20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy user of Kensington Trackballs including wireless, March 1, 2004
This review is from: Kensington Expert Mouse Pro Wireless Comfort Trackball for Windows or Mac- 64245 (Personal Computers)
I have been using kensington trackballs for nearly as long as they have made them. Their ball bearing movement is superior in physical movements, especially easy tiny movements, to any other trackball or mouse I have ever used. The problems with the irractic motion on the screen often occurs when users try to install the trackballs, They don't remove the existing mouse software and this fights with the kensington software to produce irractic movements.
The "turbo mouse" or "expert mouse" kensington trackballs will work well with microsoft intellipoint 4.0 and greater software, and I use this when I need to leave a seperate additional mouse installed simultaneously, along with the trackball. (Even though MS says this will not work, I have had no troble getting the higher priced kensington models to work with the intellipoint software from MS, along with a usb mouse from anywhere.)
Kensington products have more features with their own software, but the kensington software and the ms software often can not be both installed at the same time. To install kensington software, remove all other mouse drivers and software and then install the kensington software, and pointer motion is flawless, along with all of the rich collection of special features in the turbo mouse (trackball).
If you must have both a mouse and the kensington trackball installed at the same time on a machine, use the microsoft intellipoint software (free from support on MS), and remove all other mouse software, the xp drivers usually work well if they have not been modified by some other software installation. If you want maximum features use the kensington software, but you must remove all other mouse software first, the kensington software is irrattic in pointer motion and click features when other mouse software is installed with kensington software. (On XP often usb pointers (mouse or trackballs) will work with kensington software installed, but no additional software installed.)
I markedly prefer trackballs of kensington expert mouse quality to any mouse because of the ease of use, the lack of movement on the desk, and I feel, superior pointer control. The trackball with a 1.25" heal of the hand support (I use a cut piece of the hand support for a portable machine)in front of the trackball, allows hours of effortless, and comfortable finger control of the motion. I can work for hours without tiring of my mouse hand and arem, something I have never achieved with any mouse or other trackball. I rest the weight of my arm on the hand rest and with the right cushion under the heal of the hand supporting the arm weight, this is effortlessly comfortable for many hours. This works longer than any othe mouse or trackball physical setup I have tried, and I have tried many different physical setups.
I also use max acceleration with medium pointer speed. If deacceleration is available, as with kensington software, but not Microsoft, I use it also for fine movements. This combination gives effortless control with small finger motions, for fine motion or great jumps on the screen. Any screen motion is easily achieved with small delicate, and effortless finger motion on the trackball with the medium speed, and higher accel and high deaccel setting.
Summary, The higer priced Kensington trackballs, (not the cheap ones, they have poor motion), work extremely well, and with the appropriate software for the users preferences, and the software installed properly because of the kensingtons software's intolerance for other software, usually results in long term comfort and high ease of use. (The cheap kensington trackballs are junk, don't bother.) Microsoft intellipoint works well with the higer priced Kensington trackballs, but Kensington software does not work well with other products.
That is my experience over about 15 to 20 years, and about 30 trackballs, almost all labeled expert mouse or turbo mouse. (Why kensington labels a trackball "expert mouse" and "turbo mouse" baffels me, but they do.) These are the models and configurations that work well for me. The wireless ones worked well also, and I prefer them to keep the desk congestion down. I prefer usb connections, only because it is more tolerate of plugging in with the power on, compared to the original mouse connection, where it is sometimes possible to damge the mouse circuits on the motherboard if the connection is made with the power on. Why take that risk, just use the USB ports, and one less problem.
Good luck.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very poor motion, June 3, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Kensington Expert Mouse Pro Wireless Comfort Trackball for Windows or Mac- 64245 (Personal Computers)
I had a Kensington trackball a while ago and since I am always on the computer, I thought it would be a good idea to get another one. I like the quick launch buttons which save a lot of time when you use the same programs a lot. The scroll button is not in the best place since you have to reach up over the top to get to it. My biggest complaint about this is that the tracking is horrible. My mouse pointer skips around all over the screen which makes it difficult to work with. I tried everything described for this problem at Kensinton support, but it didn't work. I probably would have been much better off with the non-wireless model. I would send it back, but I don't have the box anymore.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Could not keep it working, June 10, 2004
This review is from: Kensington Expert Mouse Pro Wireless Comfort Trackball for Windows or Mac- 64245 (Personal Computers)
Within a month of getting this. It stopped working. After dealing with Tech Support, they sent me a second one. It also stopped working after about a month. I tried to convince the woman in India (Kensington customer service) to replace it with a less expensive, wired trackball that worked, and they refused.
It was nice while it worked, but but died far too quickly.
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