Mice and Pointing Devices

[therock003]

I want to get a new mouse for my laptop.Should i go for something small and wireless or will it be good to have one of these fancy trackball mouse that are stationary.

I havent had any experience ever,with the trackballs mouse an i wonder if they are handy and which one to choose if i decide to go this way.

Plz shed me some light on this one,thank you.

[therock003]

C'mon guys i really thought this place would be more active.I'mreally interested on some logitech products and i'm not getting any answers here.

Is there any email to support logitech staff directly?

[TrackballCritic]

Hello therock003,

Someone will respond to your post.

I've been a trackball user ever since it came out. I have a cordless trackman wheel. The comfortability is simply amazing and the cordless has about 8 feet range and doesn't have to be lined up with the receiver. Only one problem: The receiver is a corded desktop unit! Why is there no trackball for notebooks! Now, you want advice on what to get for your laptop. I have a laptop and when I use my cordless trackball while my laptop is on my lap, the receiver is kind of annoying but still tolerable however some people cannot tolerate it and you may be one of those people. The thing with trackballs is if you've used normal mice your whole life, trackballs will be hard to switch to, but once you get used to them, you don't want to switch back. Also, they put you in complete control, no more having to pick the mouse up and move it some where else on your mousepad. In addition to this, a trackball works in any environment i.e. you don't have to find a flat surface to move it around on (or a mousepad). A normal optical mouse may come in bluetooth or a small receiver but is not built to use one your lap. So what do I recommend? If you DON'T think you'll be able to make the switch to a trackball, get a bluetooth optical mouse, but don't expect to be able to use it on the go. If your willing to make the switch to a trackball (THE SWITCH WILL BE HARD IN THE BEGINNING BUT REMEMBER, YOU WON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO A NORMAL MOUSE ONCE YOU SWITCH) then you should get a cordless trackball. However, if you can't stand a corded receiver on your lap (I can, you probably can too), then get a bluetooth mouse.

Message Edited by TrackballCritic on 05-28-2008 05:00 PM

Message Edited by TrackballCritic on 06-05-2008 02:06 PM

[therock003]

Hi thanx for replying.What do you mean a unit for being wireless?I think that only bluetooth and 2.4 wireless adapters exist now.Can you give me an idea of how this unit you're erferring to looks,maybe a picture of some sort?Is it of a new model?

Other than that,y do some models have the ball on the left and others on the middle to the right?

I'm right handed so which one would be best?I guess a left trackbal would mean i'd have to scroll it with my thumb...

[HalJordan]

Hi,

Our current cordless trackballs still use a 27MHz receiver, which is plugged into the PC via a USB cable. Regarding the different positions for the different models, I'm not sure if this is the actual reason, but it might be for ergonomic reasons.

For the Cordless TrackMan Wheel (ball on the left), you'd be scrolling with your thumb and pressing the buttons with your other fingers (like with a conventional mouse). This is reversed for the Cordless TrackMan Optical (wheel on the right), where you press the buttons with your thumb and scroll with your other fingers. Which one is best for is dependent on which method of operation you're more comfortable with.

Thank you for your support and have a nice day

[trackball]

Ball position is a prefernce. Some people can't stand using a thumb trackball and love the finger trackball and vice versa. I've always been a thumb trackball person. My dad prefers the finger trackball. As far as the reciever is concerned it's like having a corded mouse hanging off of your computer. It's rather annoying in my opinion. I use a corded one because then I don't have to buy batteries and either way I have a long cord hanging off of the laptop. In general the trackballs need some love since it's been 5 years since the last update. Even though a refresh is wanted (laser, variable resolutions, bluetooth, multi-direction scroll wheel, more buttons) it doesn't seem too likely from anyone except maybe hobbiest.

[TrackballCritic]

You want want an actual size picture of the trackball's receiver?
Here's a link: http://www.systemaxdev.com/productmedia/htmlimages/cten/Mice/66831-receiver.jpg
Except the cord is like 3 or 4 feet.