Marble Mouse combines the precision of Marble technology, the fit you love and the convenience of a trackball. This innovative mouse provides comfortable curves while letting you... more
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regular cleaning with Marble optical technology. The familiarity of a mouse with the convenience of a trackball. Designed for comfort in either hand, this space-s...
people. Long, broad palm area and gentle curves: Designed to provide maximum support for your hand. The stable base reduces the need to move your hand to control the...
A review by richard_richard on Logitech Marble Mouse - trackball March 5th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Responsiveness
Very responsive
Robustness & durability
Good
Look & feel
Good
Ease of use
Satisfactory
Value For Money
Good
Advantages:
Very accurate, sleek design
Disadvantages:
Control not as instictive as mouse
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I recently came across this trackball buried away in a box in our IT department. It was obviously a peripheral that had been purchased with good intentions to begin with and then later discarded!
In a quiet moment in the office I decided to connect it up and see if I preferred the way it worked to a normal mouse.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with how a trackball works, they are a little bit different to the way you use a mouse. Instead of moving the whole unit to move the cursor, you just move the ball itself. Anyway I will put this into more detail later in the review.
After some enquiries I found out that this trackball had been purchased for our Surveyors department about a year ago for £25.99.
Specs The unit itself is slightly larger than a standard mouse. This is because it has to accommodate a trackball and provide a sturdy base for the user’s hand to rest on. The trackball sits on top of the unit at the far end. On either side of the trackball sit the left and right hand selection buttons, just like on a standard mouse.
You rest the palm of your hand on the unit and this brings the trackball into reach of your fingers. The buttons are also within easy reach.
The trackball is connected to the computer by a reasonably long cord which has a USB connection at the end. Also provided is an adapter that plugs into the USB connector on the end of the cord, and this allows you to run the trackball through the PS/2 mouse connection on the computer.
The unit is dark grey in colour with the trackball a see-through red colour. It feels pretty sturdy and robust so shouldn’t fall apart in the hand!
In Use The trackball can be plugged straight into the computer and should start working immediately without the need for any drivers being loaded onto the PC. I had this unit working with both Windows NT and Windows 2000, so I can’t imagine you would have many problems running it on the other recent Windows operating systems.
As stated above, this trackball works in a different manner to a normal mouse. It is very tempting to try to push the unit around the desk at first! Then you realise that this is not going to move the cursor on the screen as you need to move the trackball. This feels slightly strange to begin with as you push and spin the trackball backwards and forwards to move the cursor. When moving the trackball I have to say that it put me in mind of my misspent youth in the arcades, playing trackball controlled games like Missile Command! Ah happy days!
I did find when using this trackball that the buttons are slightly hard to press than on a normal mouse. For me it does not feel as instinctive as the buttons are further away and you have to take your fingers off the trackball to press them. I suppose after a bit of use you would find this action a little easier to do, but I found that I much preferred the way the buttons are under your fingers at all times on an ordinary mouse!
After spending the day using this trackball to control my computer, I was not convinced that it offered any advantages over a standard mouse. I was quite glad to end the experiment and return to my faithful optical mouse!
Reliability wise, the trackball certainly felt sturdy and should be able to take a certain amount of punishment. It was not used for long by the person who ordered it and has sat in a box in our IT department for a good while, so I can’t really comment on how reliability or long it should last!
Conclusion I have concluded that these trackballs are a bit of an acquired taste! After spending a short while using one I can say that it is definitely not for me. I can understand that for certain work requiring great accuracy, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) work, or photo editing, these trackballs would be very useful. However for standard computer use I think most people would be much better off with a normal mouse.
I would recommend this trackball for those who need highly accurate mouse control, but I think that most of us are probably better off with our normal mouse!
Thanks for reading!
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I want one of those Review ofLogitech Marble Mouse - trackballby
Nick_Endeavour
Advantages: Fast Response, Cool Looks, Revolutionising Disadvantages: Odd to get used to
I first saw one of these on a colleagues desk many months ago and always thought having a track ball mouse device not only looked like a daft idea but also would be fiddly and counterproductive to use.
STARTING UP
Then when I saw one lying around in the office I though I would give it a try connecting it to my laptop as the touchpad is even more horrendous to use and I couldn't have 2 mice in my desk. This is when I started thinking that I was ... ...to use and fiddly especially clicking as the left and right mouse buttons are to be clicked with the thumb and ring finger respectively. This arrangement sounds a bit weird but I was amazed how easy it is to control the pointer and how much faster it makes things.
