Obviously, the release doesn’t have to anything with the recent developments from Apple and its multi-touch mouse right? (Uhm, right?) 😉
Sarcasm aside though, Microsoft has come up with some pretty awesome concepts for their Mouse 2.0. Obtained by Engadget, photos and a video from Microsoft Research show five unique multi-touch mice with each device using a different touch method.
First and probably the wildest, is the Arty Mouse which has two arms to your thumb and index finger and a pad for your wrist. Each one is equipped with optical mouse sensors to track movements.
Following Arty in its, uhm, uniqueness, is the Side Mouse. This device features no buttons at all and relies on a proximity-sensing technology (SideSight) that detect multi-finger touches in the table infront of the palm rest.
The Cap Mouse is another prototype device from Microsoft. It uses capacitive touch-sensing electrodes to track fingertips’ positions along the surface of the device.
Both the Orb Mouse and the Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) Mouse rely on internal camera to track movements.
So when will they become available to the public? Probably not in the very near future. However, if you are so keen on having a multi-touch mouse, you can rejoice coz Microsoft arch rival Apple and its Mighty Mouse might come out as early as this year. 😉
