Not even for $3...
Written: Jan 12 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap, relatively ergonomic, no software to install.
Cons: Low resolution, "jerky" movements, action feels "gritty."
The Bottom Line: If you absolutely need a trackball, and only have $5 to spend, this is the one for you. If not, avoid it.
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| caradoc's Full Review: Macally iBall Trackball |
I've been having more and more problems with my "mouse elbow", and went out shopping for a trackball to replace my Logitech Mouseman with three buttons plus the roller.
I'd really like to get a Kensington Turbo Mouse Pro, but at $80-$100 I figured I'd at least try another trackball before shelling out the cash for it.
While shopping Fry's Electronics today for a trackball, I found a stack of Macally iBall boxes marked at $2.99 each. When I got to the register, they confirmed that, yes, they were selling them off at $2.99.
At $2.99, I'd keep one of these in a drawer for use as an "emergency pointing device" - I can't get most USB mice at that kind of price. So, what the heck - I figured I'd try it out.
The Macally iBall consists of a bluish transparent ball, about two inches in diameter, inside a wedge-shaped housing with a button to either side of the trackball.
The ball plastic is hard, but is finished to a slightly "tacky" feeling instead of being rough, so your fingers don't just slide around on the ball like the earliest versions of the Kensington trackball. The buttons have a nice positive "click" to them.
To open and remove the ball for cleaning, one simply turns the bezel around the ball about a quarter of an inch counterclockwise, then turn the housing over. The ball falls out, and you're ready to clean the rollers.
This is good - a trackball picks up oil from your fingers, and transfers that oil to the rollers, and can make the trackball "skip" or become less sensitive to motion.
That said, the Macally iBall is simply the worst trackball I've ever used. The ball doesn't move smoothly, and even when you force the ball to continue moving by increasing the pressure a little bit, the rollers under the ball seem to ignore the motion - so the ball moves, but the mouse pointer on your screen does not.
What good is a pointing device that won't let you point? Even worse, if I'm already having wrist and elbow problems with a mouse, why on Earth would I choose to use a trackball that actually requires MORE effort to do the same things?
Also, the resolution for the trackball is about 350 cpi, or "counts per inch." Most modern mice rate in the 400 cpi range, and "pro" trackballs can rate in the 700 cpi range - the net result is that the Macally iBall tracks erratically when compared to a "real" mouse or trackball.
I won't be returning the trackball to the store - at $2.99, it's cheap enough to keep as a spare device. I just won't be using it for anything unless it's a "last resort."
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 2.99
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Epinions.com ID:
caradoc
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: John Groseclose
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Reviews written: 182
Trusted by: 133 members
About Me:
System admin, technology addict, knife thrower, and dog "caregiver."
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