so true. problem with a traditional mouse, and this one,
u need extra space to use it. I’ve been using a Swiftpoint mouse for last
month or so……only mouse I can use on my lap when I’m sitting on the
couch.. and it rox! got mine at http://www.futuremouse,com for same price as this
one..
12:58 am markhntr
Why no bluetooth? Microsoft has been making some pretty interesting looking mice lately, but i’ll never get the opportunity to experience any of them because they’re not available with bluetooth.
I have been a faithful MS mouse user since all the way back to the original Intellimouse. I’ve had just about every variant of MS mouse at some point. Looking around my home based workshop as i type this comment, i count 7 different MS mouse models, 9 MS mice in all, 5 of those are notebook bluetooth mice.
After using bluetooth mice, i wont use anything but, i dont know why Microsoft isnt making more of them, if i had it my way, you would only produce bluetooth mice. making regular RF wireless mice is senseless, especially for notebook portable use, having to give up a USB port, having something sticking out of my laptop that i will inevitably break and so on.
I know people complain about troubling pairing bluetooth hardware, but thats their own problem, maybe they should learn a little more about the hardware they’re trying to operate, because its really not hard to do, its a no brainer really.
@gary – call Microsoft Supplemental and Replacement Parts 800-360-7561, speak with a live person and replacement is a breeze. I’ve done it many times. honestly i didn’t even know there was an online method of replacement until i read your comments on this blog.
6:18 pm Walter Brown
This mouse actually results in using the scroll bar more than my previous mouse. This mouse wheel scrolls in chucks and the control panel does not allow me to set the size of the chunck. The chunks are too big so I have to now use the scroll bars where before the wheel worked fine. Since my old mouse died I guess I have to go and buy another.
7:48 am Tom Groszko
I don’t know I find mice like these gimmicky. I doubt to ever see it on sites like The Best Mouse but who knows some people really like their laptop trackpads.
11:22 pm Alex
@Walter Brown Thanks for your comment! We wanted this product to be available to as many consumers as possible, and not all notebooks have Bluetooth. 2.4GHz wireless technology still offers many of the same benefits of Bluetooth, including less interference, but it’s more affordable and can be used with any laptop with a USB port. We also include Nano transceivers in many of our notebook mice which is so small you never need to take it out of the USB port.
4:59 pm Hardware Team
Bluetooth version please!
People who can’t pair bluetooth devices, probably aren’t your market for a fancy portable mouse. Hardcore road warriors and gadget freaks are. They tend to be able to pair devices and to turn off bluetooth sleep, assuming your drivers or whatnot aren’t smart enough to do that already.
Bluetooth Arc Mouse! Make it! I’ll buy two.
1:35 pm John Deppe
@John Deppe Thanks for sharing your input! We’ll pass it along to the rest of the team.
5:30 pm Hardware Team
Where can I get such mouse apart from Amazon and Buy at? I haven’t seen such mouse in any shops.
I’ve used http://ecomputershops.com to find a shop which sell such mouses but no luck.
2:34 pm Anthony
@Anthony – Do you live in the US? You can buy the mouse through Microsoft Store, Amazon and Staples in the US.
5:55 pm Hardware Team
I bought an arc touch mouse and I have lost the piece that goes into the port and I am not sure how to buy a replacement and a spare for that part. Suggestions? For the hardwareteam’s info, for years I used Microsoft’s mini-mouse because women have smaller hands than men but no one makes a mouse for women – and that mouse was a perfect size. I bought your arc touch mouse since a wireless mouse is of course more conveneient espeecially if you work outside an office but it is a little big (long)- You should consider creating a mouse for women – women appreciate when tech is made just for their size (not pretend that item is “unisex”)and are very loyal (easily retained). With as many women as men using devices requiring mice and the fit of the mouse is particularly important you would think there would be one. Thanks
6:06 am MM
Hey MM – Give warranty support a call. The number in the US is (800)-360-7561. For Canadian warranty support, call (800)-933-4750. Or see this KB article for more information: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326246
9:54 pm Hardware Team
I also lost my USB transceiver – the darn little thing is supposed to attach to the mouse with a small magnet, but it doesn’t hold well, and finally fell off somewhere.
I called the number listed above, but they have to charge me for a complete kit, since they can’t replace the transceiver alone… so I might as well just go buy a whole new kit at my local store. What a waste, since my mouse is almost new, to have to toss it.
11:00 pm Cap’n Kirk
Hi Kirk – Is the mouse still under warranty?
9:34 pm Hardware Team