Logitech Optical Marble Mouse (USB/PS2)

This mouse would be absolutely perfect if it weren't for a few imperfections.

First of all, having a curve where your wrist would rest isn't a good idea, and needs a cushion of some sort to be comfortable.

Also, my mouse isn't entirely smooth in movement. By that, I mean I can feel the friction from the three underlying tabs.

It would help to have some sort of scroll bar too.

All in all, this mouse has imperfections, but the enjoyment of using it surpasses the minor annoyances that are sometimes encountered.

Logitech Trackball Marble Mouse is one of the better computer accessories I have used and it offers a noticeable improvement compared to traditional computer mice. Its unique shape makes it much more comfortable and a no- sliding- necessary design eliminates the need to drag your mouse across a flat surface to move the computer pointer on your screen. To move the pointer, all you do is move the large, red marble trackball. There is less strain on the fingers and wrist, making for a more comfortable experience.

Besides the added comfort, another advantage of the Logitech Trackball Marble Mouse is that it requires less space than a traditional mouse. Because this mouse is stationary and doesn't need to be dragged across a desk or other surface, it can fit into many small spaces. You don't need to make room to drag it, so it can be placed in tight quarters. This is great for those who work in offices with limited desk space.

The Logitech Trackball Marble Mouse offers four buttons to use for clicking. The large tabs on each side of the mouse are used for the usual right and left click functions and then there are two smaller tabs right above each of the larger tabs that are used for various functions. These two small tabs can be programmed to perform several things, and many will likely program them to scroll since this Logitech mouse doesn't have a scroll wheel. But the tabs can be programmed for other things, too. Since I don't necessarily need to scroll, my small tabs have been programmed as browser back and forward buttons. This makes life a little easier because I no longer need to move my mouse to the top of my screen and click the forward and backward arrows in the upper left corner. I just click my small left tab to go back and my small right tab to go forward.

The Logitech Trackball Marble Mouse is a marked improvement compared to the standard mouse, but I admit that it does take some getting used to. Having used a traditional mouse for most of my computer- using years, I had grown accustomed to sliding my mouse across the desk surface. Thus, when I started to use the Logitech Trackball Marble Mouse, I kept sliding it around on my desk also, even though I knew this mouse didn't need to be dragged. It took some time to break this habit. It also took time to get used to the sensitivity of the trackball. The slightest movement sends your pointer flying and when I first started to use this mouse, I would continually underestimate the precision of the Logitech Trackball Marble Mouse. My movements of the trackball were far too extreme. The pointer would soar across my computer screen, even though I would swear I wasn't moving the trackball very much. It is a very sensitive device that almost seems too loose at first because it moves so freely and with such little effort.

Compared to a traditional mouse, the Logitech Trackball Marble Mouse has many great things to offer and it is a mouse I am happy I took the time to try. It is superior to the traditional model in most areas, reducing pain and strain and offering greater accuracy and an easy grip. It does take time to get used to, but it is worth it in the long run and even those who initially resist the change will be happy, in due time, that they made the switch to Logitech.

Logitech Optical Marble Mouse (USB/PS2)

This product is NOT compatible with Mac computers, Logitech's claim to the contrary. It cannot be programmed to simulate the Apple mouse's scrolling feature. Hence one star, BUT:

Using it with a Windows-based PC it deserves 5 stars. I have been using the older ball plus two-button mouse for 5 years and was very disappointed that I cannot use the newer four-button one with my new iMac OS 10.5. A new driver called LCC 2.6 does not repair that defect, nor will Logitech reply to comments or complaints in this regard.

Normally I won't be disappointed by my purchase from amazon, it is either cheap with median quality or a little expensive with excellent quality. But this is neither. It works well for a couple days and then it started to have problem:

1) It freezes! Sometime for 1-3 seconds, sometimes it just quit. I have a touch pad, so every time it freeze, I move on the touch pad to check whether it is freezed because of the mouse or because of the system, and the touch pad works, so it is clearly the problem of the mouse. Once it is completely freezed, I need to unplug and plug the mouse again to reactivate it. I have change with a couple USB plug and it all have the same problem. (I have another mouse working perfectly with any of my USB plug, so it is clearly not the problem with the USB plug. ) I have clean the ball a couple times a day since it starts freezing, and it is very very clean so it is not a problem of the dust.

2) I like my pointer move fast, so I set it to be very fast in the mouse setting in windows. I didn't install the software when I started using the mouse (since it work immediately after I first plug it in so I didn't botherred). Since I am having problem 1, I installed the software in hope of it magically solve the problem. Of cause it had make it even worst. the software will automatically reset the pointer speed every time I restart my computer, so EVERY TIME, I have to go through my mouse setting in the control panel to set it to the level I like. I don't know whether there is other way to prevent this, but if there is, it is not very obvious how to do it. I eventually need to uninstall the software. (A later try shows even uninstall the software will not solve this issue. I look into internet and find out this is a common issue for the logitech mouse software. So surprised that I didn't see a report here (possible nobody think the mouse is too slow like me?). Anyway, I have delect some registary information but still it didn't work. Still searching a solution to avoid resetting the mouse speed upon restart). If you know the solution, help!!!!

I want to return this crap (but I throw away my recept, this shows how much I trust amazon product).

Bought this little gem over a year ago on a whim. As a software engineer I work a lot with the mouse at work and at home. This is by far the easiest to use and maintain. It is durable and very easy to clean. It has stood the test of time in home use with myself and 4 teenage kids using it almost constantly. It is much easier to use than the traditional mouse and one of the best investments I have made for my home computer. I am seriously considering buying another to use at work. Even though my employer supplies a mouse, I prefer this one even if it requires a little extra cost out of pocket. Very impressed.