Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse First Impressions

I'm starting to come around on Microsoft's series of Arc Touch products. No, the new Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse isn't the most ergonomic mouse choice available. But it is a very mobile option for those on the go, one that works much better than the built-in pointing device on most laptops. And I think that's the point.

As I noted previously in Microsoft Announces New Tablet Keyboard, Other Accessories, the Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse is a Bluetooth-based version of the popular Arc Touch Mouse that dispenses with the USB nubbin, freeing up a USB port.

That nubbin-less design is important because many modern Windows tablets, like the Surface Pro 3, only have a single USB port, making swapping between peripherals tedious.

The Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse ships in what appears to be Surface Pro 3 gray, until that is you place it next to the Surface Pro 3 and realize the color is a bit off.

Beyond the color, the Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse shares much in common with its predecessors, the Microsoft Arc Mouse Touch (2011) and Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition Review (2013). The same automatic on and off functionality, where you "crack" the mouse flat for travel. The same weird scrolling middle "wheel". The same AAA batteries. It's the same mouse. In gray.

Given my goal of traveling as lightly as possible, I appreciate the Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse's portability. I wouldn't try to use this daily, though I know that people not afflicted with my penchant for carpal tunnel syndrome would probably do just fine.

More soon, but the Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse is available now for $69.99. Head on over to Amazon and you can save $10: the online retailer is currently selling this mouse for just $58.