While Windows 8 may be looking at touch very closely, the Microsoft Wedge Touch mouse and Wedge mobile keyboard certainly couldn’t hurt anyone who’s used to the PC or laptop experience. The price in India of these two as well as a few other similar devices from Redmond, has been announced just today.
Built to work with Windows 7 and 8, apart from several Android devices as also the iPad, the mobile keypad does away with the number pad and maintains the kind of button layout most users will be accustomed to already. There’s an accompanying cover which ensures the peripheral is not powered on until it’s taken off and this protection may also be folded into a stand that can prop up the Bluetooth-attached tablet in question.
Moving on to the unusually shaped mouse which seems to demand an uncomfortable claw-grip over it, the company’s design engineers have gone to great lengths to make sure it fits into the picture of a gadget for productivity on the move. With it, users will be able to scroll up and down, or right to left. Basically, four-way touch scrolling is what we’re looking at here. The integrated BlueTrack technology should be another plus considering that it’s meant to allow smooth sailing on almost any surface.
Also joining the party is the Sculpt Touch mouse for portable use that features a four-way touch strip for easy navigation and a more conventional form factor. All three of the said peripherals work on Bluetooth and require no cables or the ever-elusive transceiver in order to hook up with a tablet, PC or laptop.
The Explorer, Touch and Wireless Mobile 3500 mice will also have a change of heart when it comes to Windows 8 from now onwards. That’s because Windows 8 gestures drivers have been made available for them so owners can take advantage touch even on non-touch gadgets. They now carry Rs. 2,935, Rs. 4,340 and Rs. 1,205 tags, respectively.
The Microsoft Wedge Touch mouse and mobile keyboard have labels of Rs. 3,015 and Rs. 4,935 tied to them. The Sculpt Touch device sells for Rs. 2,765.