Microsoft proves the the mouse is alive and well by unveiling the Arc Touch Mouse, the first mouse designed to flatten for portability and pop up for comfort.

The new mouse features Microsoft's first touch scroll strip for easy navigation - just move a finger slowly for controlled scrolling or flick for hyperfast scrolling. Windows-based PC users will love packing up their laptop bags without the added bump of a mouse, as the Arc Touch Mouse flattens with just the touch of a finger.

Designed for mobile PC users, the Arc Touch Mouse is less than 15 millimeters thick at its widest point to easily slip into a bag, purse or pocket. It also goes from curved to flat with one simple movement - just collapse the Arc Touch Mouse to turn it off, and pop it up to turn on.

With the Arc Touch Mouse's touch strip, users can take control of their scrolling with a flick of a finger. Using a capacitive sensing technique and sensor pads, the strip corresponds to each position and velocity change to give users controlled scrolling no matter how fast or slow the movement. Move a finger slowly on the strip for controlled scrolling, or flick a finger for hyperfast scrolling that can be stopped with just a simple tap. The strip also has three tap "buttons" for added functionality: page up, page down and the middle click area, which is reprogrammable for whatever mouse function the user needs most. Switching from a scroll wheel to a touch strip is made easier with haptics, a vibration technology that simulates the bumps users would feel while using a traditional scroll wheel.



The Arc Touch Mouse is also equipped with BlueTrack Technology, letting consumers track on virtually any surface, and a tiny magnetic snap-in Nano transceiver stores on the bottom of the mouse. Two AAA batteries give the Arc Touch Mouse more than six months of battery life, and the two-color battery life indicators let people know when the power is running low.

Arc Touch Mouse will be available for the estimated retail price of $69.95 (U.S.). It is available now for presale on Amazon.com, BestBuy.com and Buy.com, and it will ship in early December in time for the U.S. holiday season. It will be broadly available online and in stores in January 2011.

Microsoft backs this mouse with a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty.