Logitech is cooking up a tiny folding mouse that skips the scroll wheel and looks like it was designed for people who treat laptop bags like survival kits. The company’s new ultracompact mouse is aimed at notebooks and tablets, and its party trick is simple: unfold it for use, fold it almost flat for transport.
The design feels familiar because Microsoft’s Surface Arc Mouse did this sort of shape-shifting first, but Logitech is pushing the idea further with a more compact body and a flexible shell that uses accordion-like sections. That makes it easier to stash in a pocket or the corner of a bag, which is the whole point of an accessory like this.
Adaptive Touch Scrolling replaces the wheel
Instead of a physical wheel, Logitech is using a touch area between the buttons with Adaptive Touch Scrolling. In practice, that means the faster you move your finger, the faster the page scrolls. It is a neat bit of industrial design, and also a reminder that hardware engineers are still trying to make scrolling feel less like 2004.
Three-device Bluetooth and ambidextrous use
Logitech also says the mouse will connect to three devices over Bluetooth, and its symmetrical shape should work equally well for right-handed and left-handed users. That combination makes more sense than it first sounds: ultraportable gear lives or dies on convenience, and a travel mouse that only works comfortably for one hand is a missed opportunity.
What Logitech has not revealed yet is the pricing, full specifications, or launch timing. The company has already let official marketing images leak into view, though, which usually means the announcement is not far behind.