Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for PC or Mac 64325
by Kensington
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for PC or Mac 64325
Customer Review: Best Trackball I've Owned. But It Took Some Work!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the best trackball I've owned; of probably 5 or 6. But it took some work! The major problem was the lack of graduated speed, making the pointer way too difficult to control for fine placement. In the end, this was completely solved. (However, please note, this happy ending relied upon having a PS/2 port because I couldn't get it to work well with USB.)
The ball will be disappointingly stiff at first, but it frees up, and lube helps. The scroll ring sticks and grinds. This can be improved (see notes below).
Here is the chronology:
Mar-24-2011
Software: Kensington TrackballWorks v.1.0.4 - DOESN'T WORK AT ALL (PS/2 or USB PORT)
* Crashes instantly after install.
* Kensington customer service helpful. Said it was conflicts. Directed me to UK website to download older version v.1.0.1... which the rep correctly said "always works".
Mar-25-2011
Software: Kensington TrackballWorks v.1.0.1 - THIS SETUP WORKS OKAYISH (PS/2 or USB PORT)
* Kensington TrackballWorks:
- Pointer Speed: 2
- Pointer Acceleration: 8 or 9
* Microsoft XP Mouse Control Panel:
- Pointer Speed: 4 (inconsistent, large increments at low end of scale)
- Enhance Pntr Precision: Checked
- Click Speed: 5
Monitor Refresh Rate:
Increased Monitor Refresh Rate to 75mHz. One article I read said that XP illogically sets mouse resolution to monitor refresh rate. Higher refresh rate higher resolution. This does seem to make movement smoother.
Hardware Fixes:
* Disassembled and removed magnet. (See helpful Amazon review by Eric G, posted July 15, 2005, "I don't like taking apart brand new purchases...but")
* Lubricated scroll ring and ball-support bearings (red plastic balls) with "Gun Oil" silicone (this is a thin silicone found useful by hobbyists).
Mar-27-2011
Software: Using Kensington MouseWorks 6.2.2 - THIS IS MUCH BETTER (PS/2 PORT)
Can download software from Kensington's site. Need to use a PS/2 port for full utility.
(Please see the excellent Amazon review by: Nathan A. Sweet, posted April 5, 2006, "it had a lot of potential")
* Allows much better adjustment of acceleration, etc.
* Look in Application Data\Kensington\MouseWorks. You will find a KMW_Preferences.xml file.
* Edit this file.
* Acceleration multipliers are just below text that says:
<Device>Trackball</Device>
<Level>4</Level>
- Simplest thing is to modify multipliers at 'Level 1' (you'll see in the .xml file that there are 9 levels).
- At the moment I'm using: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 (working well)
* "When Moving the Mouse Slowly" multipliers are just below text that says:
<Device>Trackball_400</Device>
<Level>1</Level>
- Default setting is: 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Currently trying: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 (working well)
* After editing and saving the file, run the kmw_prb_xml.exe file (simply double click on it; it will look like nothing happened). KMW_prb_xml.exe in the "program folder" (usually on C) for MouseWorks, and changes to the XML file will be applied. Then if you go to the acceleration page in the driver, you will see your custom acceleration curve on their little graph!
Overall, too much work/issues to give it 5 stars. If Kensington could get MouseWorks 6 to work nicely with USB, and the scroll ring was smooth, and the wrist pad (that comes with it) had an add-on to increase its height by 1/2 an inch, then this would easily merit the whole 5 stars... maybe 6 or 7!
Customer Review: Kensington Expert Trackball
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned trackballs for years. I have a Logitech T- CH11 with 3 buttons that I really like. It's about 10 yrs old and has a lower and more comfortable profile than this one or the new Logitechs.
I've had this for about a month. I bought it for my 84 year old father who was just getting into computers. He was having trouble with desktop space to drive a mouse. He also had some trouble clicking and double clicking where he wanted with a mouse due to muscle control issues. He kept starting programs he didn't want and accidentally moving icons and folders around. I thought it would be good to separate cursor control and clicking. He tried the trackball but didn't want to switch from what he already knew (for a week)even though it seemed easier for him to use. The device is now on my backup machine used by my girlfriend who is 55 and uses it mostly for games and web surfing. Both she and my father tend to sit back from the machine and hold the trackball with two hands in their laps and flail at it with their thumbs.
Pros: Comes configured for USB and there is a small PS/2 adapter supplied that worked very well. Plug and play in XP.
Four buttons and the scroll ring can all be programmed from a list or to do most anything else. The programming can be global or application specific so games can be conrolled differently from your word processor or spread sheet. You can designate a control key or chord to switch to a "very slow" mode for detail work such as in a chart or CAD program.
