Microsoft's Touch Mouse Updated for Windows 8

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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May 9, 2000
Messages
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Well, that didn’t take that long: Microsoft finally fulfilled its promise made last February of upgrading software for the Touch Mouse. Mouse and Keyboard Center 2.0 is now available for download.

Existing Touch Mouse users can now take advantage of a variety of multitouch gestures in Windows 8, including two finger movements to manage apps and display the Windows 8 charms.
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Though it's great that the touch mouse can now twiddle you charms and tickle your "apps" with two fingers, I would have thought that an update to support Windows 8 would just have been a repeted notification in the form of an on screen pop-up that would instruct users to throw their interface devices away since productivity is futile on the new OS no matter what you try plugging into it.
 
SkribbelKat said:
Though it's great that the touch mouse can now twiddle you charms and tickle your "apps" with two fingers, I would have thought that an update to support Windows 8 would just have been a repeted notification in the form of an on screen pop-up that would instruct users to throw their interface devices away since productivity is futile on the new OS no matter what you try plugging into it.
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You said exactly what I was going to say...freaky...
 
JoeUser said:
You said exactly what I was going to say...freaky...
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Great minds think alike? Does that mean that you're also feeling a little fat after looking in the bathroom mirror, but still pondering the idea of making some muffins and are planning to cuddle your kitteh?
 
I have this mouse and installed the new version Friday and overall it's nice. Touch sensitivity seems to be improved and a bug with right clicking seems to have been finally cleared up. App switching is very fast and works well. One problem is that the app movement is only one way, swiping to the left with two fingers brings up the Charms Bar. If you have two or more monitors the app switching will occur the screen with the current Modern UI app focus.

Scrolling with the mouse works well but some apps seem a little too sensitive by default, but there is a way to setup scrolling on a per app basis. The scrolling momentum is a nice touch (pun intended), momentum scrolling helps a lot in with the Start Screen.

It would be nice to have some more gestures for things like brgining up the Start Screen and some kind of method of being to switch apps Alt-Tab style that allows navigation been both desktop and Modern UI apps.

I guess there will be those that will say this is a sales pitch but I'm still amazed at the number of people that post in Windows 8 threads that don't use it or in this case are talking about a mouse they've never even touched, again pun intended.
 
Is this for people with laptops without trackpads? :p

Pretty much all laptops have the multi touch thing now, and desktops wont need this crap. If they do, then it kind of proves what a badly designed UI Windows 8 is.
 
DeathPrincess said:
Pretty much all laptops have the multi touch thing now, and desktops wont need this crap. If they do, then it kind of proves what a badly designed UI Windows 8 is.
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So desktop users don't have any use for things like easy horizontal or momentum scrolling?
 
heatlesssun said:
So desktop users don't have any use for things like easy horizontal or momentum scrolling?
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Why would anyone have any use for a less controlled scrolling method? You are sacrificing control for lack of control for nothing. If you want to scroll faster, turn up the scroll setting or make the wheel go faster? It's 1:1 control. Mice also have a few advantages over this thing, like other physical buttons that are quicker to use (I hate things without forward/back buttons on the thumb now, and don't pretend "oh I can do a gesture swipe in less time and effort it takes to press a button!!! Because that would be a filthy lie. :p")

The mouse I have has horizontal scrolling, as do pretty much all Logitech mice (even the bottom end ones) and several other brands, though TBH I don't use it really ever as computer stuff apart from a few rare exceptions goes up and down. Even the silly start screen scrolls left and right with an up and down control on the wheel. So horizontal controls are a bit useless, even when availible, though I do macro stuff to the controls in games...
 
Windows 8 does is designed with you in mind. Your needs were carefully considered by the design team and Microsoft determined that interface devices aren't necessary because they know you're not really going to do anything useful with it anyhow. One of the greatest advances in Windows 8 is that you can now turn it on without getting error messages about how you don't have a keyboard or mouse connected. They know you're only going to type stupid stuff so why even bother? :)
 
heatlesssun said:
So desktop users don't have any use for things like easy horizontal or momentum scrolling?
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If you're on a desktop, W8 is useless. Especially if you're already running W7. For the love of God, let it go...for everyone's sanity...
 
DeathPrincess said:
Why would anyone have any use for a less controlled scrolling method? You are sacrificing control for lack of control for nothing. If you want to scroll faster, turn up the scroll setting or make the wheel go faster?
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A less controlled scrolling method? That really doesn't make any sense as scrolling is very sensitive with this mouse and it supports momentum as well

DeathPrincess said:
It's 1:1 control. Mice also have a few advantages over this thing, like other physical buttons that are quicker to use (I hate things without forward/back buttons on the thumb now, and don't pretend "oh I can do a gesture swipe in less time and effort it takes to press a button!!! Because that would be a filthy lie. :p")
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As for the back and forward thumb gestures versus buttons in terms of speed, the gestures are pretty natural and quick, but it really would be a matter of personal preference. I have no idea what it is with Windows 8 haters that try to speak about things in such absolute terms and with stuff they've never even used. This mouse isn't suited for gaming but it works well in the desktop apps that I use. I was just pointing out experience with the mouse.
 
