This weekend I decided to run out and pick up one of Microsoft Hardware’s new BlueTrack mice. I grabbed the Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse which is perfect for folks who are on the go with their laptops. Both the Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse and the Microsoft Explorer Mouse (for desktop PCs) are available this month at Best Buy stores. The difference between the 2 is the Microsoft Explorer Mouse is slightly bigger and rechargeable.
Microsoft BlueTrack Technology is a brand new technology for mice designed to work on more surfaces than both optical and laser mice. So how does BlueTrack Technology work? It uses a Microsoft-designed image sensor to generate a high contract image of the surface in which the mouse is on. This allows for greatly improved tracking accuracy. The BlueTrack “light beam” from the bottom of the mice is 4 times as large as the lasers used in today’s laser mice. Because of this, mice using BlueTrack Technology can be used on difficult surfaces such as granite, carpet, or wood.
The Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse package come with of course the mouse and USB transceiver as well as a neat cloth carrier and a disc with the Microsoft IntelliPoint 6.3 software. The cloth carrier has the BlueTrack logo on it.
The design for the mouse is comfortable with 2 customizable buttons on the left side. The USB transceiver “snaps” into the bottom of the mouse and when it’s snapped in, it turns off the mouse so it doesn’t use battery life when not in use. Here are a few shots of the mouse.
I also compared the Explorer Mini Mouse with the Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 and Arc Mouse.
The Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse is certainly a mouse you should look at if you’re looking for one especially with the advantages of BlueTrack Technology.