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A picture of the arc mouse in action -- the new mouse will be about standard size, with a hollowed out underbody, which will allow it to fold for storage. It will retail for $59.95.  (Source: Microsoft)

The arc mouse folds for compact storage, a feat never before seen in the worrld of mice.  (Source: Microsoft)
The future of mice arrives this year

It’s not every day that you see a mouse design that really makes you do a double-take.  Truth be told, many mice do little to excite.  While some performance-oriented gaming companies have debuted special mice with adjustable weighting, high accuracy scanning, and extra buttons; most mice look remarkably similar.


Among these modest mice department, as well as in gaming, Microsoft has long done quite well, with a solid line of utilitarian offerings.  Now Microsoft is looking to go in a different, more radical direction, and is sending shock-waves through the peripherals market following its announcement of a wild new design.

Microsoft will release an unusual design appropriately titled the arc mouse.  This wireless mouse features a curved form that is hollowed on its underside, allowing it to bend closed for ultra-compact storage.  The new design will debut in time for the 2008 holiday season.

Microsoft describes the new product stating:

Featuring a revolutionary new design shaped like a crescent moon, Arc folds closed to reduce in size by almost half, giving consumers the comfort of a full-sized mouse with the portability of a notebook mouse. Arc is all about the fashion edge, with a stylish micro transceiver that you can leave right in your computer and it’s available in two colors – red or black. It’s the perfect gift for the trendsetter on the list. MSRP: $59.95

While the new mouse will likely operate in a pretty standard fashion, it's the look that really stands out.  The design almost leaves one to wonder whether the mouse will tip or have balancing issues during use.  However, if Microsoft can perfect its design, it may have the iPod of the mouse world ready for sale just in time for the holiday season.

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What?
By KaiserCSS on 7/13/2008 9:30:57 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
The future of mice arrives this year

quote:
...it may have the iPod of the mouse world ready for sale just in time for the holiday season.


These comments verge on irritating.

How is a redesigned mouse supposed to live up to those claims? So it looks different. What does it offer in terms of functionality? For $60, I'd venture to guess not a whole lot more than your typical optical mouse. Besides that, the Gyration mouse had a similar shape.

Something tells me this design most certainly will not change the world of mice design. I'm perfectly content with my mouse. Some silly folding mouse isn't going to make me go, "Oh! Look at that! I HAVE to have that!"

The "iPod" of mice. Indeed.




RE: What?
By Gul Westfale on 7/13/2008 12:00:45 PM , Rating: 4
this article was written by jason mick. when you hang out here as much as i do, you actually start recognising which articles were written by him just by reading the title. he should apply for a job at the national enquirer, or the pentagon... or apple :)


RE: What?
By bigboxes on 7/13/2008 6:47:04 PM , Rating: 1
Enough of the author bashing. Let's concentrate the discussion on the actual product and not your disdain for the writer.


RE: What?
By Gul Westfale on 7/13/2008 10:56:31 PM , Rating: 1
my disdain for the writer stems from his love of sensationalist tactics, such as exaggerating the importance/relevance of the stuff he writes about. maybe he does it because he gets a bonus if an article generates lots of responses? whatever the case, he seems to be the only one here who does that, and it's annoying.


RE: What?
By Myg on 7/14/2008 4:20:27 AM , Rating: 5
He gets quite a bit of attention for it, and I am sure he enjoys said attention; a lot.

Best course of action: If you don't like it, don't hit up his blogs anymore.


RE: What?
By Ringold on 7/14/2008 4:47:30 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Best course of action: If you don't like it, don't hit up his blogs anymore.


Minor point; for the moment, this article is under news, not blog.


RE: What?
By chiadog on 7/14/2008 1:53:46 PM , Rating: 2
I usually recognize an article written by him by the huge amount of links to other DT articles :p


RE: What?
By G2cool on 7/18/2008 12:58:35 PM , Rating: 3
Or the action shots of Steve Balmer :)


RE: What?
By Visual on 7/14/2008 3:41:39 AM , Rating: 5
well, these comments may be irritating but they are also true. maybe. kinda.

i mean, it is a future design, as in, it has not been done in the past or available currently.

and also, it may indeed be the ipod of mice - just like the ipod was a completely ordinary mp3 player with a little unusual design (touch wheel) and way too much hype.


RE: What?
By audiomaniaca on 7/18/2008 11:24:58 AM , Rating: 2
I agree this mouse has nothing special but a new design, BUT, I'm pretty sure a lot of people, including you, would be saying different things if it had a fruit on it.


Some of you are missing the point...
By PointlesS on 7/13/2008 12:12:53 PM , Rating: 3
millions of people are willing to spend hours in line to spend hundreds of dollars on a phone and increased service charges...$60 for a mouse that looks cool is nothing...these days there's a lot more people who are willing to go with form over function...

with that said considering no one here has even touched the thing it's impossible to really tell how it feels...how well it works and so on...while I don't think it's as innovative as the article mentions...it certainly won't be replacing my mx518 that's for sure...but for people who care about looks this may be perfect for them...