ICOM said:
If you're on a desktop, W8 is useless. Especially if you're already running W7. For the love of God, let it go...for everyone's sanity...
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What is there for me to let go? I'm making comments from my experience with a new driver for a mouse that no one else here has tried with Windows 8.

There's tons of other Windows 8 threads, but when it comes to specific products why don't others let it go if they aren't using them?
 
heatlesssun said:
A less controlled scrolling method? That really doesn't make any sense as scrolling is very sensitive with this mouse and it supports momentum as well

As for the back and forward thumb gestures versus buttons in terms of speed, the gestures are pretty natural and quick, but it really would be a matter of personal preference. I have no idea what it is with Windows 8 haters that try to speak about things in such absolute terms and with stuff they've never even used. This mouse isn't suited for gaming but it works well in the desktop apps that I use. I was just pointing out experience with the mouse.
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How is something with a curved acceleration ramp the same level of control as something linear. You are adding factors, "I move something 5cm and it moves 5cm vs I move something 5cm kind of slow and it moves 2.345cm." Unless your limbs can maintain constant speed, it's not going to be as controlled. Something can be "very sensitive" and yet not be as controlled as something else.

"Natural" is nonsense in technology, it isn't a natural object. Peripherals aren't natural so thats a whole load of silly to suggest so. The point wasn't personal preference, it's fact, gestures are slower than buttons, end of story, no room for debate.

I do not "hate" Windows 8, it is some insignificant piece of software, it doesn't have the scope of action to be hated. It hasn't killed innocent people or caused any crime, it's just a rather poor piece of software. I just think it's a lazy iteration with several known flaws that they left that way to promote their tablet and faltering phone platforms. If they'd just admit so and reverse lots of the stupid it would be fine, though not really a worthwhile improvement over 7.

I think you know the "haven't used it" part is a lie. Your experience is null and void. I could have 300 years of stacking boxes to reach things, (which is more "natural") it still wouldn't be as good as a ladder. :p
 
DeathPrincess said:
How is something with a curved acceleration ramp the same level of control as something linear. You are adding factors, "I move something 5cm and it moves 5cm vs I move something 5cm kind of slow and it moves 2.345cm." Unless your limbs can maintain constant speed, it's not going to be as controlled. Something can be "very sensitive" and yet not be as controlled as something else.

"Natural" is nonsense in technology, it isn't a natural object. Peripherals aren't natural so thats a whole load of silly to suggest so. The point wasn't personal preference, it's fact, gestures are slower than buttons, end of story, no room for debate.

I do not "hate" Windows 8, it is some insignificant piece of software, it doesn't have the scope of action to be hated. It hasn't killed innocent people or caused any crime, it's just a rather poor piece of software. I just think it's a lazy iteration with several known flaws that they left that way to promote their tablet and faltering phone platforms. If they'd just admit so and reverse lots of the stupid it would be fine, though not really a worthwhile improvement over 7.

I think you know the "haven't used it" part is a lie. Your experience is null and void. I could have 300 years of stacking boxes to reach things, (which is more "natural") it still wouldn't be as good as a ladder. :p
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But you don't have 20 years of experience in computing. No one else has 20 years of experience and that number alone makes your opinion not even worth anything. :) I'm pretty sure the only person here with 20 years of experience is heatlesssun and it's vital we remember that his experiences are greater than yours or mine or anyone elses' even though opinions are all merely personal states of being regardless of experience or lack thereof including his.
 
SkribbelKat said:
But you don't have 20 years of experience in computing. No one else has 20 years of experience and that number alone makes your opinion not even worth anything. :) I'm pretty sure the only person here with 20 years of experience is heatlesssun and it's vital we remember that his experiences are greater than yours or mine or anyone elses' even though opinions are all merely personal states of being regardless of experience or lack thereof including his.
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Damn , I only have 28 years of computing experience. I overshot. :D
 
Meh, I remember when DOS was the damn standard, and Windows vs OS/2 was the big debate, like how iOS and Android is today.....damn noobies. :p
 
DeathPrincess said:
How is something with a curved acceleration ramp the same level of control as something linear.
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Huh? The scroll wheel on a conventional mouse is curved. The scroll area on the Touch Mouse slopes down like a lot scroll wheels on mice. Scroll wheel behavior from mouse to mouse is different, but were it works well the sensitivity and feel are solid. IE 10, Office 2013 and Visual Studio 2012 work well right out of the box with this mouse and momentum works well.

DeathPrincess said:
You are adding factors, "I move something 5cm and it moves 5cm vs I move something 5cm kind of slow and it moves 2.345cm." Unless your limbs can maintain constant speed, it's not going to be as controlled. Something can be "very sensitive" and yet not be as controlled as something else.
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Not really sure that the point is here. Why would movement of scroll wheel be anymore or less constant than dragging a finger. Plus the senor on the Touch Mouse is just the same touch input that a touch screen would offer and while the touch senor on the Touch Mouse isn't as accurate as the average touch screen it's more so than a conventional mechanical scroll wheel.

