09/02/96 IT'S A MIGHTY MOUSE

IT'S A MIGHTY MOUSE

Microsoft's mice, nearly as ubiquitous as its software, have learned a new trick. On the new $85 Microsoft Intelli-Mouse, you can navigate through documents by rolling a handy wheel instead of clicking scroll bars or pressing arrow or page up and down keys. The wheel, positioned between the two mouse buttons, works only with software designed for it, and for the moment that means Windows 95 and the new Internet Explorer 3.0. Coming programs, including the new version of Microsoft Office due before yearend, will let you use the wheel to zoom in and out on maps, expand or collapse outlines, and scroll documents up the screen like a teleprompter display.
BY STEPHEN H. WILDSTROM