RE: Some of you are missing the point...
By Darkefire on 7/13/2008 12:46:56 PM , Rating: 2
Beauty knows no pain, after all. And with that mouse, you'll have plenty of the ergonomic and budgetary varieties to go around.


RE: Some of you are missing the point...
By JonnyDough on 7/13/2008 6:24:19 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
Beauty knows no pain...


...until you get the flesh on the underside of your hand pinched in your mouse.

It's really not that hard to fathom.

Your boss walks in and you jump out of your chair, not realizing your mouse is still clasped in your hand. In attempting to hide the mouse, you close it in your palm.

As you go to set it back down, shaking from nearly being caught looking at porn while at work, you clumsily trip over your office chair leg and your weight shifts forward.

Bracing yourself with your outstretched hand gripping that beautiful mouse (not quite as beautiful as the XXX woman you hiding in your minimized window) you realize too late that it is only partially open.

The mouse opens fully, pinching the skin of your palm between it's hinges as your weight pushes downward on it, tearing away a small piece of flesh.

But what really ticks you off isn't the blood your hand is weeping. What upsets you most is that now you'll have to use your other hand for awhile, and it's just not as good.
Err, I meant with the mouse.


RE: Some of you are missing the point...
By JimmyC on 7/14/2008 11:43:20 PM , Rating: 2
Bravo sir, you are the Bruce Springstein of DailyTech.


By JonnyDough on 7/16/2008 7:22:08 AM , Rating: 2
The hell?!! I can't be Ricki Martin?!! Damnit! Well, you can't have it all.


By malatory on 7/14/2008 4:42:51 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
with that said considering no one here has even touched the thing it's impossible to really tell how it feels...how well it works and so on...while I don't think it's as innovative as the article mentions...it certainly won't be replacing my mx518 that's for sure...but for people who care about looks this may be perfect for them...


ewll my hand cramped up just looking at the mouse, and thoughts of how many fingers are going to get pinched at you back over the crevis in your desk and it closes on you.

I will stick with my normal mouse.


By malatory on 7/14/2008 4:43:04 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
with that said considering no one here has even touched the thing it's impossible to really tell how it feels...how well it works and so on...while I don't think it's as innovative as the article mentions...it certainly won't be replacing my mx518 that's for sure...but for people who care about looks this may be perfect for them...


well my hand cramped up just looking at the mouse, and thoughts of how many fingers are going to get pinched at you back over the crevis in your desk and it closes on you.

I will stick with my normal mouse.


disappointing
By sirdowny on 7/13/2008 10:12:41 AM , Rating: 5
I saw the title and got excited... but this is "the future of mice"...? Really...?

They're touting the folding feature "for storage"? Really, do you save that much room by folding the stupid thing a little?

This is just kinda dumb imho.




RE: disappointing
By mmntech on 7/13/08, Rating: 0
RE: disappointing
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 7/13/2008 12:09:29 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
Make it look fancy, call it innovative, but it's really no different from their previous products.

I think you described Apple there.


RE: disappointing
By jonmcc33 on 7/13/2008 4:57:17 PM , Rating: 2
I'd give you a +1 if I could but you're all maxed out!


RE: disappointing
By inperfectdarkness on 7/13/2008 10:30:27 PM , Rating: 2
my cordless "Street Mouse" is way cooler than that, even though it doesn't do anything extra functionally.

http://www.ministryofgadgets.com/assets/product/la...


Ergonomics
By AnnihilatorX on 7/13/2008 8:27:47 AM , Rating: 2
Well to be honest I don't see how that's going to be ergonomic despite being big.

If someone would like both portability and ergonomics I would think one needs to invent inflatable mice :)




RE: Ergonomics
By nosfe on 7/13/2008 8:35:19 AM , Rating: 4
RE: Ergonomics
By KaiserCSS on 7/13/2008 9:22:17 AM , Rating: 3
O_O

Every day, my eyes are opened just a little wider thanks to the internet.


the one to top
By Stacey Melissa on 7/13/2008 11:04:08 AM , Rating: 3
Did MS suddenly decide to try topping the Apple puck?




RE: the one to top
By peritusONE on 7/13/2008 11:28:56 AM , Rating: 3
It was the author of this article that decided to bring Apple into the picture (for some reason).


Air-Go(nomic)
By kake on 7/13/2008 9:34:41 AM , Rating: 3
The biggest upside of this new design that I can see is that it will allow me to wrap it up into a little ball and be able to hurl it across the room with less atmospheric resistance than a standard mouse when Windows asks me for the fiftieth time in the last hour if I'm really damned sure I really want to do what I've just asked of it.

Computers are so soulless and impersonal, it's wonderful that Microsoft is providing a way to do the old 'crumple up the offending piece of paper and chuck it viciously' stress reliever. Kudos, design team.




RE: Air-Go(nomic)
By ultimaone on 7/13/2008 11:02:46 AM , Rating: 2
lol that was a great post

i had a friend who'd smash his keyboard and throw his corded mouse at times....

really a folding mouse....for space....i think its called
buying a smaller mouse, with that arch, i'm not sure it'll be all that ergonomically


By slashbinslashbash on 7/13/2008 4:25:07 PM , Rating: 2
I am mostly a Mac user, but I love Microsoft's peripherals. I have owned probably 4 versions of the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard, and now am enjoying the Natural Wireless Mouse 7000. I have tried other keyboards, trackballs, etc. but I keep coming back to the Microsoft ones. The MS input devices are usually better designed, more comfortable, and more durable than any competitor's that I have tried.

