Review: Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring

Since I’m a laptop user, I don’t really use mouse or trackball on my main computer. However to access my testing computer and servers through KVM switch, I use Trackball. I prefer trackball over mouse simply because of lack of space on the desk. I have been using all mouse, trackpads, and trackball about the equal amount working on clients computers and my personal laptops. So far, my preference is trackpads first, trackballs, and then mouse… well, no logical reason, but just I do…

anyways, I have been using very basic trackball, Logitech Trackman Marble Mouse (it’s not mouse, it’s trackball… don’t ask me why it named mouse…) Since I prefer pointing finger for controlling, and when I got it, all I wanted was just a simple two button trackball. Logitech Trackman was the best fit in my palm, and location of the buttons, size, and shape, I had no complaint. However, recently more and more lion machines I work on over remote desktop, it was becoming a bit of inconvenient that I can’t easily grab the scroll bar when I want to scroll. (The Trackman only comes with page forward and backward and no scroll)

After searching around, I figured that I don’t have that many choices when I want a wired trackball for pointing finger control with scrolling option.

This is my new trackball; Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring K72337. Unlike mouse with scrolling feature, this trackball has big ring around the trackball, and you turn the ring clockwise/unclockwise to scroll up and down.

It comes with palm rest that attach to the bottom of the trackball.

Here is some comparison with my previous trackball, and with and without the palm rest.

My first impression on how I feel in my hand is “not bad”
I still like the feel of my old logitech, but I just need to find the right position on new one, I think. I definitely like the new one without the palm rest. I tend to hold the trackball in slight angle, and the straight palm rest does not allow it.
Scroll ring works very well, without any special driver installed.
The only problem is that my old KVM switch does not work with this new trackball, and now I need to find a new switch…

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