trackballs

I know many people prefer either a mouse or a trackball. Sometimes both. This review is mainly helpful for those accustomed to the trackball especially the older Expert Mouse Trackball (K64215).

I recently bought this trackball for use on my G4 Macintosh at work. Since the trackball is USB-ready, there is no need for an adapter. The Expert Mouse Pro is just a larger version of the older model with many, newly added features.

The six buttons at the top act as shortcuts linking you to files, applications, and/or websites. This is extremely handy. Adding and editing these features is easily done through the control panel for the Expert Mouse Pro. The location of the buttons is a bit awkward because you have to move your hand up from your working position to push the buttons. The scroll knob is handy for moving up and down the window. My only problem with the scrollling knob is that the trackball just below it makes it hard for you to access it since it elevates your hand a bit too high.

The trackball, itself, glides without any problems. It's smooth and responsive. The color of the device (grey) may not be to some people's liking. The large size and shape of the Expert Mouse Pro may not appeal to those who like small, more aerodynamical input devices.

Overall, this is a wonderful device that is not without its own minor flaws. But if you are willing to overlook those details, the Expert Mouse Pro is a great input device for your computer.

My old CTO swore by the original Expert Mouse(all white) and replaced them every couple of years as they tended to not last very long. When the new Expert Mouse Pro appeared with scroll bar and quick launch buttons, I requested one through my IT department. Here were my observations:

Pro's:
(1) The best alternative to regular mice, period. The biggest and smoothest trackball there is. Very easy to use and great on the wrists.

(2) Good looks.

Con's:
(1) VERY pricey. For what it is, I have to imagine that Kensington is making a killing on these. The price is too much to bear for me to purchase it personally. Given that I spend more hours computing at work than at home, it's appropriate that I need it at work, but not at home.

(2) The scroll wheel is not placed in a convenient spot, thus I found myself not even using it.

(3) Quick launch buttons. Again, not very convenient to have to raise your entire hand off of the trackball to push the buttons.

(4) Not "solid" as the original. The original seemed better made and was heftier, thus would not move as often as the Pro version.

Summary:
I am ALL for ergonomics, especially for those who make a living at computing. I own a ...Kinesis ergo keyboard which I find invaluable for everyday use. It's not great for games, but at least it helps me to break my gaming habit :) With the right combo of seating, monitor placement, keyboard, and mousing, you should be able to effectively avoid RSI. The Kensington product is great for that purpose, but the cost will be prohibitive for some, in some instances. The Expert Mouse with some modifications and lower price, should be the office worker's pointing device of choice.

love mine... i have one for work that sees VERY HEAVY USE. i got it after a couple of our ITS guys recommended it since i do a lot of programming & desgin in addition to accounting... this product works equally well with both Mac & PC without any difference between the two. The buttons & scroll do not work on either system for me, but that is because i have a KVM to switch back & forth between my two systems & those do not play well when you mix Mac & PC programming... if i hook this up to one or the other system, it works awesome on both, however. My hand used to get stiff or go to sleep on me with an old mouse, but not with this.