Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Logitech Resurrects the Trackball Device With the Wireless MX ERGO
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
For a good reason, creatives like trackballs due to precision when creating paths on Adobe Illustrator ( or any other vector app ), page layout, image editing, etc. You can't do that with a Magic Trackpad from Apple which feels weird. With a trackball mouse, you have analog control using your fingers and can program any custom buttons on it ( if any ) to your whim for shortcuts. And trackball mice keeps your hand rested while using your thumb as you use the other finger for 'right click' functions, or scrolling.
I had the original Magic Mouse when it came with my iMac and it broke down eventually. I stopped using it after getting hand cramps trying to do page layout and design-related projects. I switched to a full trackball mice and it was a godsend. My cramps and RSI went away since then.
I will never, ever touch an Apple produced mice or trackpad again unless they get their act together and go back to proper ergonomic design. They may look nice in appearance but how they function isn't really practical. It may be a lot of fun to use multi-touch on the trackpad for iMac but in the end, using, say, Photoshop with it doesn't seem effective at all. You have to use an ergonomic mice/trackball and/or a Wacom tablet for precision work.
Looks like all five trackball fans have found this thread!
As for me, I honestly thought this story was a misplaced April Fool's Joke.
Mike
Exactly - but the haters don't have any idea what they're missing. I've got three screens laid out horizontally that I regularly interact with - which is a swipe from literally one end of the desk to the other on a regular mouse. I love trackballs (well at least the 570) and this is *welcome* news...
looks interesting, but I am liking the Kensington offering for trackballs instead.
Kensington has a bluetooth trackball.
http://a.co/3FAbrWY
[doublepost=1504712498][/doublepost]
My issue with the M570 is the lack of inertia scrolling. Other than that it is ok, but as I mentioned before I do like the bigger trackball offerings from Kensington.
Kensington has a bluetooth trackball.
http://a.co/3FAbrWY
[doublepost=1504712498][/doublepost]
My issue with the M570 is the lack of inertia scrolling. Other than that it is ok, but as I mentioned before I do like the bigger trackball offerings from Kensington.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Huh! No, I've never heard of this company before. I will absolutely look into getting one of these to replace the MTE I'm using. As I've said, it's getting a bit flaky. Thank you for this tip!
I've got no problem with trackballs, they're a fine input device for certain tasks, but trackball snobs rub me the wrong way. What a pointless thing to maintain an air of superiority over.
Trackballs, the "flat-UI" of input devices.
[doublepost=1504716906][/doublepost]
[doublepost=1504716906][/doublepost]
That's the most bad grammar...
I LOVE my Logitech M570 and when the scroll wheel button dies (again) I will upgrade to this.
For those who don't know, here's what's awesome about this beloved device, which I hope the new controller lives up to:
For those who don't know, here's what's awesome about this beloved device, which I hope the new controller lives up to:
- Superior ergonomics. Vastly better than mice or trackpads. It's the only thing that keeps my right-hand RSI at bay. Once you learn to use a thumb trackball, you will not go back to anything else.
- Amazing connectivity. At least in the M570, it uses a custom Logitech dongle that is far better than Bluetooth. Connects instantly, stays connected. (Incidentally the same dongle also connects to my Logitech solar-powered Mac keyboard, with its number keypad. Never needs charging, always a full battery even in part shade.)
- Amazing battery life. One AA is good for many months' use.
- Flexibility: I map the forward & back buttons to Mission Control & Dashboard, with BetterTouchTool. For good measure I keep an older Apple trackpad for my left hand to use for gestures.
I really love my m570 logitech trackball !!!
I've been using them for about 20 years.
Many people 1st reaction to trackballs is negative. I think that's because they only tried a trackball for 1 minute and didn't had the time to get used to it.
I think getting used to a trackball takes some days. The first time I tried a trackball, it took me about 3 days to get used to. Every now and then, I had to think about moving my thumb instead of my hand. Then, it started to feel natural, you know, like riding a bike and not having to worry about the balance anymore.
You don't need much real estate for a trackball, as for a mouse. One big plus for me, is seating on the couch, holding my mbp laptop on my lap and placing the m570 trackball on my laptop, to the right of the trackpad and below the keyboard.
I hope, with this new trackball logitech moved for the better, but I have some concerns:
1 - m570 trackball battery is not rechargeable but lasts about 14 months (it's amazing what can be achieved with only one AA battery). Logitech announces just 4 months for the MX Ergo trackball on a rechargeable battery.
2 - where to store that charging cable ? If you left the cable at home and are away with your laptop and trackball, how can you charge it ? Unless the trackball has compartment to hold the charging cable inside, it will be easy to lose it.
3 - Bluetooth connectivity... I never tried it for any mice or trackball... but I've had experiences with this technology... can you trust it ? No lag concerns moving the pointer ?
4 - A hundred bucks ??? really ???. This time a really hope the buttons last longer (especially the middle button).
I've been using them for about 20 years.
Many people 1st reaction to trackballs is negative. I think that's because they only tried a trackball for 1 minute and didn't had the time to get used to it.
