Mice and Pointing Devices

[Senor-Amor]

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samus88 wrote:

This is a User to User Forum.

Though Logitech employees do respond sometimes, you may get better results trying to call or email them.

 Someone should email them a link to this thread.

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I sent the following email to Nancy (edit out personal information), VP, United States and Worldwide, and to Amanda (edit out personal information), who appears to be in charge of the Mice and Keyboards divisions (see here).

 Dear Ms. (edit out personal information) and Ms.(edit out personal information),

I hope this email finds you both well.

I would like to bring to your attention the following thread on the Logitech forums:

http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Mice-and-Trackballs/Why-no-wired-Trackman-Wheel/td-p/562448

The gist of it is an overwhelming outcry over the discontinuation of the popular wired Trackman Wheel mouse.

As the IT Manager of a security and communications company, I have switched our entire company over to the Trackman Wheel in an effort to reduce repetitive stress ailments such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  You can imagine my dismay when I learned that I could not replace or order new Trackman Wheel mice.  As evidenced by the responders in the above-linked forum thread, I am not alone in that regard.  A quick scan of eBay for Trackman Wheel mice shows just how in-demand this product is, based on the outrageous prices for even a *used* version.

While I am aware that there exists a wireless alternative, there are inherent pitfalls that can plague a wireless device that do not apply to a wired equivalent.  I have purchased a wireless Trackman for testing purposes, and while it does its job adequately, I do not find it to be a suitable replacement.

I would urge Logitech to reconsider stopping production of the wired Trackman Wheel mouse.  There is a clear demand for the product in both the business and residential communities.

Best Regards, 

(me)

[AntonC · Accepted solution]

Thank you all for sharing your feedback with us. Your loyalty to Logitech product is much appreciated! I will forward this thread to the appropriate product team for future consideration.

Regards,

[Senor-Amor]

Wow.

I just got off the phone with a nice gentleman from Logitech.  I wasn't even expecting a response to my email, but to get a call was shocking to say the least, and freakin' awesome in and of itself.

We spoke for about 20 minutes regarding the Trackman series and my comment about the M570 not being a suitable replacement for it's older, wired brother.  In my industry, even a brief 30 second downtime for replacing a battery can be devastating if it happened during a critical moment.  I also expressed a concern that the device operates on a 2.4Ghz frequency (as opposed to 5Ghz), and multiple devices in close proximity may cause interference.  I was assured that would not be the case.

While I do not speak for Logitech in any way, shape, or form, what I got from the conversation was that the wired version would be no more and there were no plans to change that.  It stinks, but it seems that we are in the minority, albeit a vocal minority.  You can't really fault Logitech for not catering to the masses.

Overall, I was quite pleased with how the Logitech handled my (admittedly hasty) email, and it was a nice touch for him to contact me directly.  I'm going to continue to test the wireless alternative and see where it takes me.

[Scottar]

I too have liked the thumb ball, wheel, trackman with the cord. I hate replacing batteries in peripherals, just another expense-headache.

Proposal- why not make it optional, have a trackman that is configurable for either wireless or with a cord plugin connector?

[bjrubble]

Just in case it causes Logitech to revisit their decision, I'll add myself to the list of people bemoaning the loss of the best input device I've ever used.  I've owned a slew of them, on every computer (home and work) I've used for the past 9 years.  I want to replace my oldest one now, but for $100 on the second-hand market I'll try to make do as long as I can.

I thankfully don't have any security restrictions on wireless devices, so I suppose I'll try out the wireless version at some point, but I'm not keen on replacing batteries, diagnosing connectivity errors, or dealing with any of the other (in my opinion completely unnecessary) additional complications.  

[zampom]

And I thought I was the only one.  Have been using the wired trackman with my Macs since way back in the ADB days (though then it was without a scroll wheel).  Down to my last two trackman wheels in service when I discovered that they were no longer being made.  This thread is interesting and I can not believe that it hasn't changed Logitech's decision.  I would imagine that every post here by users praising this device reflects countless others who either don't know about the product's discontinuation or don't, for whatever reason, post or report their displeasure.  Anyway, after days of searching and checking, I did find one source still carrying the trackman wheel.   While the price is higher than the original selling price .... it is certainly less expensive than many of prices I have seen on Ebay (without the hassles of a bidding war or settling for a used device).  The source (I just ordered two today) is Sears Home Team Store

The price is $53.50 plus tax and shipping. 

[The Grim Reefer]

Thank you for the link zampom! For those of you who want to copy and past the link into their address bar, it is as follows: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM2757421601P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sk...

[wake5]

Add me to the list of customers unhappy with the wired trackman being discontinued!!! I have been using these since the early 1990's and WILL NOT use anything wireless when wireless is not needed. Why would you need a wireless device when you are sitting at a desk right beside the computer??? I do NOT need any more devices that require batteries.

I have highly recommended Logitech to many friends and family... NO MORE! Apparently this has turned into just another company that doesn't care about its customers.

[hihat]

I support the previous writers on this subject. It does not make sense to support the bttery industry, when your desktop has got all the power you need. And it makes no sense to add to radio frequency pollution when you don't need to.

Besides, only not does the support web site mistake the corded version for the wireless. The same is a fact with the latest version of Setpoint. This is probably the cause for the unreliability I have noticed during screen operations like marking text for copuing or dragging windows.

[beargriz]

yes the wired trackman wheel is the mouse i prefer i hope logitech starts making them again