wireless mice

First, what's this trackball doing under the mice category?

This trackball is so comfortable it's like it becomes part of my hand. The thumb control has taken some getting used to since I just switched from a finger controlled one, but I'm getting along fine. My opinion is finger ones are a little easier to control, but thumb ones tend to be more comfortable in the hand. And I love not having the extra cord on my desk.

If anyone has gotten annoyed at the pointer not tracking well during sudden movements, just download the most recent driver from the logitech website. The enclosed version can't handle sudden movements when the acceleration feature is used, causing the pointer to stutter. This is why it gets 4 stars instead of 5. But it's an easy fix and now I love it even more.

I love this trackball mouse. I have been using Trackman Marble Wheel version for the past few years. It was great also, but with limited desk space at work, the Cordless version is better. With a keyboard, calculator and books/binders/papers needed on my desk, it is easy to get the mouse out of the way and still use it. My next goal is a cordless keyboard!

The only complaint that I have is that the "wheel" button from the Cord to Cordless has been reduced in space. It used to occupy a almost full size button space, and now only the wheel itself is placed in between the R and L buttons. Your hand used to be able to rest with index, middle and ring finger on L, Wheel, and R buttons. Now, you really can only use your index and middle fingers on the R and L and move one of them to the wheel when you need it. I do not find it as comfortable. But, I can live with that inconvenience in comparison with the benefits.

This leftie with "piano fingers" is very satisfied with the Logitech Cordless Trackman Wheel. I use it right-handed (and think of it as left-brain crosstraining). Ergonomically I find it very comfortable - my hand rests easily over the unit with the forefinger on the left button, middle finger on the wheel, and ring finger on the right button. The cordless connection works flawlessly in both the PS/2 and USB ports. I've noticed no degradation in response at four feet of separation even when I rest the Trackman on my knee and the signal has to pass through an oak desk to get to the receiver. In terms of comfort, the lack of wrist and finger movement required by the design itself is greatly enhanced by the ability to place the Trackman at any angle, level, or orientation. My favorite is on my thigh beneath the desk.

There is a bit of a learning curve if you've never used a Trackball device before. It's not unlike being used to driving a stick shift and then finding yourself in an automatic groping around for a non-existent clutch. For a while I caught myself instinctively sliding the Trackman in certain circumstances. But when you get it down, it is easier, more comfortable, and more efficient than mousework.

In terms of accuracy, I would say that with the proper configuration, it is just as accurate as a mouse. It takes some time to get used to the trackball and you may need to tweak the acceleration and speed settings until you find the right balance that works for you.

A couple things I'm not so crazy about:

The scroll wheel doubles as a programmable third button. It is so close in height to the left and right buttons and sandwiched so tightly between them that I find it difficult to use it as a button without inadvertently hitting the left or right click button (and I have long, skinny fingers).

And finally, if you're using this on a laptop with a built-in pointing device, you may not be able to fully tweak the Trackman settings if you run it through the PS/2 port. I got that warning when I set it up on my Thinkpad (with an integrated touchpad and trackpoint). Fortunately I had a free USB port I could dedicate to the remote receiver (the adapters you need for either the USB or PS/2 connection are included). So laptop users who don't have a free USB port may find that they are unable to fully configure the Trackman. This could be a problem because it's something you'll really want to get just right.

And skip the CD-ROM installation and just go to their website to register and download the latest version of the drivers and software