Product Description

Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse: The comfort and ease of a mouse - the benefits of an optical trackball. The precise optical tracking mechanism is also resistant to dust, reducing the need for regular trackball cleaning. Designed for PCs and Mac's, the Orbit Optical Trackball employs Kensington's Diamond Eye optical technology for smooth, precise cursor movement. Diamond Eye provides unmatched acceleration control, combined with ultra-high speed optical optical technology to produce the ultimate in precision and accuracy. Plus, the Trackball stays in one place, saves valuable desk space. Users tell us the Orbit Optical Trackball delivers great speed and tracking accuracy for the price. Compare the Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse to the Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman or Trackman Wheel or Microsoft Trackball Explorer. The Kensington Promise: 5 year warranty with free technical support. Requirements: PC-Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP with USB port PC-Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP with PS/2 compatible mouse port Macintosh with OS 10.1.5 or later USB Macintosh with OS 8 & 9, device will only function as a 1-button mouse Software: Not required for basic operation. Kensington MouseWorks - Free download available at www.kensington.com

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #673 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Silver/Black
• Brand: Kensington
• Model: 64327
• Platform: Mac OS X
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 3.00" h x 9.75" w x 9.88" l, 4.00 pounds

Features

• Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse
• Comfortable for left or right-handed users
• Compact design, stays put and takes up less space
• It's inexpensive, looks cool and performs well
• Five year warranty

From the Manufacturer
The Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball offers the comfort of a mouse with the benefits of an optical trackball. Control your cursor with a simple touch of the finger! The highly accurate Orbit Optical is as easy to use as a regular mouse, but it stays in one place, saving you valuable desk space. Designed for PCs and Macs, the Orbit Optical Trackball employs Kensington's Diamond Eye optical technology for smooth, precise cursor movement. Diamond Eye provides unmatched acceleration control, combined with ultra-high speed optical optical technology to produce the ultimate in precision and accuracy. The precise optical tracking mechanism is also resistant to dust, reducing the need for regular trackball cleaning.

Customer Reviews

Not bad...
I've been a trackball user for over 5 years now. The last one I had was Kensington's one with the big clear blue ball. It lasted a good 4 years before the lil rubber rollers gave out. So I decided to replace it with an optical trackball. I chose this one because it had the same layout and left/right click capabilities as my previous one. I am pretty pleased with it. I am amazed at how little I have to work to move the ball... I never realized how much effort I needed to move the old non-optical one. There are only a few design issues I wish I could fix.

1) My old one you could turn the whole thing upside down and the ball wouldn't fall out. On this model the ball has no locking-in device. I use this with my laptop and have to search for the ball at the bottom of my bag every single time.

2) The lil indent the optical lense is sitting in is a prime place for dust and crap to settle, disrupting the performance. They should cover it up and make it flush with the rest of the interior.

3) I wish the buttons were moved a lil more towards the front. It's the fine for clicking with your thumb... but a lil too far back to click on the otherside with your pinky or ring finger.

A letdown for a loyal Kensington customer
I have been using an Expert mouse for 7 years (and a Turbo Mouse on my Mac before that), but finally the left click button has expired. I decided to give this trackball a try since it was an optical.

It is well made, and has a nice heft. However, I am disappointed for several reasons. First is the ergonomics. The ball is significantly smaller than the Expert Mouse's, which is makes precise control more difficult. But more significantly, the relationship between the trackball and the buttons is poorly done. When I positioned my hand for optimal trackball control, I found it difficult to double-click quickly and would have to move my hand again. The buttons need to be more towards the user's wrists.

But the biggest complaint is the stalling, reported in a previous review. I don't think it's dirt--I think it's the pattern on the trackball. There is a cool pattern of silver and black swirls, except at one spot. This spot is black, patternless area about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) in diameter, and I think the optical sensor has difficulty in picking up movement in that area. Every time it stalls, I look at the ball and note that this area is over the sensor. Microsoft optical trackballs are completely covered with a dense pattern.

Yes, it is only 1/3 the cost of the Expert Mouse. But all these complaints aren't a reflection of its lower price, but rather, design flaws.

3'rd Different Kensington Trackball
This is my 3'rd trackball and it is very good - fast, smooth, very silent and easy to point. I like this better than the K64226 because of its quietness. I bought this to use with my laptop and the trackball is much quicker and easier to work with than the pressure pad.

K64226 Orbit (2nd) trackball -My wife & I both like this one.She was a mouse user but finds the the ball much better for the same reasons that other user-reviewers have touted.Particularly, no more sliding, lifting, banging the mouse around on the table or pad.

K64210 Turbo Mouse with 4 buttons - my first trackball - is also very good.The larger ball does provide better pointing, however slowing down the pointer speed will improve pointer accuracy.

Feel /Touch-wise, both Orbit trackballs are about the same - fitting the hand comfortably (mine are not large). The center rubber-like strip does provide a wee-bit more traction for the hand to rest on. Which Orbit to choose? Basically which look do you prefer? These 2 orbit trackballs would be the ones to go with if you are looking for a mouse replacement or for on-the-go laptop use. Both work well, works like a mouse using the pc's given mouse controls and zips me thru my excel, word and graphics applications - cut, paste, edit, crop, enhance, etc.

For the turbo mouse, if you like having 4 buttons to control menu functions (via the free Kensington download software) that is fine too. I have tried earlier versions, but left and right button functions are more than adequate.

I have tried the L-tek t-balls. They are much smaller to carry but the control via the thumb is not very good vs. index & middle finger movement. Other slimmer models with the ball in the center are too narrow. One still has to curl one's fingers to trigger the buttons. With all of the Kensington's, you just rest your hand on top of the trackballs and your fingers will naturally fall onto the trigger buttons. No gripping, just clicking.

Get a Kensington. Dare I say that you will have a "ball":)

Note : I am right-handed but use my left hand to use the track-ball - the ring finger triggers the left click button while the thumb bangs the right click button. Frees up the right hand to input numbers via the 10-touch keypad, scroll or quickly bang on the enter key. Muscle fatigue in one arm and wrist is reduced since the right and left hands share the workload.