I think getting used to a trackball takes some days. The first time I tried a trackball, it took me about 3 days to get used to. Every now and then, I had to think about moving my thumb instead of my hand. Then, it started to feel natural, you know, like riding a bike and not having to worry about the balance anymore.
You don't need much real estate for a trackball, as for a mouse. One big plus for me, is seating on the couch, holding my mbp laptop on my lap and placing the m570 trackball on my laptop, to the right of the trackpad and below the keyboard.
I hope, with this new trackball logitech moved for the better, but I have some concerns:
1 - m570 trackball battery is not rechargeable but lasts about 14 months (it's amazing what can be achieved with only one AA battery). Logitech announces just 4 months for the MX Ergo trackball on a rechargeable battery.
2 - where to store that charging cable ? If you left the cable at home and are away with your laptop and trackball, how can you charge it ? Unless the trackball has compartment to hold the charging cable inside, it will be easy to lose it.
3 - Bluetooth connectivity... I never tried it for any mice or trackball... but I've had experiences with this technology... can you trust it ? No lag concerns moving the pointer ?
4 - A hundred bucks ??? really ???. This time a really hope the buttons last longer (especially the middle button).
Same here. I don't want a thumb-ball, I want a track-ball.
How do you scroll with the Kensington though, that ring seems like it would be useless. Can you map a button-ball combo to scroll? The scroll-wheel in my older 'Expert Mouse' sucks too, but I didn't use it back then like I do these days. When I bought my MX Master, the scroll wheel was the main deciding factor. But, the main left-click buttons just don't hold up long enough for a $100+ device. Plus, the cramps and RSI type symptoms seem to be coming back... so I'm thinking trackball or trackpad.Same here. I don't want a thumb-ball, I want a track-ball.
My Kensington trackball mouse has a large scroll wheel on it, surrounding the ball. I think you can map the ball to scroll through things but one obvious method is to click and hold onto the scroll bar and use the thumb wheel to scroll, just like a mouse.
I've tried that scroll ring a couple of times when looking at them and really didn't like it. Way too much friction and didn't seem like it would flow well with trackball use. I'd probably have to try the mapping thing. What model do you have, as 'thumb wheel' isn't making sense to me?
My old Kensington Expert Mouse Pro had a scroll wheel much like a mouse right front center (in front of the trackball) which would have been fine if it were a good quality scroll wheel. But, a bit like the ring, it was very high friction and took quite a deliberate effort to do any scrolling. I still have it sitting around on a shelf, but the drivers don't work any longer (so it's just a real basic, slow USB trackball).
That said, I'm now spoiled by the scroll wheel on my Logitech MX Master. Last time I had to replace it, I tried dozens of mice and decided the scroll wheel was too poor and ended up going with another Logitech. But, as mentioned above, I think the actual left-click is going to go out one of these days, and I can't be spending $100+ on mice every 6 months.
This is the Kensington trackball I have currently. Very comfortable to use and fully customizable. Although, I did have an older Logitech trackball back in the day just like the new one that's coming out. It had USB and, I think, it was dark gray in color. It did have a scroll wheel in the middle which I remember. The other current mouse I have is the Razer DeathAdder (USB) which is also nice and a better alternative to the Apple Magic Mouse. It's handy for creative work on the desktop or switching off to gaming.
I'm an analog person and prefer physical buttons. Anything with virtual buttons throws me off a bit.
I have a Magic Mouse which I toss in my backpack when mobile, but in general, I hate the thing. It's incredibly uncomfortable, but while the 'gestures' and such are sci-fi neat, I also disable most of them as they are too finicky. Even right-click was tough and often messed up.
Here's the (old) Kensington Expert Mouse Pro I have. It was a great design, but as I said, the scroll wheel was terrible. Do you mean that you use the scroll ring?
Attachments
Ditto. I have a friend who swore by these things. I use to hate when I has to fix their computer.
That's correct. I use it and it works well. You can control the speed of the scrolling through the driver app.
Interesting, I'll have to try one again. The last time I did (several years ago), you couldn't really move it with just your thumb or a finger easily while also using the trackball. You literally had to get thumb and fingers on the ring (spaced around it at several points) and apply a good amount of force to get it to move.
And, then (as mentioned) there's my scroll wheel on the MX Master which has me spoiled. It's like a little free-wheeling weighted gyro that will spin on it's own for a while after you give it a flick. Or, at the push of a button, it turns into a very smooth 'notched' effect. I've never found another that compares to it... but I'd be OK with a method that just works reasonably well too.
So to sum up the responses so far:
- I love these things, and if you haven't tried it you're missing out
- I hate these things. Anyone who doesn't use [what_I_use] is missing out.
Has MR run a poll on what input devices people use?
(For the record, my wife swears by hers - helps with the RSI. I use a Magic Mouse. I have a box full of input devices, including several from Logitech, that I've tried and they didn't work for me.)
- I love these things, and if you haven't tried it you're missing out
- I hate these things. Anyone who doesn't use [what_I_use] is missing out.
Has MR run a poll on what input devices people use?
(For the record, my wife swears by hers - helps with the RSI. I use a Magic Mouse. I have a box full of input devices, including several from Logitech, that I've tried and they didn't work for me.)