The scroll ring is positioned well, has a good feel, and works fairly well but sounds gritty and cheap out of the box. It is optical so I lubricated mine with some silicone to cut down the noise. It is wearing in OK.
Cons: There is no "very slow" mode without holding down a control key so I had problems choosing a cursor speed for my father. I've not investigated using a button for the "very slow" key. No problems selecting speed or acceleration for my girlfriend.
The ball will fall out if it it tipped past 90 degrees.
The ball takes very little getting used to but is about 1/3 as heavy as a billiard ball and has more inertia than the smaller trackballs. It handles somewhat like the trackball on some of the old arcade games. Centipede comes to mind.
I thought the finger reach from the top of the ball to the buttons might be a concern for someone who wants to do flying clicks for a game. This was avoided with a little coordination and by programming the buttons differently for games.
The wrist rest and the "slow button" feature make this a very nice pointing device for charting, spreadsheet, and CAD applications. I program two of the buttons for "copy" and "paste" to speed up word processing and order entry.
I'd recommend this trackball for children as well. The ball is big enough to be used with the palm. Sturdy construction and I found no pinch hazards. I guess they could throw the ball but then they could throw the keyboard too. As with any trackball, the separation of point and click is also a plus.
Caution: The Kensington control software is very nice but replaced the existing mouse software. Uninstalling the Kensington software requires a reinstall of the previous mouse control setup. This was not a problem for me, and I don't think it will be for anyone replacing a generic mouse, since the Kensington software ran the old mouse well.
Customer Review: Despite many people saying otherwise, it DOES works with Vista
Summary: 4 Stars
I have spent many hours researching trackballs. I have read a lot of negative reviews with respect to the Kensington Expert Mouse which said it did not work with Vista. I have Vista so this was no small cause of concern. However, Kensington has made it very clear on their website (but not in the instruction manual as far as I could read) NOT to install Mouseworks if you have Vista. Why buy it? Well 1) it is a trackball 2) you can use it w/your left hand (I am a rightie but I use the number pad a lot since I am in finance) and 3) it has a scrollbar on it. Yes, this seems like a lot of money to pay for a scrollbar feature since you can buy a logitech marble mouse for $20 sans scrollbar. But I am on the computer all the time and money is no object when it comes to convenience and comfort. So I forked over the extra price for a scrollbar.
Now I have read on many reviews that the other buttons do not work with Vista. So my expectations where for rt click/left click & trackbar. Much to my pleasant surprise I found in fact all four buttons worked. Now I use for my left hand so this will probably be reversed for righties, but here are the buttons:
Bottom right the main click
Bottom left the secondary click
Top right: Back on Internet Explorer. Very nice and convenient
Top left: This button "freezes" the scrollbar so you can scroll the page with your mouse slowly. Think of the trackbar as a giant scrollbar and you will get the picture. You can scroll down very slowly.
Scrollbar which is located on the ring around the trackbar. This is a scrollbar but it flips the page you are reading to the very next point which you cannot see. For example, let us say you go on drudgereport. Let us say you have clicked on all the stories you see when you go on that page (but without actually moving the page down). When you move the scrollbar, it will move the page down to all new reading material without any overlap whatsoever. This is very similiar to the top left button, but the top left button allows you to scroll very slowly.
I use the top left button more often as I think I may move the scrollbar too fast and blow past the 2nd reading "pane" and go right to the 3rd one. However, when I have gone up a bit to check, I see this has not happened yet. However, I am more confident with scrolling slowly at this point.
Anyway, I believe you can program the buttons in Mouseworks in Windows XP. So I think a lot of people are mad since they can't program the buttons to their preference anymore. However, I am not sure if I had the option that I would have programmed the buttons any differently.
My expectations were low since I did not anticipate having the slow scroll (top left) and Back button (top right) work. It does. And I have Vista.
So I am very happy. However, do NOT try to install Mouseworks if you are already on Vista. Go on the Kensington website and you will see them repeatedly say that. I think many of these people's problems stem from trying to install the software and all hell breaking lose. So I deduct a star for no programming and no warning people in the instructions or in an add on sheet thrown in the package warning Vista customers.
I personally happened to do a lot of research on the subject and was aware of this potential problem so I averted it. Overall I love the mouse and I am very happy with it.
Customer Review: WORKS on MAC.. NEW INFO 7/21/6
Summary: 5 Stars
NEW INFO 7/21/6
My BAD.. it "does" support different applications for programming the buttons (IE: you can program buttons independantly for diff appl, such as browser, WORD, etc)..
MY SETTINGS:
CHORD TOP TWO BUTTONS: CLOSE WDO or DEL EMAIL..
RIGHT TWO: UP/DN or FWD/BACK (in browser)
CHORD BOTTOM TWO : COPY to clipboard..
UPPER LEFT: PASTE..
