Microsoft Tilts the Mouse Wheel

Microsoft is reinventing the mouse wheel, adding "Tilt Wheel Technology" for horizontal scrolling and smoothing the vertical scroll motion.

The tilting wheel lets users scroll left and right as well as up and down without having to use the on-screen navigation bars. This can be handy when working on a large spreadsheet or trying to view an unwieldy Web site, Microsoft says in a description of its technology.

New Mice Due

Microsoft plans to release on September 3 three new mice that implement the new tilting wheel , a company spokesperson says. One will be a corded mouse and two cordless, operating at 27MHz, the spokesperson adds. The mice will also have a feature that lets users toggle between open applications on a PC by pressing down on the wheel, she says.

The new Microsoft mice will be sold worldwide. Microsoft will disclose product and pricing details upon their release. However, pricing is expected to be in line with Microsoft's current mouse portfolio, which ranges from $34.95 to $44.95 for corded and 27MHz cordless mice. Microsoft's Bluetooth mouse costs $84.95.

Eight out of every ten mice sold in the U.S. has a scroll wheel, according to Microsoft, which cited research by NPD Techworld. However, the company contends that users want more functions. The vendor says its own research finds strong demand for horizontal scrolling.

Logitech Skeptical

A representative for Microsoft rival Logitech says the competing company is happy that Microsoft is following suit with a button to switch between applications, a feature Logitech introduced a year ago. But Logitech isn't too convinced about demand for horizontal scrolling.

"It is not to say that horizontal scrolling is good or bad, but the things that customers say they want to do with their mouse are the things we have already implemented," says Lloyd Klarke, a senior product manager with Logitech.

Klarke also says there is a clear purpose for the "clicks" a user feels when scrolling vertically.

With Microsoft's new wheel, users experience no clicks when scrolling up and down. Logitech studied the clicks and found them key to the scrolling experience, Klarke says.

"Customers need some sort of detente, a click, to know that they are moving to the next line. What they don't want is either absent or overemphasized clicks. We spent a long time measuring to get the right feel," he says.

Before Microsoft launches its products, three new Logitech mice will hit the stores. These new mice in the Click series sport new designs but no new features. They range in price from $24.95 for a corded version to $49.95 for a cordless version with many features, Klarke says.