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Rating: 
Summary: More Toy than Tool!
Review: I bought one of these trackballs, thinking it would be a serviceable mobile tool to complement my two Compac notebooks, but it turns out that, above the fact that the button controls are completely different from any other unit and require relearning a new system, the trackball control is a major maintenance problem, using tiny steel pins with soft rubber friction contacts which shed dust debris at such a rate the trackball requires cleaning almost every session it is used. Even when clean, the track function continues to stick and jump, rendering the unit nearly useless for serious work. Give it to the kids for the toy it is.
Rating: 
Summary: Portable and Left handed!!
Review: I love this track ball. Using a mouse over the past couple of years I had forgotten how great a trackball could be. I originally picked it up because it was small and would be easier to control than the standard built in laptop controls, but now I'm thinking of getting more of them for the office and my desktop at home. I consider it the top of my must have list for left handed equipment!The positives:
1. It is truely ambidexterous, since the main button is the trigger under the trackball one can use it with either hand without changing the mouse settings. I carry it everywhere, because I can log onto the network plug into a spare USB slot and go. When I log off I just unplug and the right handed setting for the machine remain intact. 2. seamless power point. It's so small I can tuck it into the palm of my hand. no more stopping to reach for a mouse or keyboard buttons, asking coworkers for the 'next slide', or fighting with the IRDA settings or batteries in a wireless device. 3. I've discovered it's an improvement on the mouse scroll wheel - by holding down the left button and using the track ball I can scroll both horizontally and vertically. 4. Mouse tag - with both the track ball and the regular mouse connected to our desktop my kids have discovered a whole new dimension to their video games. I now longer have to put the 1 player games in 'time-out'; they are suddenly 2 player, whoever is quickest to click gets a turn. Even office applications have become fun for them. negatives:
1. If you aren't used to a trackball it will take some playing with your mouse acceleration settings to customize this product. As I said you can use it anywhere, but unless one does some customizing it can take a moment to move the pointer across the screen (of course this added control is convenient in graphics applications such as illustrator and gimp). 2. durability - It just seems flimsey, as if the plastic pieces barely fit together. I haven't had any problems after months of toteing my track ball everywhere, but I carry it in a special compartment of my backpack and I've never dropped it. If you are hard on equipment this might not be the product for you. 3. I've had trouble getting my Linux box to recognize the USB device, but it works with the PS/2 adapter Have fun! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the money, that's about it.
Review: I've gotten a lot of use out of this mouse. It was well worth the fifteen bucks I spent on it. However, as I write this, I am shopping for something a little better. The mouse is extremely convenient for use with a laptop, however it is certainly tempermental. The spring in the "trigger" mouse button gave out in it's first week of use, but was still useable. The wheel was prone to getting "stuck" ever so often. Overall, I would recommend just spending the extra money and getting something a little better, if you can find it (which I haven't yet).
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