One of the nice things about working for a distributor is that I sometimes get a chance to play with new toys when they come through the office.
The recent headline Wedge Touch Mouse and Wedge Keyboard from Microsoft briefly appeared on my desk this afternoon and I set them up with my Windows 8 laptop for a quick play.
The Touch Wedge (of cheese) Mouse is an interesting design. I swear the office is 50/50 split between loving it and not being keen on it, and to be clear, this is not a male/female divide either. The thing is tiny and light. Sitting in my hand, it could fit in half the length of my fingers. I downloaded the software for the Wedge Touch Mouse and installed it. What it gives you (and it says this on the box) is 4 way touch scrolling: up/down and left/right. There was no other gesture support for Windows 8, such as pinch-zoom. The control app does allow you to add other controls by the looks of it but I didn’t have time to explore that any more.
I can’t say this is a mouse I’d like to use. I prefer the bigger and heavier Touch Mouse which I am using on a daily basis on my work laptop, and the “2000” mouse that I got recently for home. But others in the office loved it. Maybe it’s a love it or leave it thing, like Marmite. I have to warn you, the Wedge Mouse is pricey.
The Wedge Keyboard is an interesting solution for the pure tablet without a keyboard (cover). It comes with a hinged touch rubber cover. This cover for the keyboard has a second role, as you can see above. It folds and can be used to prop up a generic tablet. It’s a tidy little keyboard, being a little smaller than the layout of an Ultrabook. With my brief play, it felt nice to type on. I do not see it replacing keyboards like the 2000 or the 4000 for the PC, but it’s a nice tablet solution for those tablets that don’t come with or have keyboard options. When you’re done typing, you stick the cover back on the keyboard and tick it in your bag with the tablet. I’m guessing about the size of a Microsoft Surface tablet, but it appears to be around the same length.
Both devices are Bluetooth enabled. Neither the Wedge Mouse nor the Wedge Keyboard require a Bluetooth receiver dongle like the older Touch Mouse does. I really like that; those teeny tiny Bluetooth dongles are too easy to lose and I’ve always wondered why they exist when laptops come with Bluetooth receivers anyway.