Rating: 
Summary: CALLUSES!!!
Review: I bought this mouse a while back, and I love it. It's great for gaming once you get the sensitivity worked out because you dont have to pick up your mouse over and over. I found only a few flaws with it. In order to get it to be precise you must set the cursor to move very slow, this will cause you to have to move the ball a lot to get it across the screen. The seccond problem is Calluses. I have a callus on my right thumb and forefinger, along with less feeling in both.If you intend to use this for short amounts of time and are in a confined area, go for it, this is a great mouse. Although remember to keep it clean, sometimes some dust will get in that little hole and you have to blow it out every once in a while, or dirt will get around those little metal balls that hold the Trackball in. It's got 4 buttons plus the scroll. I use them all, I think they're ingenious and wouldn't ever go back to a mouse that doesn't have them.
Rating: 
Summary: I just ordered my third one. (Shining endorsement)
Review: While I don't always think M$ is a computing Godsend when it comes to software, this trackball is the best input peripheral I've used yet. I have what I think is a larger than normal hand, so I find most mice and trackballs are too small for me to use comfortably. This causes my hand to tire out rather quick. This trackball however is of a decent enough size for me to rest my hand on without much fatigue. The USB PS/2 adapter is a nice touch. I love the narrow back/forward (By default) buttons on the outer edges of the primary and secondary buttons. Web and folder browsing is definately faster with those. The scroll wheel button as a double-click also is a nice option. For those hardcore mousers out there, it will take a bit of time to get used to a thumb ball, but I think it pays off as I now feel that I have better control. It also requires less desk space because the unit doesn't have to move around a la mouse. Mouse pads need not apply as well. Some grit occasionally gets in the small bearing that the ball moves on, but they are easliy cleaned with a brush of the finger, and they never get as nasty as regular mice. The software is nice and easy to set up with a graphic interface that shows the buttons you are setting. I know some people that can appreciate that. I bought one a while back for home, and then asked work to '[give]it up' and help out my ergonomics. Now my other home PC is needing one. My one gripe with this trackball is that it could have been improved upon by layering it with a thin coat of rubber to make it even more comfortable. This is a small gripe to be sure, as I can be at the computer much longer with this than a conventional mouse before my hand bothers me.
Rating: 
Summary: Inaccurate and Clunky
Review: Bought this mouse and was very unhappy with it. Right out of the box, the trackball gets stuck more than 50% of the time. This got annoying after 2 days. I was also unhappy with how inaccurate it felt. I tinkered with the mouse control panel without any luck. I use my mouse for illustrations on the computer... so the thumb position for the trackball really doesn't work well unless you're double jointed. Even if you're not drawing anything, the fact that the trackball gets stuck so often makes basic window navigation aggravating. I don't usually return products, but this is one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Ergonomics, Very Poor Ball Movement
Review: I have both this Microsoft Trackball Optical (at my office) and the alternative Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical (at home) and while the ergonomics are pretty much the same, the ball movement is much smoother on the Logitech. The Microsoft ball is manufactured using a translucid plastic that is not hard enough and causes it to "stick" to the rollers inside its casing. Let me try to explain because I feel this is very important. Even though the trackball is optical (meaning there is a laser beam inside the casing that "reads" the ball movement), there are rollers in the form of tiny metal balls (the size of the head of a pin) over which the ball rolls. This "sticking" of the ball causes the movement of the cursor to be imprecise. When you try to roll the ball with your thumb just a pixel, it gets a bit hard (doesn't move) and then it releases it's stick and rolls too much. On the Logitech however this does not happen. The construction is the same (plastic ball that rolls on tiny balls in the casing and a laser beam that reads the movement) but the ball is a little smaller and made of a much harder plastic. This harder plastic does not stick to the rollers inside the casing, so the ball is always free and the movement is smooth. I definitely recommend you get the Logitech over the Microsoft model. Logitech has both a wired and wireless trackball models, both work the same way. Check them out.
