Angus Kidman11 September 2008, 10:43 AM
Alright, the last one is a lie and technically the new mice are blue beam, not BluRay, but Microsoft Hardware's new devices are interesting nonetheless.
You've got to give Microsoft perversity points. It waits until the day that Apple announces new iPod models, an event which normally sweeps aside every other story on technology sites worldwide, and then rolls out a major refresh of its hardware line-up.
Perhaps there's a more subtle message. One of the new products is the Arc Mouse, a crescent moon-shaped mouse which can be folded up for easy transport. I'm sure Steve Ballmer would welcome the opportunity to moon Steve Jobs under any circumstances. The Arc hits Australian shelves in December for around $100.
The big background change has been the introduction of BlueTrack, which combines optical and laser technology to ensure that mice can perform in a wide variety of circumstances. "It works where mice using laser technology may struggle, powering over common roadblocks such as granite benchtops," Microsoft boasts. But really, when did you last try and use a mouse on a granite benchtop?
"BlueTrack really is the four-wheel drive of mice," Microsoft ANZ mouse and keyboards product manager Julia Nicholls said in the product announcement. Whether that means that everyone else will hate them and they'll consume too much energy is for now an open question.
All jokes aside, enhancing mouse performance is still a sensible goal, especially as BlueTrack enlarges the size of the beam produced by the mouse, which should improve accuracy. BlueTrack will be included in the Explorer and Mini mouse models, both of which will have a glowing blue base. Very Tron. Similarly futuristic: they're also not out until December, at prices of $129.95 and $99.95 respectively.
Also on the upgrade track are some of Microsoft's wireless keyboards. The Wireless Media Desktop 1000 and the Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 (the latter bundled with a mouse) are due to hit stores in October, priced at $79.95 and $149.95 respectively.
Microsoft's keyboards and mice and generally well-regarded (certainly compared to Windows Vista, but then what isn't?). Nonetheless, I've never been able to escape the personal conviction that the driver software for its LifeCam wecams was written by Beelzebub. As such, two new features Microsoft is adding to the range — video messages for Windows Live subscribers and LifeCam Gadgets for Vista users — will be sitting in my "probably not" basket until Microsoft can demonstrate that it has got its coding house in order.
On the hardware front, the improvements are more obvious. The impressively slim LifeCam Show ($179.95, out in October) uses magnets to clip to specially designed desktop and laptop stands, which is a better approach than the bulldog-style clips found on most webcams. The cheaper VX-550 ($99.95) substitutes design for magnetism, with a set of three interchangeable faceplates in red, white and blue. I'd suggest that sounds facile, but if Apple can get headlines out of devices in different colours, why not Microsoft?