LOWER LEFT: CLICK..
*** END NEW INFO ***
I have G4 powerbook, and you never know when something will work or not (no matter what they tell you on the package). Typically you get a reduced feature set on mac (bacause they thrid party designers only half way support mac).
Overall I might have rated this mouse a 4 or 4.5 overall. Although Im no authority, I think 5 star might apply for mac (because it seems to work on mac).
I chose the USB over the wireless becauase I feared (dont really know) the wireless would cause problems (and possible reduce my feature set I can use). I suspect they were not thinking of using this mouse with a notebook. If the mouse was bluetooth I probably would have tried it. Since the wireless was not bluetooth, I had to plug something in everytime I used it, so it might was well be the USB. The other reason I didnt get the wireless was because of the bad reviews and the price.
Everything works. The scroll ring to the chording of the buttons (with chording I have 6 button choices). I do kind of wish the mouse would recognize different applications and change button choices accordingly (although this might be too confusing). Im not even sure if this is practical (or even offered on other mouses). The programability was good enough for me (I cannot evaluate but the programability was much better than the mac mouse I tried). I set my 6 to brw back, pull up mail and safari, right and left click (std), Ctl_W (to blow away safari wdo).
The scroll ring does kind of stick (as noted in other reviews). I still like it though, although it is annoying that the designers should have done better. I have had no problems with the trach ball sticking (as some other reviewers complained about.
I guess Im one of the few who like the wrist rest. Mine broke first day. I will contact kensignton (I expect they will send me a new one). It looks like one you snap it together, maybe you shouldnt try to disassemble it (like I did). The reason I did was because it wouldnt fit flat on the desk.
For anyone worried about the scroll speed, or the pointer speed, you can easilly adjust these things. On the mac you get a mouseworks icon under sys pref / other. From here you can program the buttons/etc. I have noted when you have 50 pages (ie: lot of pages) the scroll tends to be a little jumpy. But if you change to slower scroll it fixes it. I set mine in the middle and take my chances (when I get to a wdo with lots of pages it simply scrolls faster). I dont blame kensignton here; I suspece all mouses would have this (nit picky) problem. Perhaps someone will correct me here if Im wrong.
I bought two, so I can have the same thing at both my locations.
bobler
Customer Review: Now for Windows 7, better than ever
Summary: 5 Stars
Good news for all Windows and Mac users! In June 2010 Kennsington published TrackballWorks, which supports full functionality for all current Kennsington trackball models (including Expert Mouse) under all Windows versions back to XP and for Mac.
I work constantly on the computer and find that a trackball is much better and less stressful than a mouse. For my style of working, the Expert Mouse Trackball is the best I've discovered.
A number of the reviews here relate to older versions of the "Expert Mouse" Trackball, and are not completely applicable to the current (7.0) version.
When my Microsoft Trackball Explorer finally died I first tried a Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan, which looks a bit like the Trackball Explorer. But my hand tended to slip back on its rounded housing and I could not adapt it very well to my style of working. So I decided to try the Expert Mouse Trackball, even though I had found an earlier version unsatisfactory. The new one is not perfect, but much better and is now my standard device.
There are many different ways to use a trackball and it is important to know whether a review is relevant to your style. I still use the style I was taught in connection with military systems decades ago (which was based on human factors research) and has never caused me any repetitive stress problems (as mouses do). My elbow is on the arm of my chair, at trackball height, and the heel of my hand is on the rest that comes with the Expert Mouse, with my index and middle fingers moving the ball and my thumb and ring and pinkie fingers pushing buttons. I use my ring finger to move the scroll ring, switching off with my thumb sometimes when doing lots of scrolling.
This is clearly the most ambidextrous pointing device of all -- it doesn't make any difference whether you use it right or left handed. That means that the button placement is not optimal for either hand, however. The lower (proximal) button on the pinkie (lateral) side takes more effort than the others. Thus you should assign your least-needed function to it. Fortunately, the Kinsington MouseWorks software allows complete flexibility in button assignment. It also allows a great deal of control over all of the functions of the device, so you can tune it to your working style and specific needs. Among other things, you can tell it to change its functions when operating under specific applications.
The trackball itself is excellent, the only consumer ball I've encountered that is up to the standards of the precision trackballs on high-end military systems -- big and smooth. The scroll ring is very nice, much better than any scroll wheel. Like a scroll wheel it is slightly notchy, but it has a much more solid feel and natural motion.
Installation is quite straightforward. Simply download the MouseWorks software from the Kensington site (the version on the CD with the ball is outdated), self-extract it to a temporary directory, install it from the temporary directory, re-start, and plug in the ball to a USB (or PS2) port. My Windows XP recognized it automatically and brought up MouseWorks so I could tailor the functions.