I’m a mouse user. From my original Macintosh (we didn’t abbreviate it when it first came out) to even my laptops today, I disown the track pads and always cart a mouse around with me.
That’s always led me to a conundrum, almost from the get go all laptops have had bluetooth — yet few bluetooth mice have existed, and fewer still are what I would want to use on a day-to-date basis (I mean after all, if I’m moving from a track pad I want to go to something … better, right?).
Enter Microsoft. As a hardware designer and builder of last resort Microsoft has always played this chicken-and-the-egg role of creating software that uses hardware that doesn’t exist and hoping that the industry will come running to fulfill the space. In many if not most cases that hasn’t been the case (other than perhaps the original PC and Laptops).
Microsoft has designed Video Conference Gear, Tablets, Phones (although one might think Nokia designed the Windows Phones Microsoft in reality greatly subsided the manufacturer of these devices through generous O/S rebate programs) and even…. the lowly mouse.
Microsoft has released many mice (meece?) over the years but perhaps my favorite was the Arc mouse.
Beautiful in its simplicity the Arc mouse (available in both dongle connect as well as a pure bluetooth model) solves multiple problems that you might not even have known you had! The mouse itself is arc shaped except when you push down on it hard it flattens out and turns off. Thus finally we have a mouse that both travels well in laptop cases (no bulge, it’s flat) and also is smart enough to “turn off” when you flatten it.
The bluetooth version connects upon bending it back into an Arc and let’s face it; after a long day nothing is more satisfying than putting the laptop away and “smashing” a mouse with one’s fist!
Another amazing engineering design add is replacing the normal mouse roller with a tactile oblong square that emulates the best feature of a track pad, you simply scroll your finger along this small surface and you get instant scrolling — but more refined and controlled then through a roller. And let’s face it, more cool and more fun. This truly is a flat mouse — no balls at all!
The Arc mouse is available in bluetooth and dongle varieties so make sure you order right. At around $30 (you pay around a $10 premium for the bluetooth version at $42) it’s a cheap way to upgrade your PC or Laptop and make it more fun.
But what happens when the manufacturing industry finally grabs on to a good idea and starts to make their own versions? Well, it’s taken a long time but finally the Arc has a competitor. It may not at first seem quite as, well, beautiful but while a little more “square” it has some amazing extras that take the engineering feat Microsoft originally dictated to the the next level.
Welcome to the Lenovo Dual Mode Touch Mouse (N700). An interesting take on the mouse that I must say — I love.
This device has a simple switch (thank you, no programming, no secret patterns of click this hold that) to switch between the enclosed dongle or Bluetooth mode. Right now I’m using this in dongle mode and haven’t used it yet as a Bluetooth mouse (some bluetooth pairings can be awfully tricky with Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, look for future comments on whether this is as seamless as the dongle).
So you plug in the dongle, put two batteries in the mouse (included) and what do you get? A rival in accuracy to the Microsoft Arc.
Alas you can’t just smack this flat (I really hope I remember this), instead you twist the body to flatten it for travel). While distinctly bulkier than the Microsoft mouse in thickness it appears to be as if not more accurate and is actually a little smaller overall. On today’s desktops that are pressed for every inch of space, much less while traveling, this is probably a good trade-off.
Featuring the same track pad center scroll as well as the left and right buttons as the Microsoft Arc, it also features a Windows key built into the track pad.
Just click the track pad and you instantly are brought to the Windows 10 (or 8.1) menu — just like clicking the Windows key on your keyboard.
Way cool! Instead of pausing and looking for a key that no one has quite memorized on the kayboard, you have your finger resting on the menu control all the time.
So far this mouse works as well as the Microsoft version and I’m looking forward to clicking a switch to bluetooth and tossing this in my laptop bag for my first road trip with it.
Look for updates and let me know your experiences and favorite mice too.
Rating: I’d give this 5 stars, maybe a slight ding for not looking as beautiful as the standard set by Microsoft but a extra bonus right back on for being dual purpose, slightly smaller and having the built-in windows key.
Would I buy again: Yes!
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