Cagey Mouse Scoots Through Office Apps
By Dave Raffo and James E. Powell
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Cagey Mouse Scoots Through Office Apps
Microsoft hasn't reinvented the wheel or the mouse, but it has created a minor stir in the pointing device ranks by combining the two in the Microsoft IntelliMouse ($84.95). The IntelliMouse maintains the Microsoft Mouse 2.0's basic design, but slips a vertical wheel between the two buttons. The wheel allows scrolling, zooming and data zooming, depending on the application or operating system.
You can rotate the mouse's wheel to scroll up or down, press on it and move the mouse for a fast scroll, or click the wheel to start up AutoScroll. AutoScroll works like a teleprompter, automatically scrolling through a document at a speed you set. The distance you move the mouse determines the scrolling speed, and its hands-free operation means you don't have to move your cursor to the scroll bar. Holding the Ctrl key as you rotate the wheel lets you zoom in or out of a document section.
The included IntelliPoint 2.0 software lets you customize some of the mouse's functions.
Windows 95 Explorer, Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 will support the IntelliMouse. An application has to be designed to work the mouse's wheel, but Microsoft says enabling an application is simply a matter of the app developer defining an activity for the third (middle) mouse button.