The Manhattan Stealth Touch Mouse ($69.99 list) is the latest touch-enabled computer mouse, the likes of which have been steadily on the rise ever since Apple introduced its Magic Mouse ($69.99 direct, 3.5 stars) a few years back. Unlike a typical mouse, this species of mice relies exclusively on a touch-sensitive surface, so instead of clicking with your fingers, you tap and swipe as you would a touch-screen. In the case of the Manhattan Stealth Touch Mouse, the possibilities of the touch-sensitive surface are simultaneously realized and squandered. On the plus side, the absence of right- and left-click buttons yields a stylish minimalist design that radiates sophistication; it's like the champagne of computer mice. On the down side, though, the Stealth Touch is fairly limited in terms of functionality. Beyond the standard left- and right- click and vertical and horizontal scrolling, as well as a "presentation mode" that allows the mouse to act like a remote, there's not much else the Stealth Touch can do. Two-finger gestures for enhancing Web browsing or zooming are sorely missing. The end result is a mouse that, albeit gorgeous, comes with a somewhat steep price tag that's somewhat difficult to justify.
Design
The first thing you'll notice about the Stealth Touch, even before you install it (an endeavor barely worth mentioning, because it requires little beyond plugging in the dongle and waiting for the driver to install itself) is its unique design. You'd be hard pressed to find a mouse that lives up to its name more than the Stealth Touch. It's an object lesson in minimalism. Unlike the Apple Magic Mouse and theMicrosoft Arc Touch ($67.95 list, 3.5 stars), there isn't a dedicated touch scroll. Rather, the Stealth Touch's streamlined aesthetic is more on par with the Logitech M600 Touch Mouse ($69.99 list, 4 stars) since there aren't any buttons to be found on this mouse. But the Stealth Touch takes the minimalist approach one step further; whereas the Logitech M600 is adorned with a dark grey color pattern, the Stealth Touch's all-black matte finish?dubbed "SilkTouch" coating by Manhattan?resembles an onyx. The only noticeable design is a Manhattan insignia and logo next to your thumb (assuming you're right-handed) that glows a faint blue light once it's turned on. Otherwise, the Stealth Touch mouse could easily pass for one of those hide-a-key rocks.
Of course, you won't be hiding any keys in this mouse. You can, however, hide the included USB dongle in a slot located on the underside, so the Stealth Touch can be taken on the go without any worries. Adjacent to the dongle slot is a compartment for the two AAA batteries (included) as well as two parenthetically-shaped glide strips that allow smooth movement on most surfaces. And oh, how it glides. The Stealth Touch feels as good as it looks. Its slipper-shaped body fit comfortably in my palm, and the "SilkTouch" coating provided a smooth yet textured grip for my fingers, allowing them to slide gently along the surface. All of this makes for a comfortable mouse that, while initially odd-feeling, soon felt surprisingly zen-like.
The fact that a few terse sentences sum up the Stealth Touch's design is a testament to its minimalism. Of all the mice I've seen, it's easily the best-looking and quite possibly the most post-modern in the sense that it simultaneously challenges the notion of what a mouse should look like while adhering to its basic aesthetic. But, alas, I'm not an art critic, so as much as I like the Stealth Touch's appearance, it's equally important to see what it can do.
Performance
So what can the Stealth Touch do? As it turns out, pretty much the same things that an ordinary mouse can. While simplicity was clearly the goal behind the Stealth Touch, functionality was compromised in this pursuit. Unlike the current Editors' Choice for touch mice, theMicrosoft Touch Mouse ($79.95 list, 4.5 stars), the Stealth Touch does not offer full gesture support, so don't expect to swipe through pages on your Web browser.
And while I appreciate the minimalist aesthetic engendered by the Stealth Touch's tap-sensitive surface, the absence of traditional clicking has its drawbacks. Beyond the fact that it's initially quite strange not having the reassuringly tactile "click" accompany my actions, more intuitive controls, like dragging and dropping or selecting text, never felt quite right. This is mainly due to the fact that the Stealth Touch requires a double tap for each, which, in the case of dragging and dropping icons, has the inadvertent effect of opening them at times. With this exception, though, the Stealth Touch performed other basic mouse functions like clicking and scrolling, with ease.
The Stealth Touch also utilizes what Manhattan has dubbed "Curve-Touch" technology, which detects when the mouse is no longer placed on a surface. When this is the case, the mouse turns into a makeshift wireless presenter that lets you scroll through documents, web sites, and PowerPoint slides by horizontally sliding your thumb. Once placed back on to a solid surface, "Curve-Touch" technology causes the Stealth Touch to automatically transition back to its regular operating mode. Nominally speaking, it's a nice feature, though not something I'd consider particularly useful in most day-to-day settings.
Aside from its touch-sensitive surface, the Manhattan Stealth Touch mouse is at its core an ordinary mouse. For this reason, it falls somewhere between decent and fantastic, as its incredible design is undermined by its limited functionality and steep price tag. For a touch mouse that really harnesses this innovative click-free technology, the Editors' Choice Microsoft Touch Mouse is still the one to beat, even if it isn't the prettiest.
COMPARISON TABLE
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