Here is what the AMT looks like:
and here is what the BT looks like:
The AMT and the BT both support multi-touch gestures and are alike in many ways. Well, after having used the BT for about 20 hours over two days. I've now put it aside and grabbed the mouse again.
Here is how I find the Apple Magic Trackpad (AMT) and the Bamboo Touch (BT) compare:
- Orientation: The BT lays flat while the AMT is angled (the rear is higher then the front). The result is that the AMT has a more natural ergonomic layout. After hours of use, I found that my hand was cramping and tired on the BT, but not so on the AMT. Win: AMT
- Gestures: This is not an even comparison since the AMT suports many more gestures than the BT. That said, the one and two finger gestures are identical. however, the AMT is better calibrated to its OS than the BT. even with setting fine tuning (which the BT has more options BTW), the AMT is still smother and somewhat more responsive. OS integration might be a big part of why one performs better than the other. Win: AMT.
- Connection: AMt - Bluetooth; BT - Wired (USB). both work great, one relies on batteries and the other on computer power. Advantages and disadvantages to both. Tie.
- Buttons: AMT - 3; BT - 4 (programable). The AMt does a fabulous job oh hiding it's buttons. it does so much like apple's own mouse. No buttons are visible, but if you push down on either lower corner, the entire body will depress and click in that section. pressing the entire trackpad in the center will also activate a button (really just left click but usable for dragging). the BT has 4 dedicated buttons on the side, all of which are programable. while apple has the more elegant layout, the BT buttons are far easier to use and much more convenient. I especially likes that one button can be programed as an application switcher or a clear desktop button, which I found extremely useful. Win: BT
- Price: AMT $69; BT $30. Win: BT
- Size: AMT - about the size of an accouting calculator. BT - about the size of a 7" tablet. The BT has a much larger surface area to work with which you would thing is a god ting. Oddly even though the AMT has a smaller surface area it is no less capable. if anything it's smaller area combined with it's angled shape prevented my palm fro accidentally touching its surface and sending incorrect commands. The extra size of the BT is nice, but I found that it didn't really add any functionality. Tie.
Overall I really like both units and find fault with both. the AMT is noticeably more comfortable smaller and supports many more gestures. The BT doesn't need batteries has better buttons and works with any OS. My biggest gripe is that the flat layout of the BT lead to a surprising amount of hand fatigue and that no matter how much I fine tuned the tracking settings, I just could not get it to be as smoothly responsive as the AMT. It wasn't bad mind you, it just wasn't as good. the votes above would make it seem like it was a tie, but in reality the AMT is simply easier to live with day to day. The BT is nice though and I think it would make for a perfect unit for a young child learning how to use a computer. I think I'll be going back to the mouse on the windows machine and donating the BT to my kid's school, at least until I find a better track pad for windows.
