The Arc Touch Mouse actually makes me excited about a mouse. That might be a first.

While it's been around for a little bit, I finally got to check out Microsoft's Arc Touch mouse in person and uh...is it strange to be coveting a mouse?

 

The Arc Touch Mouse now makes pretty much any mouse you've ever used in your life look like one of those Motorola bricks from 1992. It's flat and thin and slightly elongated, but when you bend it into an arc, snap bracelet style, it turns on and becomes functional and comfortable in your palm.

There's a strip up the center that works as a scroll bar, or you can click along with a few other simple actions to activate various functions like autoscroll. You can also assign your own function to the middle-click, which is pretty cool.  And while I haven't tried this part myself, it's designed to track on all kinds of surfaces, so you can skip the mouse pad; in fact it's even meant to work on a pant leg or the armrest of your airplane chair.

Just think how handy it is to have a flat mouse to slide into your laptop sleeve or accessories pocket without bulking it up when you're on the road. (I always hate when accessories in my case bang into my hip when I walk.) And with nice battery life, it really is perfect for travel.


If you're looking for something with a little more personality than black, there's a sangria red, a funky dragon design, and shown here, a gorgeous white and floral Oh Joy Arc Touch Mouse designed by one of our favorite bloggers and design gurus.

While tech has to be functional first and foremost, I'm always a sucker for it when it's pretty too. -Liz

Learn more about the Arc Touch Mouse on the Microsoft site and get a fantastic price on the black mouse at our affiliate Amazon for $39.86. You can also find the designer Oh Joy Arc Touch Mouse for $59.95.

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