DeathPrincess said:
The point wasn't personal preference, it's fact, gestures are slower than buttons, end of story, no room for debate.
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Ok, fine. You offer no proof of this truth and have no idea how millions of people would react to gestures versus buttons or the fact that flipping and zooming are pretty natural things for people these days to do as they have been taught these things on tablets and phones.

DeathPrincess said:
I do not "hate" Windows 8, it is some insignificant piece of software, it doesn't have the scope of action to be hated.
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It will be installed on tens of hundreds of millions of PCs in its lifetime. If that's what you call insignificant then I'd love to know that you consider significant.

DeathPrincess said:
I think you know the "haven't used it" part is a lie. Your experience is null and void. I could have 300 years of stacking boxes to reach things, (which is more "natural") it still wouldn't be as good as a ladder. :p
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You've not used the mouse or drivers in question, so that's about as null and void as there is.
 
heatlesssun said:
It will be installed on tens of hundreds of millions of PCs in its lifetime. If that's what you call insignificant then I'd love to know that you consider significant.
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It will be installed on billions of computers? I think you're getting a bit shill, I mean shrill. :D
 
heatlesssun said:
You've not used the mouse or drivers in question, so that's about as null and void as there is.
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get%20off%20my%20lawn.jpg
 
heatlesssun said:
You've not used the mouse or drivers in question, so that's about as null and void as there is.
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That was a lot of typing and it all boils down to a childish puncuation which demonstrates an egotistical self-infatuation which brings you into darkness and binds you. *pat pat* It's okay, your precious will be released to market soon enough and you can spend most of your free time defending if from the public's reaction over the coming months.
 
SkribbelKat said:
But you don't have 20 years of experience in computing. No one else has 20 years of experience and that number alone makes your opinion not even worth anything. :) I'm pretty sure the only person here with 20 years of experience is heatlesssun and it's vital we remember that his experiences are greater than yours or mine or anyone elses' even though opinions are all merely personal states of being regardless of experience or lack thereof including his.
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The point is again, this was a thread started by the [H] staff about a particular set of drivers for a particular mouse in Windows 8. If one is not using this mouse with these new drivers on Windows 8 then why continue to post in these kinds of threads? There's a zillion other "I hate Windows 8" threads on these forums.

Windows 8 haters are trying to have it both ways. They say it sucks, slows them down, they hate Metro, the Windows Store, the UI, on and on and on but then will say they use it all the time and understand it well? That's make ZERO sense. If Windows 8 were that bad and didn't allow me to do the things I need to do with PCs to make a living and the things I do for fun, I wouldn't have installed in on a half dozen machines and use it daily.

If one doesn't like Windows 8 that's fine, but at the very least can people actually have SOME experience with the question in hand on specific threads like this? Windows 8 launches in 4 days and there's going to be lots of threads about Surface RT, Windows 8 and other Windows 8/RT devices and hardware and it would be nice that if people aren't using the stuff to not continuously post the same "Hate 8" stuff when other people are actually trying to talk about the specifics of certain things.

This type of trolling isn't tolerated on other subjects around here.
 
DrDoug said:
It will be installed on billions of computers? I think you're getting a bit shill, I mean shrill. :D
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I said tens of hundreds of millions of PCs. PC shipments are running at around 350 million units a year. If Windows 8 is only on 1/3 of those machines that's still hundreds of millions of machines.
 
heatlesssun said:
I said tens of hundreds of millions of PCs. PC shipments are running at around 350 million units a year. If Windows 8 is only on 1/3 of those machines that's still hundreds of millions of machines.
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One hundred million is just that. Ten hundred million is a billion. Ten's of hundred of millions is billions.

Try again. :D
 
DrDoug said:
One hundred million is just that. Ten hundred million is a billion. Ten's of hundred of millions is billions.

Try again. :D
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Okay, Windows 8 is going to end up on hundreds of millions of PCs in lifetime if only 1/3 of all new PCs in the next two years have it installed.
 
heatlesssun said:
Okay, Windows 8 is going to end up on hundreds of millions of PCs in lifetime if only 1/3 of all new PCs in the next two years have it installed.
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Now that's better! You have to keep your enthusiasm tamped down a bit or people won't believe you. ;)
 
DeathPrincess said:
Is this for people with laptops without trackpads? :p

Pretty much all laptops have the multi touch thing now, and desktops wont need this crap. If they do, then it kind of proves what a badly designed UI Windows 8 is.
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You must have though windows 1.0 had such a badly deigned UI it needed a mouse instead of just a keyboard just to navigate things, so bad. Probably still using your MS-DOS
 
DrDoug said:
Now that's better! You have to keep your enthusiasm tamped down a bit or people won't believe you. ;)
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I think that its common to use a the phrase "tens of hundreds" as a range, not a multiplier, at least colloquially. In any case I've made the statement before and there's no reason I've seen anyone give with the number of PCs that historically ship with the latest version of Windows that Windows 8 won't end up on hundreds of millions of machines. And the ones that have touch hardware will never be downgraded to Windows 7.
 
Hell all I have are 23 years and I work with people that have FAR more than that. Doesn't make them qualified to speak on UI design. (they work on mainframe software.)
 
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