I bought this to replace an aging Kensington Orbit. Before the Orbit, I had a Logitech Marble Mouse that I used quite a bit. While I liked the centered ball on both of those trackballs, I've always missed having a scroll wheel and center button on both. While both of them have "workaround" solutions, neither one felt natural or intuitive. I use normal mice on all but one of my computers. I use a trackball on my workbench where I have limited space for a keyboard and mouse. When the right click button started to get flaky on the Orbit, I searched out a new trackball, and decided to try one with a thumb ball this time in hopes of having a more natural scroll and middle click. I saw tihs M570 and really liked that it's laid out much like a "normal" mouse. I use Logitech mice on my other computers and have always like them. My only wish was for a wired version of the M570. I'm not a huge fan of wireless mice, it seems the batteries always die at the most inopportune moments... lol Anyway, with Logitech's promise of a long battery life, I decided to give it a shot and ordered one.
Upon opening the box, I was pleased to find they included a Duracell battery, not some cheap no-name battery that might last a week. The battery (it uses a single AA cell) was already in place, with a little pull tab to remove. I had already gone to Logitech's site and downloaded the latest software beforehand, so I just plugged in the USB receiver and switched on the trackball. It was immediately picked up and working in Windows. (8.1) I then installed the Logitech software and configured the extra buttons (I liked the default forward and back buttons) and adjusted the sensitivity. Right away I needed to turn the movement down slower to get the same "feel" as my old trackballs. At first I found it a little tough adjusting from the centered ball to a thumb ball, but having used it for a few days now, it just feels natural. The other buttons and scroll wheel are far better than what I had with the others. Perfect! Just what I wanted. :)
As for the build quality, it's as good as you would expect from Logitech. The ball is nice and smooth, with just enough friction to allow precise control, without being too "sticky" or "slick". The left and right buttons, middle click, and scroll wheel feel just like all the Logitech mice I've had other the years. The forward and back buttons give a nice solid click when pressed, and are easy to find by feel. The whole thing just fits my hand well, and is comfortable to use. There's one indicator light on top for a battery indicator. It glows green when you first start to use the trackball after it's been "asleep". I'm assuming it will turn orange or red once the battery is low. Hopefully, and based on other reviews, it will be a while before I find out, since battery life seems to be pretty good for others that have used these for a while.
So my only wish would still be for a wired version, but if I do have to go wireless, the need for a single AA cell coupled with a long battery life make it easy to swallow. Honestly, if the battery life is close to a year like some others (and Logitech) claim, I kind of prefer wireless just so I dont have the wire to fight with getting in the way or when moving the trackball off the work bench. Even if battery life isn't great, it's a small price to pay for a high quality trackball that meets my needs in every other way for a great price!
UPDATE on the battery life... Here we are 9 months later, and I'm STILL using the AA battery that was included in the box with this trackball... lol My concerns about battery life were not warranted. I use it every single day for a few hours, and never turn the switch off. I just let it "sleep" when not in use. Everything still works as good as new with no signs of wear yet. 100% impressed with this trackball. Buy it, you'll like it!
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