flying_lip's Full Review: Microsoft Explorer (D68-00002) Trackball
Being not happy with the Microsoft Trackball Optical I bought last year to replace my old Intellimouse Trackball (you can also read my opinion in the Trackball Optical section), I decided to try its more expensive sibling, Trackball Explorer.
There are 2 main reasons for me to opt for an ergonomical optical trackball:
1) While not being totally dirt-proof, performance is less affected by dirt and dust and less frequent cleaning is required.
2) My hand and wrist can be in a rested and comfortable position, thus causing less stress, thus improving cursor control.
SETUP
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Setup was easy. Since I was already using the latest Intellimouse software (ver 3.2), all I needed was to tell the software it's a different mouse. Otherwise, the Explorer comes with version 3.2 on a CD. You can certainly use the mouse without installing the software - Windows' default mouse driver works just as well, but you get only the standard left, right buttons plus wheel, and you lose programmability.
DESIGN & USE
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The mouse comes with a silver body and 4 grey buttons, with the huge red glowing ring round the ball in between the buttons.
Having been used to Intellimouse Trackball, this takes little adjustments. There are minor differences, but you still control the cursor with your forefinger, with the thumb performing left and right clicks. The wheel/3rd button has moved from the right of the trackball to between the left and right buttons. Next to the ball now sit 2 extra buttons. The ball is bigger than its cheaper optical sibling so they are not interchangeable. Personally I think the smaller size would make this an even more comfortable trackball.
This brings me to the size of the mouse. Like its sibling it's not designed for smallish hand and definitely not to be used with left hands! I just don't seem to be able to find a good resting position for my fingers - they feel like being stretched and stressed. The old Intellimouse Trackball is more comfortable in this area, but none of them as good as Microsoft BallPoint 2 on my old Texas Instruments TravelMate 4000E 486 notebook.
The buttons produce responsive clicks, but as others have already mentioned time is needed to adjust to using the extra 2 buttons to the right of the ball with your other fingers. Build quality seems lacking, especially with the right button being loose in its housing.
CONCLUSION
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Despite its shortcomings, this is a very good trackball, especially if you have big enough hands and that you are right-handed.
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