The Explorer Touch Mouse ($49.95 list) is the third and least expensive in Microsoft's Touch series of mice . Touch interaction with it is limited to a flat matte grey piece of plastic in the middle of the mouse that replaces the traditional scroll wheel.

Designed for right- or left-handed use; Wireless; Can be used on a wide variety of surfaces

Design is not ergonomic

The Microsoft Touch Mouse combines a traditional mouse with multitouch gestures to make navigating and using Windows 7 on a desktop computer just like a notebook with a touchpad. While a little expensive, it is very responsive, comfortable to use and intuitive.

Easy to setup; Attractive; comfortable design; Responsive touch surface

A little costly; Only Windows 7 supported; No gesture for zooming

Microsoft's Explorer Touch mouse abandons the traditional scroll wheel for a hit-or-miss touch strip that uses vibrating feedback. It's an interesting idea, but our hands tell us you're better off sticking with tradition.

BlueTrack tech allows mousing on most surfaces; Storage niche inside mouse for tiny USB receiver; Easy setup

Touch-sensitive flick strip is balky; overengineered; Vibrating feedback can be excessive; Low-slung design not comfortable for all hands

The teeny weeny Bluetooth Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse is the latest creation out of the software giant's hardware division, and it's been built from the ground up for Windows 8 and all those new PCs, laptops and tablets expected to launch in late October.

If you really need a mouse on the go, you won't find many smaller than the striking Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse; With a surface area barely bigger than a credit card, it's certainly easy to throw in your bag; It's surprisingly comfortable to use too considering its wee size.

Windows 8 is just around the corner, and with it come all sorts of new gestures, including the ability to swipe between apps; But you won't be able to pull them off with the Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse, That's a bit silly, especially when Apple's Magic Mouse and Trackpad support all sorts of useful...

Combining the pinpoint control of a traditional mouse with multitouch gestures, the Microsoft Touch Mouse is designed to make navigating Windows 7 just as fluid as with a notebook touchpad.

Easy to install; Quick and responsive multitouch gestures; Sleek comfortable design; Software makes it easier to multitask

A tad expensive; Doesn't perform pinch-to-zoom; Only works with Windows 7 systems

The Microsoft Touch Mouse takes a bit of getting used to, and we aren't sure we'd want to use it all the time. But it is a great accompaniment to laptop computing in particular, where it adds oodles of functionality to the standard touchpad.

With the launch of Windows 8 , Microsoft has released some new peripherals that have been designed to complement the new operating system, and its new way of doing things. First up is the Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse, a rather odd looking Bluetooth-only mouse.

Responsive; Portable; Works well with Windows 8; Easy to connect

Pricey; Not for desktop PCs

With our Windows 8 review taking up so much of our time, it seemed only sensible to test Microsoft's newest OS with some of its new hardware. The Wedge Touch mouse is designed to work specifically with Windows 8, although it's a standard Bluetooth...

Small; light; stylish; comfortable to use

Right click can be bothersome; expensive

UPDATE 26/08/2011: we have now re-tested the Microsoft Touch Mouse with its new drivers. Microsoft officially announced that the new Intellipoint 8.2 drivers would correct several of the major issues we noticed in our original test-namely the...

Touch-sensitive (only an advantage if you prefer that to buttons; Taller; longer and more comfortable than the Apple Magic Mouse; Attractive; which isn't easy for a mouse; Tiny wireless receiver doesn't stick out of your laptop; Easy to get the hang of

Supplied batteries aren't rechargeable; Heavy: 130 g compared to 110 g on the Logitech G500; Virtual scrollwheel isn't responsive enough - noticeable lag; Windows 7 (and later!

The Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse is designed for use with Windows 8 laptops and tablets, but it also works with Windows 7 and Mac computers too. This portable mouse could be handy if you don't like using laptop touchpads.