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Forget Logitech, go for Kensington. Over the years I've tried a few of the Logitech trackballs and they've all bit. The little thumb-balls offer limited control, certainly far less than I get with a regular mouse. Maybe it's just my thumb, but I found myself twitching the ball through the need to hover it unnaturally over the little ball. Last year I picked up a MarbleFX and, while the bigger ball is smooth to operate, the shape of the unit is still too awkward; it's not terribly ergonomic and it still demands too much of the thumb both in operating the ball and pressing the awkwardly-placed buttons.

Kensington's trackballs are another matter altogether. Where the Logiballs require a lot of focus on the thumb, the Expert Mouse is all fingertip operation. Very smooth to operate, very comfortable to use, the only task required of the thumb is clicking a button. The ball is a nice size, the buttons well-placed. I've recommended them to co-workers who were having shoulder problems from mousing and later had them come back and thank me. Even the little Orbit, while a little small for everyday use at a workstation, makes an ideal notebook pointer. Beats the pants off the lame touchpads, tiny marble-balls and mid-keyboard titmice built in to the units.

If Logitech would get over their fascination with thumb-orientation and small balls and produce something fingertip operated based on the MarbleFX ball and mechanism they'd probably have a winner but until that happens I'm not dropping another CA$130 on one of their devices. I've done it too many times and regretted it each time.

I strongly reccommend the Kensington Turbo Mouse (ADB) and Expert Mouse (ps2/serial) trackballs. They are positively the most comfortable pointing device I've used. 4 programmable buttons (and it allows you to define functions for when you click both the top or bottom buttons simultaneously, called chording) for 6 functions. I have click, dbl-click, contextual menu, close window, close app, and scroll (same as clicking the scroll wheel in windoze)

I have used smaller trackballs before but they don't compare to the accuracy and comfort with this 2.25" diameter trackball.

The linux drivers are being worked on now (Kensington gave 2 people, one of whom I know, one free Expert Mouse each in encouragement of a Linux driver.

Best of all, the size of the trackball is exactly that of pool balls. So mine is an 8-ball :)

Disclaimer: I don't work for Kensington, just a satisfied customer.

-Beaner@Euphoria

I strongly reccommend the Kensington Turbo Mouse (ADB) and Expert Mouse (ps2/serial) trackballs. They are positively the most comfortable pointing device I've used. 4 programmable buttons (and it allows you to define functions for when you click both the top or bottom buttons simultaneously, called chording) for 6 functions. I have click, dbl-click, contextual menu, close window, close app, and scroll (same as clicking the scroll wheel in windoze)

I have used smaller trackballs before but they don't compare to the accuracy and comfort with this 2.25" diameter trackball.

The linux drivers are being worked on now (Kensington gave 2 people, one of whom I know, one free Expert Mouse each in encouragement of a Linux driver.

Best of all, the size of the trackball is exactly that of pool balls. So mine is an 8-ball :)

Disclaimer: I don't work for Kensington, just a satisfied customer.

-Beaner@Euphoria

I use a kensington expert mouse - Anything else just doesn't compare if you have to point to something (I prefer keyboard overall)

1. It's the best for games (like centipede all over again)

2. It's got 4 programable buttons

3. You use your hole hand instead of a thumb, or a wrist - each finger independantly - cuts down on hand cramp.

4. Really small footprint, and I don't have to clear a space for it when I want to use it.

I have so much crap on my desk that now my hand kinda hovers above the trackball. Quite comfortable.
(Plus you can drop any pool ball in there instead of what comes with it - so it's fashionable too.)


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