Are you a Windows user? Tired of traditional two button mice? Want something like the Apple Magic Mouse (Multi-Touch)?
The Microsoft Touch Mouse is one of the few touch mice available for Windows users. The mouse supports one, two, and three finger gestures for a variety of common tasks, such as managing windows and navigating the web. The mouse is priced at $79.95, making it more expensive than Apple’s mouse and the most expensive Microsoft-branded mouse. Is it worth the money?
This product was independently purchased and not provided as a review unit.
The Touch Mouse in its original packaging
Hardware
The surface of the mouse is entirely black. The touch sensitive areas are marked with gray crosses. It is very comfortable to use and I found it to be just the right size.
The Touch Mouse
The base of the mouse is white with a blue optical tracking light. There is also a slot to store the USB nano-receiver.
Base of the Touch Mouse
The mouse uses 2 AA batteries, which are included in the package. I was able to get 3 weeks of usage (8+ hours daily) using the included batteries.
Clicking and Gestures
The entire mouse is clickable. Because it is all one button, the mouse uses touch to detect whether you are left clicking or right clicking. In order to make a right click, you need to lift your finger off the left side and then click on the right side. Leaving two fingers on the mouse would result in a left click, even if you intended for a right click. Furthermore, if your normally keep two fingers on the mouse at the same time, gesture might accidentally be activated sometimes as you move your hand. For example, accidentally minimizing all windows can become problematic. Depending on how you’re used to using a mouse, the Touch Mouse could take a while to get used to.
I was a bit disappointed that there is no middle click by default. I use middle click all the time to quickly close tabs. A swipe gesture can also be assigned to middle click, but its not the same as having a physical button. An app called Touch Mouse Mate (no longer being developed) adds a middle click gesture by tapping with two fingers (left and right side).
Gestures worked well and I found them to be particularly useful when dealing with numerous open windows. However, I found that three finger swipes often fail to register when performed near the bottom edge of the touch area of the mouse.
Show all windows gesture on Windows 8 (Default: Three finger swipe up on Windows 7)
The Touch Mouse supports inertial scrolling. Flicking with one finger rapidly scrolls. The speed can be configured. This worked well in most applications, but caused issues in others. One application in particular that this scrolling does not work well with is Adobe Photoshop (horizontal scrolling bounces the scroll bar, but not the actual page) and the Windows 8 Task Manager (scrolling simply does not work). There is a list in the options that you can add applications that don’t scroll well with the mouse, but it still doesn’t work for many apps (including Photoshop and Task Manager).
Software
The mouse relies on two pieces of software: Microsoft IntelliPoint and the Mouse and Keyboard Center. For touch gestures to work properly, the IntelliPoint process must be kept running in the background. This process seems to constantly consume a bit of CPU power whenever the mouse is being used (not idle). An IntelliType process also runs, although it can be safely removed from startup if you don’t use a Microsoft keyboard.
The Mouse and Keyboard Center continues the Touch Mouse’s settings.
The Touch Mouse was originally designed for Windows 7, but it also works great on Windows 8.
Customization options were originally extremely limited. Gestures could not be customized. You can only enable or disable the default gestures (Windows 7):
- One finger scroll
- Thumb swipe left/right – Navigate back and forward
- Two fingers up/down – Maximize and minimize current window
- Two fingers left/right – Aero Snap to sides
- Three fingers up – Reveal all windows
- Three fingers down – Minimize all windows
With the release of Windows 8, an optional update to Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center is now available on Windows Update. This updates adds many useful features, most notably the customization of gestures and the addition of Windows 8 specific commands.
Gestures can now be customized – Windows 8 shown here
Gestures greatly improve Windows 8′s usability with a mouse. The default gestures on the new operating system are optimized for the new Start screen and full screen apps but they can be customized for the Desktop instead:
- One finger scroll
- Thumb swipe left/right – Navigate back and forward
- Two fingers up and down – Show and hide app commands
- Two fingers right – Switch between recent apps
- Two fingers left – Open charms panel
- Three fingers up and down – Zoom in and out
If a command isn’t available, a gesture can also be assigned to a keyboard shortcut. For example, a gesture can be assigned to Ctrl+T to open a new browser tab.
Assigned a gesture to a keyboard shortcut
Unfortunately, there are no options to customize gestures on a per-app basis. Only actions for left and right click can be customized.
App specific settings are limited to the left and right buttons
The mouse also has its own sensor API SDK for developers.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Touch Mouse is an excellent mouse, but it’s not for everyone. Before making the purchase, think about how you use a mouse and the computer. If you always keep multiple fingers on your mouse at once, you might experience trouble with this mouse (accidentally activating gestures and trouble right clicking). This mouse is great if you frequently open and use numerous windows at once or use multiple monitors.
The price tag of $79.95 is very difficult to justify and I don’t believe its worth the price. You’re better off getting a regular wireless mouse for a lot less. However, the Touch Mouse is available on Amazon.com (where I purchased mine) for less than 40 dollars (over 50% off the retail price). This discounted price is much more justifiable.
What do you think of the Microsoft Touch Mouse? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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