** Review hardware / 0.5 page / 369 words ** 3M Precise Mousing Surface ** 3M_MAT.JPG here ** Yet another mouse mat had taken on a tatty look so it was time for a new one. 3M's offering was on special offer for ś6.45 and although I couldn't help thinking it was still a lot of cash for a mouse mat I liked the shape, it wasn't much thicker than a credit card and it's pretty! Sorry. The manufacturer doesn't call it a "mat", it's a Precise Mousing Surface, PMS from now on. "Innovation You Can See And Feel!" it says on the packaging. Read on and you find that it has an advanced microstructured surface which provides unparalleled tracking control and pinpoint mousing accuracy. I found so intriguing I immediately inspected it with my highly polished 3.5x magnifier and can indeed confirm it does have a microstructured surface and I've actually seen it, in fact it's identical to the enlarged picture 3M provide. The packaging also explains its "low-profile design integrates smoothly with your work surface" and indeed it does - much like place mats on my dinner table. I suppose it's an advantage in so far as the mouse doesn't have so far to fall when you accidentally roll off the edge onto the table. The special shape "conforms to natural hand movements and so provides maximum comfort and control" but I do find it odd I never noticed a problem with my old-fashioned rectangular job. 3M also claims the PMS will keep your mouse cleaner, the ball I presume, but since I haven't needed to clean my mouse ball for at least a couple of years that's going to be tough to prove! It's the "unparalleled tracking" I had a problem with. Everything is fine when moving the mouse pointer across the screen but as soon as you apply any extra pressure to depress one of the mouse buttons it starts to feel "draggy" and I didn't like it. I persevered for a day or so then retrieved my scruffy old blue one from the bin, which is when the low-profile design of the PMS really came into its own - I just plonked the old one over the top and left it at that. Jack Bratby