Rating: 
Summary: Ball rolls in sand.
Review: Great at first, then becomes harder and harder to "roll" ball; finally gets to feel as if rolling in sand.Ball appears to roll on 3 tiny shiny metalic dots;
Unlike real (good) trackballs which have spring loaded rollers, this design is cheap and short lived.
Rating: 
Summary: On paper it's perfect, but...
Review: I just recently got my second one (actually third, because I couldn't return my second one so I had to exchange it for the same product). My first MS Trackball Optical served me relatively okay, though it seemed to lack the better feel of the old Logitech white Trackman. The reason I got it was for the extra buttons for a single press double-click, and a ctrl with the right little button to hold down while left clicking on various items. The problem with these MS ones are, they seem to wear down faster than the Logitech, despite the extra buttons so that I don't click the main left button as often. My first MS one now has a malfunctioning main left button, and the second one which I had to return, had a ball that started to grind after two days of use. No there wasn't any dirt on the rollers or anything (I swapped in the ball from my first just to check). Also, the balls on these things seem to be tougher to move around when my thumb is either dry or sweaty. Not so with the Logitech. Positives (over the current Logitech Trackman):
-2 extra buttons.
-Conforms to the normal spread of my fingers when my middle finger constantly stays on the wheel. Negatives:
-Isn't curved enough compared to my hand and fingers in a resting position. Makes for an unintentional click once in a while.
-Ball and rollers vastly inferior to Logitech's. Needs cleaning more often.
-Flimsy build quality.
Rating:
Summary: Could be worse, but expected better
Review: I own two of these trackballs, and have experienced the sticking problem once in a while. I also owned a couple of Logitech trackballs which did work a little smoother, while they worked. The first Logitech had a Lifetime Warranty, which Logitech told me only applied as long as they made the same model that fails. In other words, my two year old trackball had less than a two year warranty, not lifetime as stated on the box. After I had a fit about the worthless warranty, they offered to sell me a new model for a discount, which turned out to be more than it normally cost at the local stores. Logitechs warranty is worthless! I will never purchase another Logitech product again. So, the Microsoft trackball is one decent alternative. I have had them for a couple of years now, and other than having to clean dust out of them once in a while, the little sticking problem is the only real problem I have had. Hopefully, Microsoft will come up with a more friction free design someday.
Rating:
Summary: The Worst Trackball I Have Ever Used
Review: I have used a Logitech TrackBall for years, and have been very happy with it. However, I saw a this Microsoft Trackball in a local store for $25 and decided to give it a try - I mean, Microsoft wouldn't put their name on junk hardware would they(rhetorical)? Well, I got it out of the box and it worked fine for about an hour. After that it would bind, stick and would be impossible to control with any precision. After cleaning it would improve, but it would start binding again in no time. Needless to say, this mouse is collecting dust in my closet and I am back to my Logitech mouse. The problem with this mouse is that the plastic mouse ball rides in a plastic socket. The mouse is held into position with plastic "nubs". Now, everyone has rubbed plastic against plastic before (I assume) - there isn't exactly a low coefficient of friction there. I look at the inside of my Logitech mouse and its trackball rides on metal ball bearings. The difference is night and day. My advice - if you are in the market for a trackball mouse, go with another product. This mouse looks cool - but unfortunatly for it, a mouse needs to do more than look good.
Rating:
Summary: TERRIBLE! Do not buy it! Don't listen to others!
Review: What a piece of garbage. The ball sticks and binds and there are no solutions. I have tried various lubricants and filing down the plastic bumps that hold the ball in and other things...nothing works. Daily or hourly cleaning makes it manageable, but that is ridiculous, I cleaned my other mice monthly. This thing is just poorly designed. If you need any level of precision whatsoever, like being able to highlight a word or a paragraph or an entire page of text, this thing is too clumsy to get the job done. Screwed again by Microsoft. I should have known.
Rating: 
Summary: I swear by this thing!
