Hands-on with BlueTrack
Do you have a surface in your home that your mouse just won’t work on? Maybe it’s you’re desk, maybe it’s your couch, maybe it’s even your floor. It’s a small nuisance in life but it’s something we’ve all gotten used to. The bright minds at Microsoft weren’t content with ponying around a mousepad to their living rooms or kitchen tables anymore. They took this surface conundrum as a challenge — What could they do to work around the age old problem of optical and laser mice and incompatible surfaces? The answer: BlueTrack.
BlueTrack makes use of a blue laser that’s wider in scope than those found in traditional laser and optical mice. This allows it to work on a wide range of surfaces that other mice would never have dreamed to go.
At a recent Microsoft event in Toronto I was fortunate enough to get to test drive the Explorer and Explorer Mini, the first two mice to feature BlueTrack technology that should be hitting retail shelves this October. The slogan for this tech, “BlueTrack Works Here,” couldn’t be more apt. Stickers with this motto were on just about every surface at the event, and everywhere I tried the mouse tracked with near 100% accuracy. Wood, marble, granite — even the leather couched we were sitting at. As I type this, I’m forced to use a clunky mousepad to compensate for my desk’s total lack of mouse friendliness. As a target market for BlueTrack, I couldn’t have been more impressed.
Outside of the BlueTrack, the Explorer and Explorer Mini offered a few other features that were pretty ingenious. For example, storing the wireless USB adapter in the bottom of the mouse automatically triggers the power supply, saving you precious battery life. The mice also ship with a rechargable AA battery and a compact charger — great news for anyone who’s had the experience of a laggy and power hungry mouse.
For factor and price are the only real difference between the Explorer and Explorer Mini. Both have a very comfortable ergonomic design, with the Explorer weighing in at an MSRP of $89.95 and the Explorer Mini at $69.95. Expect to see both of these bad boys (and our full review) in October.
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