It also comes with two extra buttons that provide scrolling up and down so it makes life even easier but if I would be picky I would have wanted a scroll wheel somehow incorporated.
USAGE ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: comfortable, smooth, hard wearing, 3 yr guarantee Disadvantages: looks a bit weird? i like that though
it's smoothness belies it's strange looks. It's sleekness akin to a sportscar and it's operation absolutely faultless. This trackball rocks the boat when it comes to browsing. Your hand (left or right) sits comfortably over it with all the buttons just a twitch away. say goodbye to RSI as your wrist never moves! It only costs about £23 online, never needs cleaning due to "innovative optical technology" and comes with a three year guarantee. It's ... ...6 and up and playstation 2. Truly a marvellous device and if you are wary of trackballs this will change your mind and your web browsing habits immediately. The new version has two extra buttons which act as a sort of "cruise control" wheel and comes in a cool silver colour. If you spend a lot of time programming or online then this is the mouse to use. I have never had a single problem with mine and i surf loads! No RSI and no awful Buffy mouse ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
The trackball mouse is one of the best things I ever came across for my RSI issues. The pain in my hand is gone, simpley bz i no longer use my arm and stratech it too far. I am also more comfortable using the mouse buttons and know exactly what to do with them.
It did take me a day and a half to get used to it, and it was frustrating at the begning. but this is nothing compared to what I had to go through in terms of pain before finding this magical item.
I recommend this for those who have RSI or those who use the mouse click button so so much.
Magic!!!!!
I love it!
Advantages: Easy to use, faster, more comfortable, much better for gameplay. Disadvantages: Lack of extra function buttons that you might expect from a more expensive mouse.
I bought one of these about a year ago, it was a little hard to get used to at first as I had been used to a normal mouse, but once I got the hang of it I found it much easier to use. It's very useful for use with laptops on the move as it is easy to use without much room as the mouse does not move, just the ball. I have since purchased a second so now I have one for my laptop and one for my desktop PC. It's also good for gaming, much easier to spin ... ...mouse that requires you to clunk it around to move any distance. I've also found it to be very good for playing World of Warcraft.
Only downside I would point out is the fact there are no buttons bar the standard right and left click. Could cause problems if you are used to using many buttons on a mouse, such as when gaming, but I would much rather have the precision and speed of the marble mouse and have to use the keyboard for advanced functions ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: No moving the mouse Disadvantages: You would try to move it like a normal mouse
...for one and came across Logitech Trackman at a fair price so i bought it and boy has it turned my computering experience around for the better. For example,
Its light and very easy to use
The buttons are on the side of the mouse so that you can use your thumb and last finger
The ball is very sensative to the movement made with your 2rd and 3rd finger as you move it around
You can navigate around document, internet and anything you wish to use ... ...it on your lap like i do and it would still work just as good cause is does not need a hard flat suface like an ordinary mouse would
belive me these are one of the best mice out on the market today
The only disadvantage like i said is that it is very sensative
all in all brill mouse to use 10/10 ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Lots of user programmable buttons and a wheel. Disadvantages: Designed for right hand only. Can take some getting used to.
...This is a well designed and put together trackball, and will be appreciated by those like myself who prefer a trackball to a mouse for all applications.
I have had mine for about a month now, I won an ebay auction to the value of £27.00 GB before postage.
In the shops (PC World), I have seen them for sale at £49 or thereabouts. It is quite expensive at full price, and I probably wouldn't buy one at nearly 50 pounds, but just over half that was fine by me.
I have had a preference for trackballs ever since I got my first computer some years ago, as I just find them easier to use, allowing complete coverage of the screen area by the cursor, for no movement of the hand on the table, and reduces the space required on the table also.
I have been using a Logitechmarblemouse optical trackball for a couple of years, and have no...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Marble Mouse combines the precision of Marble technology, the fit you love and the convenience of a trackball. This innovative mouse provides comfortable curves while letting you navigate by simply rotating the trackball instead of moving the mouse on your desk. Marble technology provides high precision with low maintenance. It replaces the mechanical parts of traditional trackballs with an optical tracking system to provide superior accuracy, reduced wear, and smooth motion, even if the ball gets dirty or scratched. And, Marble doesn't have to be regularly cleaned like the trackball. Marble Mouse fits your hand like your favorite mouse. You get comfortable and easy control of the buttons and ball whether you use it with your left or right hand.
28.06.2003
