Rating: 
Summary: This Trackball Rules
Review: It's quick, accurate, easy to use, comfortable, 5 programable buttons. Microsoft sent me this as a free replacement for my old Intellimouse mechanical trackball that had a 3yr. warrenty. This Optical version has a 5 yr. warrenty, with less mechanics to wear out. So far I love it, and for me the price was right.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but cheap
Review: I love a track ball because I am not all over the desk. It stays in place and is easier to use once I got used to it. I have always used Logitec, but their drivers screw up their own devices. I decided to switch to Microsoft because I felt that it would be much more compatible with Win 2000. It does install and operate much better, but I was disappointed with how cheap it was made. It feels too light and thrown together. Rough around the edges. I hope it last.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good, but It Takes Some Time to Get Used To
Review: I enjoy this trackball very much, but when it first arrived from Amazon I was strongly considering returning it. It was awkward to use, especially because the ball moves very freely (you barely have to put any pressure on the ball to make it move, and therefore often times you move too far). However, it definately is more comfortable than your average mouse and I would recommend it for anyone who dislikes mice for one reason or another. (By the way, don't worry about it clogging up like normal trackballs--this one's optical; there are no mechanics inside and therefore theres nothing to clog up. However, I do wipe out the inside about once every month just to keep it clean).
Rating: 
Summary: It's a good thing I got my money back!
Review: I have been using trackballs ever since I got my first computer. This one ranks dead last. You would think the new technology would be great, but it's a drawback. I could only stand to use this trackball for 3 hours due to the fact that my onscreen mouse movement was very jerky. I need precise and smooth movement to do my job and can get it with a Logitech. I sold this mouse on eBay for a profit.
Rating:
Summary: A very nice trackball, overall
Review: Sometime in the mid-nineties, I purchased my first trackball - one of the mechical Logitechs - and I haven't looked back to conventional mice since then. One of the things I really didn't enjoy was having to frequently clean the little rascals, though, a problem with any mechanical mousing instrument. With the advent of optical devices, this problem is almost completely wiped out. I have to clean this trackball every several weeks, but clean-up is a complete snap - turn it upside down, let the ball fall out, and run a clean cloth around the inside of the chamber. Voila. Occasionally, cat hairs get stuck in the small cut-out at the bottom, but are easily blown out. Oh happy day!This is a 5-button mouse, though in all honesty, I don't tend to use the two buttons on the outside very often - fortunately, they're out of the way enough not to interfere with daily use. But, if you "grip" the mouse, rather than rest your hand upon it, you might bump into those two buttons more often. They can be deprogrammed, though. The two main buttons for left- and right-click are well-placed, and my thumb doesn't get tired, even in the midst of a "Deux Ex"-fest, blasting the living daylights out of everything in sight. The wheel (which also functions as a "middle" button) is nicely-textured for excellent ease of use. Ergonomically shaped, this mouse has yet to cause me any carpal miseries. The finger trackball took me a bit of time to get used to, as I have always used thumb trackballs in the past. I've found, though, that the finger ball is much more comfortable; with the thumb trackball, a lot of tension and stress would accumulate in that digit, and I hadn't even fully realized it until it went away. I spent hours and hours at a time in front of my computer, and I have major complaints about this device. The only thing I truly wish were different is that I wish it had a longer cord; as it stands, it's stretched completely taut, and frequently scootches back underneath the overhang above my keyboard tray. Other than that, I'm very satisfied with this product.
Rating:
Summary: Don't let the Price Tag Scare you
Review: As an avid computer user, gamer, and professional Web Programmer, I spend a LOT of time on my computer. Over time, I've resorted to Trackballs because of the strain a regular mouse puts on the wrist. I had purchased and fallen in love with my logitech optical trackball, and thought that was the end of it. However, recently I started working in "Maya", a 3d graphics rendering program that REQUIRES a 3 button mouse. I was distraught because I loved my optical trackball so much, but it only had two buttons. All the other 3+ button trackballs I could find were not optical, which I had tried before. non-optical mice have a tendancy to force the cursor into perfectly horizontal or vertical motions, and makes fine motion graphics impossible. As for optical trackballs with more than 3 buttons, most place the ball under the thumb, which is beyond akward to use. So after much searching both online and in stores, I found this mouse. The price tag made me a little weary at first...not what I'm used to dishing out for something as simple as a mouse. But I decided it was worth giving at least a TRY. so I bought it and took it home. My machine running XP recognized it without problem, though the extra buttons didn't work right until I installed the software that came with it... To try and do multiple buttons with just the thumb proved impossible. Overall, I'm glad I took a chance on this mouse, and I'm looking to soon purchase a second one for my work machine. I would highly reccomend this mouse to anyone that needs the multiple buttons on an optical trackball. If you don't, while it is nice, there are less expensive options.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Precision
Review: I started a project at work that required using drawing applications so I purchased this trackball to replace my old Microsoft trackball. The precision on this thing is incredible. If you need control of your cursor for games/applications this would be the way to go. I constantly use the two "Spare" buttons and they have different uses in each application which is customizable inside the trackball software - for example in IE my spare buttons do refresh/forward and back. In word they do search/copy and paste.
Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: Probably no one pointing device will be ideal for everyone. For a trackball user, It is a real delight to have one that does not balk at the first sight of the crud that inevitably transfers from the hands. The large ball is smooth and precise and the large contoured left button is in exactly the right place. The right-side buttons are awkward to use; larger size and finger depressions might have helped. I think I would have preferred the wheel to the right of the ball, as on the mechanical explorer, although it does make a nice 'barrier' between the two buttons. It bugs me to have to say something nice about a Microsoft product, but all in all, I think this is almost as good as it gets.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Trackball, but with some flaws
Review: Microsoft did a great job with this mouse, though it's not perfect. For one thing the two extra buttons on the right side are awkward to use. Especially for someone who's not familiar with using the trackball. My roomate keeps thinking the "right-click" is the button on the far right. Logical, correct? Also, my biggest peeve is that this trackball does NOT work well with a KVM-switch at all. I have to use one for space purposes and when I switch back and forth, the signal is sometimes lost and I have to switch again just to try and pick up the mouse. Sometimes the mouse interprets the switch as a click, and I end up with a context menu, or a marquee box on my desktop or worse. I've even had to reboot! What I've done in the interim to help this problem is NOT install the software, and the switching seems to be less buggy. Still, I like the look of the mouse. The red lighted ring around the ball is kewl and goes well with my Blue-lighted SONY VIAO.
Rating:
Summary: Warp 5, Mr. Sulu
Review: Sleek, silver and glowing - I have this space-age thing on my desk that delights me. It's improved the position of my hand so that my CTS has ebbed, though I still need a wrist rest and frequent breaks. All the buttons, including the wheel button, are programmable, bringing the total of moving gizmos to 5 buttons a trackball and a wheel. This alone is reason to fiddle endlessly with it, trying to come up with the best combination of programming to suit the natural play of your hand. If anything, there are too many possible combinations of function, and you may spend a week or more playing with this puppy before you find a workable group of settings. The functions are smooth, and reasonably reliable, depending on the position your hand takes. I find the left-hand buttons difficult to hit correctly with my thumb, thanks to some nerve damage so I reprogrammed them until I found a way that was comfortable for me to work. I strongly suggest you do the same. If you're running Win XP, you'll have to d/l the newest Intellipoint drivers, but that's not a big deal. Installation is a snap with Plug 'n' Play. I never thought I'd find anything that pleased me as much as my old Logitech trackball, but I have to say that I think this one might do it. Time will tell. But right from the start, I found it worth the investment.
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