Get ready: Blue is the new red, says Microsoft

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 10 September 2008 09:54

Your IT - Home IT

Sorry, but those red LED optical mice are passé. Blue is the way to go, according to Microsoft, even though the company's latest mice still use red laser technology! If you can't wait until BlueTrack arrives in November, Microsoft has a swag of new peripherals coming during September and October.

Australians already know the benefits of being "true blue", and while it looks like Microsoft has finally also figured it out too, Blu-ray for the Xbox 360 still remains a distinct challenge for the company.

But we're mixing technologies up completely, so back to the forthcoming mice.

Microsoft is going with blue, non-laser technology because it gives better accuracy on more surfaces. Microsoft calls it "BlueTrack technology", and says the wider beam delivers better performance on surfaces that can trouble current laser mice.

"Research shows that people aren’t sitting at a desk all day, but they’ve gone mobile. In fact, 72 percent of PCs sold are notebook PCs and consumers need a mouse that can go with them anywhere," said Mark DePue, platforms engineering manager at Microsoft and co-inventor of the BlueTrack technology.

"BlueTrack technology excels in areas where optical and laser technologies were falling short. Laser mice, for example, have a difficult time working on some common home surfaces, including granite and marble," he added.

How much will the first BlueTrack mice cost? See page two.