Rating: 
Summary: Not perfect, but quite good
Review: As a Mac user, I've used mice since 1985 and trackballs since 1981 (with Missile Command). Gone through a lot of them looking for the perfect device. This isn't it, but I haven't found anything closer. The closest point of comparison was the Logitech Trackman Marble. But that didn't have as many buttons and the ball was smaller, which made it harder to manipulate. Finger-operated trackballs need more hand movement and make click-drag functions more difficult. With this, it's easy to click and hold while moving the ball with your thumb. I really like having five buttons. It makes websurfing very easy when I can have buttons for click, back, open in new window, switch windows and autoscroll without having to reach for the keyboard. A scroll wheel is, of course, invaluable nowadays. One thing I can't do without is application sets, which allow button assignments to change with each application. Logitech's software only allows a single set of functions, which is quite limiting. I find the shape very comfortable, despite the fact that my hands aren't especially big. My hand just drapes naturally in a relaxed position with fingers and thumb resting perfectly atop the two main buttons and the ball. I tried an Intellimouse Explorer, but found it gave me more handstrain since I had to grip the mouse fairly hard with my thumb. As with all other trackballs that rely on embedded ball bearings to support the ball, this can get sluggish when skin oil and dead skin build up on the bearings. It's not a problem in winter but gets worse in warm weather. In the summer, it needs cleaning once every couple of hours. Luckily, it's easy to pop the ball out and back in. One solution is to clean the bearings thoroughly then dab them with a little spray silicone. It keeps the detritus from building up and, unlike other lubricants, won't attack the plastic ball. Unfortunately, the optical port is open, not sealed with a plastic window like Logitech's, so dust and cat hair like to get inside and Microsoft has basically sealed this unit so you can't take it apart for cleaning. When this product is discontinued, I plan to buy a few on clearance as spares unless somebody can make something better. More accuracy wouldn't be bad, but for precision work, I use a graphics tablet, so this isn't a problem.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful TrackBall
Review: Well, my first thought on the TrackBall was hmm, wonder if i can get used to using it. Well i must say it was very easy to do, the mouse moves very nicely no "jumps". I'm Not sure why i have read that most people have a problem with hand oils and dirt getting into the mouse (unless they have never ever washed their hands) i dont sit at the computer eating potato chips and then grab for the TrackBall so this isnt a problem for me. Its a perfect device, no problems with it jumping around and moving slowly. buy it and try it, its cheap enough and well worth the money, (yes the ball comes out "if" you need to clean it)
Rating:
Summary: A handsome but flawed mouse...
Review: On the outside, the Microsoft Trackball Optical may look pleasing. With its ring of red light, its perfectly shaded gray exterior, and a nice curve to it, you might wonder how this beautiful mouse might possibly be flawed...well, let's just say that it certainly has its share of them! Let's begin with the trackball itself. This trackball, so far, has worked moderately well; however, on occasion, especially during quick scrolling, this ball has "stalled" on me. That is, it stopped during the middle of scrolling, forcing me to re-shift my finger and continue. On other occasions, the trackball has actually shifted off of the sidebar (although this may have something to do with me then with the mouse...) It's not fastened into its socket, which I find a tad questionable. Is this for cleaning purposes, if so, why? As of yet I have not run into any dust problems or whatever else. Now, moving on to the button functions. Although the two side "back" and "forward" buttons may seem convenient, they most certainly are not. Their size just limits the accessibility of the two regular function buttons. Add to that the fact that I never use them (I constantly find myself going up to the "back" and "forward" buttons on my Internet Explorer menu) and you've got some problems. Like I said above, because of the two small "back" and "forward" buttons, I've had several difficulties with clicking on the main function buttons. When I go to click on it, I click on the "back" or "forward" button instead; this can become irritating. Lastly, the scroll button I've had no problems with. I don't use it that often, but when I do I have never had problems yet. I purchased this mouse while it was on sale, so, as of so far, it's been worth the value. However, I'm sure there are much better options out there, especially if you're looking for another trackball. However, if like me, you can obtain this mouse for relatively cheap, by all means buy it. Rating: 3 Stars
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful TrackBall
Review: Well, my first thought on the TrackBall was hmm, wonder if i can get used to using it. Well i must say it was very easy to do, the mouse moves very nicely no "jumps". I'm Not sure why i have read that most people have a problem with hand oils and dirt getting into the mouse (unless they have never ever washed their hands) i dont sit at the computer eating potato chips and then grab for the TrackBall so this isnt a problem for me. Its a perfect device, no problems with it jumping around and moving slowly. buy it and try it, its cheap enough and well worth the money, (yes the ball comes out "if" you need to clean it)
Rating:
Summary: Trackball doesn't track!
Review: I used the MS trackball optical for about a month. I just put it back in the box. My thumb hurts because the curser/pointer is moved only by your thumb. Even worse---the ball moves the pointer very sporatically. Sometimes, I'll roll the ball up or down and nothing happens. Save your money and buy a logitech "Marble Mouse" (I use it on my other computer). It cost about the same, doesn't hurt you hand, and actually moves the pointer where you want it to!
Rating:
Summary: Action of the ball sticks on slower movements
Review: The trackball perfectly fits in my hand, but I found that the ball did not track properly when trying to move the pointer slowly. I recommend the Logitech Trackman Wheel instead of this product.
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