Microsoft Arc Mouse Review
Its shaped is so sensuous isn’t it? The arc just seems so graceful and fluid. But is it ergonomically functional? This new Arc Mouse from Microsoft gets a review from Crunch Gear.
The mouse will sell for $50 once released.
The folding “tail” conceals the extremely small receiver, attached by a small magnet. Flipping out the tail alerts the mouse that it’s about to be used, and it switches on. It’s elegant and it works great. It runs on plain old AAAs, two of them, which should last it a good long while. Setting up was a piece of cake on both my Mac and my PC. Like all MS mice now, it uses the Microsoft Mouse software, which as I have mentioned before is functional at best and buggy at worst (I’m dealing with some weird issues that aren’t the Arc Mouse’s fault). Considering the rather fragile nature of the design, it feels relatively solid, although I wouldn’t use it as a hammer (like I would the Sidewinder X6).
Mouse motion is decent, no jiggly cursor or jumping around. It has a laser sensor but not one of the new Bluetrack ones, but that doesn’t hold it back in most situations. Strangely, the sensor is placed slightly right of center, which makes the motion less natural than if it were directly centered or on the left side of the mouse. As always, you get used to it after a while.
I think this is a great little mouse. It has an eye-catching look that doubles as a practical design for travel, and it feels good to use. The only problem is that it costs about $50, a good deal more than what most mini mice run for. I think it’s worth the price, personally, as it’s my go-to mouse now for grabbing to take with me to the coffee shop or what have you and I have a lot at my disposal.
