Watch Microsoft's Multi-Touch Mice In Action!

[Hooch Tan]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.on10.net/blogs/larry/This-May-Be-Your-Next-Mouse/' target='_blank'>http://www.on10.net/blogs/larry/Thi...our-Next-Mouse/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Today at the User Interface Software and Technology Conference, Microsoft will show five new mouse prototypes that combine normal mousing with multitouch controls. Here is a video that gives you a brief introduction to each of the controls."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//dht/auto/1255116857.usr20447.png" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>A video has surfaced that demonstrates Microsoft's foray into multi-touch mice and how they can be used in different applications.&nbsp; The demos are somewhat interesting, but I think that it is the finger gestures that they demonstrate that could have the most potential in real world applications.&nbsp; Watching the hand do awkward things like pinching and stretching on a mouse looks painful to me, and not something that I would relish doing repeatedly.&nbsp; And while multi-touch actions are useful, putting those on a mouse seems counter-intuitive to me, since it is a step removed from the actual object you're interacting with; why not just do those actions right on the screen itself?&nbsp; Flicks and twists though, look much more natural, and I could see those being more quickly accepted.&nbsp; Anyone going to rush out the moment these, or something like them, go on sale?</p>

[ptyork]

Maybe I'm too old to "get it", but none of this seems necessary to me. I can kinda-sorta get excited about twisting; it makes for a neat demo of touch, but how often do we actually twist stuff on our screens?? I also can see how it could make side scrolling more intuitive, but that swipe is far less "natural" on the hands than the standard vertical scroll "flip" (using the wheel). AND, I really don't like that I'd have actions initiated simply by resting my fingers. I'm sure I'd retrain myself, but I spend much of my browsing time with my right hand relaxing on my mouse ready to scroll or click. My fingers are touching the buttons to avoid fatiguing. This is fine with tactile buttons, but not so good for multi-touch.

Just my 2+ cents.

[Rob Alexander]

I agree with the first comment on the linked site under the video. I would much rather have a simple glass multi-touch pad on my desk. This looks very cumbersome to me.

[Eriq Cook]

The more I think about it, using the multi-touch gestures would become kind of a pain. I like "resting" my hand on a mouse, using as little finger movement as possible. It looks like a great idea, but doubt MOST people will embrace.