So why hasn't Microsoft figured out that people like Bluetooth for its simplicity and robustness, and hate using wireless dongles that hang out of your USB ports? Arrrrgh! With the current MS Wireless Keyboard and Mouse setup on my Mac, the connectivity is mostly pretty good, but it is far from perfect. Every once in a while it will drop out, just a little bit, or double some letters that I've typed, or pick up the mouse movement but not the mouse clicks. I have used BlueTooth peripherals (both Apple's and others') and have had none of these problems.




By kelmon on 7/14/2008 2:58:19 AM , Rating: 2
This is a fair point. Trying to find a good mobile mouse that doesn't involve a sodding dongle is very difficult and, when I was searching for one a couple of years ago, I ended going with a Logitech VX Revolution mouse, despite the dongle. Given that Bluetooth is so prevalent in laptops today (and has been for years), I'm honestly surprised that RF appears to be favoured over it by mouse manufacturers. While my preferred mouse manufacturer for many years since Windows 3.1 has been Microsoft, during the last purchase I couldn't find anything from them that represented a good mobile mouse that was compatible with my MacBook Pro. Ideally, I just want Logitech to make a VX Revolution model with Bluetooth since the mouse is otherwise ideal - it's a good size with good features and the excellent wheel. The only problem with it, aside from the dongle, are the shockingly bad drivers that Logitech makes for the Mac such that I end up using a 3rd party driver (SteerMouse, incidentally).

Come on, let's see some good Bluetooth mice!


Hoorah
By Hieyeck on 7/14/2008 5:56:56 AM , Rating: 2
Articles like these keep reminding me I should check the author first before getting excited. Leave it to Mick to talk up something completely and utterly horrible (Begs the question why he hasn't been fired yet).

A. This mouse looks like a piece of shit.
B. This mouse is poorly designed. it's arc is too high to be comfortable.
C. It's just a folding mouse. Not a mouse that'll bring about the end of the world (unless the president decides to click the 'launch all nukes' button with this mouse).

And before someone rates me down for knocking Mick... "...a feat never before seen in the worrld of mice." Are you SERIOUS? Sensationalist much.




RE: Hoorah
By Icelight on 7/15/2008 10:43:47 AM , Rating: 2
It's Micktastic.© All Rights Reserved 2008 Icelight-Corp


Typo...
By voodooboy on 7/14/2008 4:33:13 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The arc mouse folds for compact storage, a feat never before seen in the world of mice. (Source: Microsoft)




RE: Typo...
By Clauzii on 7/14/2008 8:14:54 PM , Rating: 2
It was not so much the spelling mistake, but rather that OF COURSE nobody made a folding mouse before. It's stupid.

Unless the Cell phone is in there too.


Looks unstable
By bigboxes on 7/13/2008 6:50:53 PM , Rating: 3
Ergonomics is important to me. This looks like it would be top heavy and fall on it's side with quick side to side movement. I prefer function over form.




Sturdy when unfolded?
By nineball9 on 7/13/2008 1:19:40 PM , Rating: 2
Probably fine for general use, but when the first hostile creature pops out from the shadows, I wonder if I'd break the back of the mouse reacting.




Dumb idea
By marsbound2024 on 7/13/2008 1:23:41 PM , Rating: 2
Ok, I would not want to be dragging that thing across my desktop, it looks like it would either cause surface abrasions on the desk or generally cause too much friction for smooth movement. And the whole folding thing doesn't make much since. I think business-oriented individuals will just go for the compact mice intended for notebooks. These mice are already quite small.

The mouse doesn't do anything any other mouse wouldn't. Apart from perhaps doubling as an ice-scraper in winter.




Interesting!
By Stinky007 on 7/13/2008 1:47:13 PM , Rating: 2
I think the only thing wrong with this mouse is the price.
Apart from that, this is probably the first portable notebook mouse that I would use as I have big hands so I can barely use small notebook mice and I don't like touchpads either. I'm sure there are plenty of people in my situation, too bad not many of them would be willing to pay $60 for a mouse.
Don't compare Microsoft with Apple on this one because if this mouse would have been an Apple product it would have had one button, no wheel, shiny white color and of course it would have been small enough to sodomize oneself without any pain whatsoever!




It might be nice to touch,
By Clauzii on 7/13/2008 9:17:25 PM , Rating: 2
.. but I don't think a whole days work with this is gould for the handand/or arm.

Considering using all that effort to design something nice, who in their sane mind stores it away???




naah
By Chernobyl68 on 7/14/2008 1:32:08 AM , Rating: 2
No thanks, I'll keep my logitech trackman trackball.




By excrucio on 7/18/2008 5:43:30 PM , Rating: 2
"The arc mouse folds for compact storage, a feat never before seen in the worrld of mice. (Source: Microsoft)"

JK...it's just a typo. <3




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