Review: I've been using this trackball for over 5 years (same one!), and it works wonderfully. It is so much better than Logitech's similar thumb-wheel!
My only issue is that it tends to get dirty inside the ball housing, and sometimes gets sticky enough to need some WD-40. Other than that, me and my MS trackball are in love. The only MS product I actually use, in fact! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: the trackball binds
Review: When I recieved this mouse, by the look of it, it was exactly what I needed - it's size was bigger than in the pictures (about 6" long), which makes for a comfortable fit, and it had the 5 buttons that I'd gotten so used to on my Microsoft Intellemouse. As other people are saying, the one thing which kills this product is the trackball binds to the "rollers". Since this is an optical mouse, there aren't any moving parts, but the ball does glide on three stationary metal balls, and two stationary plastic retainers which keep the ball inside its socket. Depending on where your thumb is at any given moment, there might be pressure squeezing the ball down onto the plastic retainers. Since the ball and the retainers are made from plastic that's similar in density, they bind to one another - sometimes requiring quite a bit of force to unbind them. This being my first foray into trackballs, I figured that I'd return it, and get the wireless logitech that everyone's howling about. Shame :(
Rating:
Summary: Don't listen to the "hype"!
Review: Based on the other reviews, I purchased two of these items (one for each of my computers) and have been using them for a couple of weeks. Yes, they work great at first. But afterwards they do "skip, stick, and need to be cleaned" often. If you do any precision work on your computer, or you need to move your mouse quickly from one side of the screen to a specific spot on the other side of the screen while playing a game (e.g. Age of Mythology), I'd suggest keeping your old mouse. I would have given it a lower rating, but the trackball does work. And, with the software installed, you can easily program the two extra buttons and the wheel to fit your needs. At first, I just plugged the darn thing in and it worked! Couldn't use the extra buttons, but everything else worked fine. Just not too thrilled about the Optical TrackBall.
Rating:
Summary: Why Does Anyone Use a Mouse?
Review: I am about to purchase my third Microsoft Optical Trackball. I have been using one for around three years. I purchased a second for my computer at work and now number three is going on a second computer at home. It works great, although it does occasionally have to be cleaned. I hate using a mouse because of having to pick up the mouse to reposition it. The trackball never needs to be moved. An added benefit is it keeps those that do not know how to use a trackball from using your computer. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Save your money...
Review: I purchased this trackball over a week ago, (not at Amazon) when my old Logitech Trackman "gave up the ghost" after 5 years of heavy use. I'm not a computer "whiz," nor am I a heavy game player, but I do use the internet a lot during the day for work, so I was looking for a good, solid, cheap, trackball as a replacement. I was not necessarily looking for another Logitech, just a replacement. I bought this particular trackball for 3 reaons: 1. it was priced right, 2. It was from a reputable company, and 3. it was a trackball. I got it home and installed it. It was a very easy installation. However, I noticed that the trackball had a tendency to "stick" and hang while moving it. It was almost impossible to make minute movements with the cursor/pointer. The cursor would also tend to move of its own accord, even though my hand was nowhere near it. I found the ball hard to move as well. I then tried adjusting the sensitivity of the ball and cursor movement. Over the course of 8 days and many different sensitivity settings, I just could not get the trackball to respond in a manner that I felt comfortable with. Just moving the ball around was a rather laborious process.
During the middle of the week, I ordered Logitech's similarly priced model from Amazon, and it arrived today. There was a marked difference between the two. The Logitech's movements were much more fluid, it didn't hang or stick, and it stayed put when I let it go. Overall, I have had a better experience with the Logitech than the MS equivalent. Even though it has only been one day.
I readily admit that I am no computer expert, but I have been tinkering with them for 10 years now, and I have to say that this is the worst mouse/trackball that I have ever had the displeasure of using. This is not meant as an indictment of Microsoft, as I believe that they are a decent company, nor is this meant to be an endorsement of Logitech. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone buy this trackball.
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