My Kingdom for a Trackball!!
Written: Mar 22 '00 (Updated Mar 23 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Simple Easy Design That Just Makes Sense
Cons: That Cool Red Ball is Enticing to a Two Year Old Looking for Something to Wield Around the Living Room...
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| girlfriday1's Full Review: Archived Computer Hardware Reviews |
Warning: I am not reviewing the Logitech Trackman Marble FX. Although it was a contender, it lost to it's simple, uncomplicated sister, the Logitech Marble Mouse. I have attempted twice to have this review sit properly under the correct header to no avail. PLEASE keep this in mind. The header was correct before submission, so I am at a loss here..
It's weird sometimes where I get my inspirations for reviews. This time, it comes down to simple frustration...
Here I am, surfing around epinions for the zillionth time today. That's not new. What makes today's surfing adventure different, as well as frustrating, is my vehicle for surfing. Today I am stuck "driving" my secondary mouse. It's the Microsoft Intellimouse that came with our Dell Dimension XPS T700r package deal. And what a misnomer! Nothing intelligent about this mouse. It took a few short clicks for my husband and I to realize that there must be something better on the market. So, off we go to our local Comp USA...
Once there, we were inundated with a variety of nifty looking choices from mice, trackballs, and some weird looking finger pads. I knew I didn't want a mouse because in my opinion, they're sticky and high maintenance. You need a mouse pad and I didn't have good results with mice when it came to applications on my Micrografx photo software. Mice are not concise when it comes to the masking tools. Those finger touch pads are cool enough on my laptop, but a little hand fatiguing for a PC.
Trackballs. Never used one before, but the concept made much more sense to me. I gravitated toward the pricey Logitech Trackman Marble FX. The design was appealing and has this air of ergonomic quality. But once in my little hand (I stress little), I found that the configuration of the trackball was too worrisome. My thumb immediately wanted to control the ball, and I am "all thumbs"! I do not want my thumb controlling any part of my applications. I touch up and colorize photos, and I would venture a guess that my photos would look like my two year old had colorized them. Plus, the layout of the left click/right click buttons were a bit odd for my hands too. To put it simply, I was not comfortable "driving" that model.
The other contender was the winner. The simple uncomplicated Logitech Marble Mouse. Not a fancy name. No extras. And, half the price of the Trackman FX. This trackball has a simple configuration. It's curved correctly for the palm of your hand. The left click button is positioned perfectly for my thumb, and the right click under my baby finger respectively. Perfect. The steering wheel as I call it (the ball itself) is positioned perfectly for my index and middle finger. Make a V with those two fingers, and off I go.
As with any new device, the trackball concept takes a few drives around the block before you feel completely confident with it. It takes a bit of getting used to to round corners nicely if you catch my drift. After driving my "Pinto" of a mouse, I felt like I was handling a race car. It does get away from you until you get used to it. But once I drove it for a night or two, there was no going back. It rolls smoothly, and has cut down on my hand fatigue. No mouse pad required, and no repositioning. Trackball units are designed to remain stationary, with only the ball itself rolling housed in the unit.
Installation
What installation?
It was such a non-event that I do not recall any special license needed to do so. One BIG drawback here is that this trackball will take up one of your dear serial ports, whereas the Intellimouse is obliging enough to fit into it's own mouse port. That is how I ended up in this mess today to begin with. My husband went out last night and bought one of those new fandangled Palm Pilots. If you are familiar, that pilot also eats up a serial port. So, with a camera, a pilot, and God knows what else, our ports became overrun. Until we receive our new port plug-in device (forgive me- I do not know the termination), I am stuck with the "Pinto" again.
It's because of this "Pinto" that I thought I'd share just what a difference a trackball can make. No herky-jerky scrolling, no repositioning, and much less cleaning. The mouse to me, is high maintenance. That brings me to...
Maintenance
The trackball operates on an optical sensor. I am assuming that the sensor (located in the cavity underneath the ball) picks up the movements of the ball via all the tiny dots on the ball itself. Therefore, you must keep that sensor clear of debris (read: food, dust etc.) for it to operate efficiently. I have two a two year old that plays those dreaded toddler games on our PC, so debris is an issue with us. Her grimy fingers have yet to disturb this unit after 4 months of hard use. A simple sweep with a clean rag is all I have had to do as of yet. Plus, we have not encountered any static issues that affect performance either.
Special Note to Families: As I have alluded to, this particular trackball is simple enough for a two year old to "drive". The big left click/right click buttons are kid friendly, and there are no extra gizmos to get in the way. This was a good choice for my family. It hasn't failed us yet.
One extra bit of advice before I go.. Do NOT clean the cavity of the unit with your toddler looking on. I did, and I caught Maddie strolling around the living room with that ball a time or two....Does not make for a good toy. Weapon maybe, but not a toy.
Happy surfing!
Recommended:
Yes
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girlfriday1
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Location: PA Suburbs
Reviews written: 34
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