Have a ball with this mouse!
Written: Apr 28 '01 (Updated Jun 04 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Equally as comfortable for righties and lefties; configurable buttons
Cons: Not enough buttons
The Bottom Line: Perfect device for left-handers. Great for people with wrist problems.
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| gracef's Full Review: Logitech Marble Mouse (904360-0215) Trackball |
Buying gifts for relatives who live a great distance away isn't always easy. I have little doubt that our relatives curse us every Christmas because it is almost impossible to decide what we would want or need. My oldest brother got smart this last year, though. Since we own four computers and since my husband and I both work as programmers, the best gift would be a computer accessory. After all, it was very unlikely that we would have one of the accessory for each of the computers that we regularly use.
This past Christmas, he gave us the Logitech Marble Mouse. As we unwrapped it, he gushed, "I love those things!" Now, if you knew my brother, you would know that he rarely gives such unqualified recommendations about anything. So I was rather taken aback by his enthusiasm.
What my brother didn't know is that I suffer from a bit of carpal tunnel syndrome. (Neither one of us is so old that we spend a great deal of time discussing our aches and pains!) So I am very picky about the input devices that I use. I have found a keyboard and mouse combination that eliminates the symptoms most of the time. And after having spent days working with an inflamed wrist, I was rather reluctant to mess with the combination. Still, I know that my brother had put lots of thought into his gift, so I decided not to return it.
Instead, it went into the closet to await the time when my husband or daughter might need it. It sat there until a few weeks ago, when I started a new job. Immediately, I found myself dealing with the same old problems with cheap, non-ergonomic equipment. Rather than wait for my company to acquire the things that I wanted, I decided to bring extra things from home. Finally, the Marble Mouse was going to see some action.
Installation
The Marble Mouse is shipped with the marble detached. In a way, this is nice because it gives some hint about how to take the device apart for cleaning later. To assemble the device, simply place the ball into the hole for it and push down on the ball firmly. The ball snaps into place. That's all there is to it!
Next, the device must be connected to the computer. The device has a USB connector, but it is shipped with a little PS/2 converter. I opted to attach it to the PS/2 slot simply because I wished to save the two measly USB ports on my computer for other devices.
The next step was slighly more annoying than it had to be. The Logitech Marble Mouse is compatible with Windows 98, NT, 2000, and NT as well as with Macintosh OS 8.6 or above. However, the installation CD that came with my Marble Mouse did not have the Windows 2000 drivers that I required. Fortunately, the drivers are available from the Logitech web site, and a short minute later, I had them downloaded.
The final part of the installation process was the worst. After installing the drivers, I was prompted to reboot Windows 2000. The machine started the shutdown process. I waited. And waited. And waited. Five minutes later, the machine still hadn't shut down, and there was no response from the 3 fingered salute (ctrl-alt-delete / reboot). So I ended up cycling the power on the machine.
Configuration
When my system was up and running again, it immediately prompted me to configure the Logitech Marble Mouse. The configuration process is designed so that the user is prompted through a series of screens. Each screen includes a graphic that shows the user which aspect of the device is being configured. This might be confusing for some users as the graphic sometimes shows a device other than the Marble Mouse. Despite this small problem, configuration is still easy.
I was on the first configuration screen when I realized why my brother liked the Marble Mouse so much. He is a "leftie" who has been doomed to live in a "rightie" world for over 40 years. Most ergonomic mice are designed specifically for right handers, with the shape of the mouse reflecting the shape of a right-hander's palm. That's great for people like me, but lousy for people like my brother.
The Logitech Marble Mouse is designed differently, though. The shape is symmetrical, with a button on either side of the ball. The configuration routine allows the user to decide whether the device will be positioned on the right or left side of the keyboard and then how the buttons are to be configured. My brother, who wants everything to be a mirror image of what is right-handed sister sees, can place the device on the left and reverse the right and left mouse buttons if he wants. He must be in Heaven!
In addition to configuring the actions of the right and left buttons, the user may also configure what happens when both buttons are pressed at once. I configured it to use allow the page to scroll up and down, left and right just by rotating the ball. This is a great substitute for the mousewheel on some traditional mice, and it saves me from having to reach for the scrollbars on various applications.
The software also allows the user to calibrate the movement of the trackball according to the position in which the device is placed. The user can then place the device in a natural position. So even though the ball may be rolling slightly left or right, the cursor still moves up and down. This makes the device a perfect repellent for anyone who likes to "borrow" your computer for "just a minute"! On the other hand, it may make it less than optimal for a family computer.
Configuration of this device may lead to problems for the person who isn't paying complete attention to the task. While configuring the orientation of the device, I accidentally scrolled down when I meant to scroll up. This led to some really confusing pointer behavior, because every time I scrolled down, the cursor went up and visa versa. While this might be a rather humorous practical joke to play on your coworkers, it led to much head-scratching on my part.
Final evaluation
For the most part, I have been pleased with the comfort of the Logitech Marble Mouse. I haven't had a second of discomfort since I started using it. I have also been pleased with the control of the device. As I grow more accustomed to the marble movement, I am able to control small movements even better than I could with a traditional mouse.
Cleaning the device is simple. Because the hand is always touching the trackball, it gets rather gunky. Left unattended, this could damage the connections that read the trackball movement. So once a week, I snap the ball out of its slot and clean it with rubbing alcohol.
Even though the Logitech Marble Mouse is more comfortable, I have to admit that I still don't like it as much as I do my Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer mouse. I really miss the two extra buttons, which I have programmed to do the "Forward" and "Back" functions while browsing the Internet.
I have little doubt though. If I were a left-hander like my brother, this would be the only device for me!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
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gracef
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