I used to have a trackball years ago & sweared by it but for some reason didn’t replace it when it eventually broke (lasted at least 7 years & 3 computers). this mention of trackballs may just encourage me to get one again.
Would love to see a trackball built into a laptop. That would be cool!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/20 at 09:03 AM
I love trackballs. Like Kashaan I had one on my old machine but didn’t get a new one when I went with the Mac.
I think that the thing that is holding me back is that my Mac mouse is optical and doesn’t clog up. But a trackball is always getting clogged up with fluff and old skin etc. I’m also not a fan of centre based trackballs. I prefer to control them with my thumb.
Posted by Simon Wyndham on 03/20 at 09:26 AM
Bruce,
I have been using trackballs for the past couple of decades. My prefered trackball is the TrackMan Wheel from Logitech:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/trackballs/devices/166&cl=us,en
which has the ball on the left. I prefer that over those that have the ball in the center.
I recently discovered that there is an organization that specializes in promoting and selling trackBalls: http://www.TrackBallWorld.com
Allan Tépper
Posted by Allan Tépper on 03/20 at 09:38 AM
Thanks for the link, Allan.
http://tr.im/hBnm
A recipe for RSI disaster!
Simon, trackballs have generally been easier to clean. One of the trackballs I had was centred & could be foot-controlled - great when you’re having food in the studio…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/20 at 09:58 AM
Some of them are easy to clean, yes. One of the worst trackballs I owned was a Microsoft one. Seemed to be pot luck whether you got a smooth operating one or not too.
I will be looking into getting a new one now though. Quite interested in the ShuttlePro2 too. Anyone any experience of this?
Posted by Simon Wyndham on 03/20 at 10:02 AM
I like the Logitech Marble with the ball in the center. I’ve got three of them. The marble’s cup is totally sealed so when the dust gets thick it cleans out very easily. I can make the cursor fly around very fast with it.
Posted by DanConklin on 03/20 at 11:45 AM
I don’t remember the brand (might have been Logitech) but my favorite trackball had a large, center-mounted ball with a ring around it that worked like a mousewheel, and three (I think) buttons. Two downsides: It wasn’t optical, but mechanical, and eventually the rubber wheels that made contact with the ball deteriorated to some kind of viscous crap. Not replaceable, of course. And it was PS2. not USB. I may have thrown it on a shelf - couldn’t bring myself to part with it. <sigh> <g>
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/20 at 01:50 PM
Allan, never thought I’d meet another editor that used the Trackman Wheel. I love them, have been using them for 6 years now, can’t stand regular mouses anymore. It’s not programmable but I’ve tried the Shuttle Pro and I just work so much easier with my keyboard shortcuts and my TW.
Posted by Marko on 03/20 at 02:04 PM
I still have Kensington trackball but I found that it strained my had more than a regular mouse. The click-and-drag requires holding a button with the thumb and then making very fine adjustments with the other fingers to point to a small feature made my hand hurt after a few hours.
Also the scroll wheel was useless. The detente was so strong when trying to roll it that I often ended up pushing the button before it would roll.
So the whole thing soured me on the trackball experience. Perhaps a better designed model would work better but at $100 a pop, I just have been living with the old standby.
Peace,
Rob:-]
Posted by Rob on 03/23 at 11:03 AM
I like the Contour Designs ShuttlePro2; nice inner/outer jog wheel. I use the nine buttons above the wheel a lot but rarely use the other six. Lots of bang for the buck.
(Build quality = a mouse, it works without a second thought.)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/23 at 02:48 PM
I’ve been using trackballs for over 20 years, and the best to me is also the cheapest - the Logitech Marble Mouse USB (4 button version). It has a very smooth optical trackball—takes only 2 seconds to clean when it accumulates dirt around the bearings. With a third button you can tweak Color’s settings as easily as you can with a mouse with scroll wheel. (Of course, Color has so many other problems that this really doesn’t mean much.)
I really dislike the trackballs that are thumb oriented, they lead to thumb pain. This has none of those problems—ball is in the center and rolls easily. No carpal tunnel. Haven’t used a mouse since a Mac Plus.
These are under $20—I have a bunch of them. Get one!
Posted by Jeff Kreines on 03/24 at 12:00 AM
