Buying a Microsoft Arc Mouse??

my friend gave me a $50 giftcard for walmart and i've been planning to buy a new mice for my laptop. I was looking at the ms arc mouse which looks pretty nice until i read various reviews that the scroll wheel was prone to breaking and that the mouse itself generally becomes unresponsive in matter of months. Considering that many of the complaints that i have found and read were posted last year, Can anybody confirm that this is still a current issue ??

 

I can't speak for its reliability, but I can tell you that it's definitely not a very comfortable mouse. The side button is much further forward than you would expect, making it awkward to use, and the general shape isn't very ergonomic. The folding design and magnetic dongle are nice though.

 

Ive used both the R1 and R2 (older and newer editions) of the mouse and I can say that yes it is stylish but wow is it uncomfortable. Its design is less ergonomic than a bed made out of rock.

The first gen had trouble and never worked with any Toshiba Notebooks. Worked fine on everything else but overall I would say its not the most reliable mouse

 

Like e.g. the Revo VX, it's not designed as an 'everyday' mouse.

I found no functional issues with it, but I think you can do better for accuracy, features, durability and utility - although the portability features of the Arc are nice, such as the auto-shutoff on fold.

 

I own one of these mice, and I recommend that you pass on it. It's wonderfully stylish and I love the small USB transmitter and how it magnetically sits in a small recess inside the inner rear of the mouse. Heck, the shut off on fold is a great feature and makes the whole thing really portable. However, Vogelbung said it best above. I got used to using it in small bursts of time, but the buttons need to be pressed way in the front to actually activate and the back button is in a really awkward place (too far forward) not to mention that the back button is also a little too stiff to press easily.

My current favorite wireless notebook mouse is the Microsoft Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse 7000. It's going for $16.29 at Amazon.com, and if you have Amazon Prime you get free 2-day shipping. Anyway, what I like about it is that it's fairly small but still quite grippable and comfortable all around. The back and forward buttons run along the length of both sides of the mouse and are both easy to click and stay out of your way otherwise. The left and right buttons are very easy to press with the ability to click on one as far back as the near midpoint of the mouse. So if you're a fingertip or "second knuckle" clicker (as I am sometimes) you'll be more than fine. Oh, and one last thing: the mouse buttons themselves are very, very, very, very quiet and soft. This isn't to say they're squishy at all, just that somehow Microsoft made a mouse that is great for those of us who are married/live with a roommate/or just flat-out want to work in a quiet area (library, shared office, etc.). I really love this mouse.

Hope that helps!

 

Yeah - like anything, you have to be aware how you will actually be using it, otherwise it can be a waste of money.

Like people who buy hulking great big DTR's and lug them around because they couldn't make up their mind what they needed, or people who bought ultraportables because they thought the idea of something light was good, but which sits on the desk all the time and cramps their work.

If it is a fishing-out of the mouse every now and again because you need it on the move, the Arc is not a bad solution, and a tech talking point sometimes. But if this is going to be out on the desktop every day, you will want to consider something else.

Click on the link in my sig and look under Input Devices if you want to know what I use.

 

Well-put, Vogelbung! I wanted to mention that I tried my Arc Mouse again today, and I was wrong about how far forward you need to click the left and right buttons. I was wrong, and the buttons are clickable as far as the midpoint of the open mouse. I musta been thinking of some other mouse Even so, the Arc isn't a good everyday mouse, just as a portable one for occasional use.

 

i own the Microsoft Arc, I like it.. I don,t use it for extended periods though, but when I'm at my local internet Café with my netbook, it's perfect for an hour or two internet session!
Plus it's very stylish

 

I used to own one, and I can say, like others have said, it is very uncomfortable to the point where it actually hurt my hand. I could feel my hand muscles in tight tension after using it for more than an hour or two. I ended up buying another. In summary, that mouse is not worth the money.

 

arc sucks, it feels weird, you shouldnt play around with ergonomics and redefine mice without adequate research. hell that mouse is so frustrating to use...tut tut microsoft