Trackpad, Trackball or pen/touch tablet (wired)

[macstatic]

I only have a small desk for my Mac Pro meaning there's not enough room for a regular mouse-pad, so I'm looking for alternatives. I'd like to have a wired solution which leaves out Apple's Magic Trackpad which would be the number one choice.

There's Kensington's various trackballs (Logitech also has one or two wired ones I believe though reviews seem to favor Kensington over them). As far as I remember Logitech also has a wired trackpad as well but as a poor substitute for Apple's offering. Finally there are the pen/touch tablets from Wacom, but as I already have a Intuos 4 I feel it's wasteful to replace it with another one just to get the touch capabilities (there are cheaper, low-end touch/pen tablets available, but then I'd lose out compared what I already have in the Intuos 4).
So a trackball seems to be the cheapest choice (I'm open for other suggestions though) -are they good replacements for a mouse, and which model would be the better choice?

 

[F1Mac]

I've tried trackballs but somehow could never get used to them. I never found them comfortable to use. Some say you never go back to a regular mouse once you try one. I've heard that Kensington is the way to go when it comes to trackballs, one of my friends (an audio editor) uses that one and told me recently he couldn't live without it: http://www.kensington.com/ce/ca/4493/8589672327/slimblade-trackball#.Vd8qjLRRf8s

 

[macstatic]

Yeah, I've heard the same thing -either people can't get used to them at all (or they give up too easily) or they absolutely love them and can't ever go back to a mouse. I assume it just means that it takes some time getting used to (it took me a week to get comfortable with my Wacom Intuos 4 pen tablet, now it's second nature -but I only attach it when I really need it as there's really no room for it on my desk).

I've been considering the Kensington Orbit with scroll ring (US$ 40) which is considerably cheaper than your friend's Kensington Slimblade (US$ 130). Has anyone used either or both? I basicaly just want something to replace my mouse with a scroll-wheel (useful for scrolling up/down). I never use the middle mouse button though, so I probably don't need anything very advanced, just something comfortable and of good, lasting quality.

Kensington also has a couple of other (wired) trackballs: Orbit optical trackball (US$ 30)and expert mouse (US$ 100), but the scrollring is what got my attention.

UPDATE: I just found out that there's a Bamboo Pad from Wacom (US$ 40). Looks interesting. Is this a good alternative to the Apple Magic Trackpad if you don't want to go wireless?

 

[thedeske]

one of my friends (an audio editor) uses that one and told me recently he couldn't live without it: http://www.kensington.com/ce/ca/4493/8589672327/slimblade-trackball#.Vd8qjLRRf8s

Most of the people in audio I know use the Expert. I agree, could live without, but I do use the Macbook Pro trackpad every day when I'm away from the main desk. When I draw, nothing comes close to the Trackball.

 

[macstatic]

What makes the Expert trackball preferrable to other trackballs for people into audio?

 

[campyguy]

I use a Magic Trackpad and medium Wacom Intuos Pro to go with my rMBP (which is usually closed enough to disable the display, and connected to two external displays). I've been using two input devices (and sometimes a precision mouse) around my keyboard for over a decade - it's just second nature to me now.

I'm commenting only to offer that the "touch" features on the Intuos aren't that great - I turn it off on my tablet. The touch features on the Bamboo are even maddeningly frustrating to use - I've bought and returned two of them, they're not for me. Neither of Wacom's tablet lines has impressed me with touch sensitivity. When I hit the road, I bring the tablet and use it with my rMBP's built-in trackpad.

I've used gunk-collecting trackballs off and on for maybe 20 years. None of us in our office use them - we try them again, they go back in the box and in the storage room. The mice we use are wired, nothing special.