Customer Rating:  
Summary: Surprisingly, disappointed!
Comment: A little background: I first discovered the kensington track ball back in the early '90's while studying for my Computer Science degree. It was the greatest, coolest idea I had ever heard of relative to the PC accessories world, and ever since then I've been yearning for my own. I never really had the extra money to justify paying a $[...] for a glorified mouse, so I just waited. Meanwhile, years later, I chose the Logitech Cordless Trackman Optical. Finally, I seized the opportunity to buy this Kensington (a month ago) due to a $[...] off sale.
After using my beloved Expert Mouse, I'm not as thrilled by it as before. Over the years I think some companies have caught up and implemented a better "trackball". I'm a freelance photographer and need the precise tracking and functionality for my graphics programs.
1. All the buttons are basically the same. The same feel, the same basic shape. You can't learn the different buttons thru touch other than the 4-corner positions. The Logitech Trackman does a much better job than the Kensington on this.
2. The "reach" for the top two buttons is difficult due to the size of the ball, especially when your fingers are moving from the bottom two. Having a different texture or noticeable shape would help when you're blindly trying to control (or orient) the mouse.
3. You CANNOT program the ring!!! This is so ridiculous until its beyond me! The wheel on the Logitech is fully programmable, AND can be pushed down just like a mouse button for even additional functionality! I used to be able to assign the "ring" or "wheel" to zoom in and out on some of my graphics apps, but no more with this Kensington. I am really disappointed in this.
4. The "ring" does not track accurately in one of my apps and feels cheaply put together (that's the only part though). In scrolling up and down, sometimes you'll have to move the ring over a couple or three "notches" before the page will move, then the very next "notch" will advance the page correctly. It should move the page with each "notch". For a $[...] mouse this is unacceptable.
5. Mouse buttons are too soft. In resting my hand comfortably on the trackball I constantly "trip" the buttons because of this. Very irritating. I'll be looking at a web page, and then all of a sudden the browser will go back to the previous page because I've inadvertently pressed the "back" button.
I'm gonna try and adjust to it, but I've been seriously considering going back to the Logitech. Oh, the Logitech is $[...] regular price. I bought this one for $[...] after rebate and still feel that I paid too much.
Hope this helps someone!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Kensington Expert Mouse
Comment: Trackball is very smooth. The scroll ring works great! The design keeps my hand and wrist from getting tired or sore. I'm using it with a MAC computer. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a trackball type mouse.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Kensington Expert Mouse
Comment: I love it. I was having a lot of difficulty with my traditional mouse. I couldn't seem to get it to go where I wanted, but with the Kensington Trackball, I don't have that problem. It has made my life so much easier. I highly recommend it for anyone who has difficulty manipulating a regular mouse.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Don't buy for Vista!
Comment: Do not buy this mouse to use on Vista! It is not supported with all its features on Vista. The "MouseWorks" software has not been ported to Vista, and the Vista drivers do not support all the features you may be expecting from use of the (formerly excellent) Kensington trackballs on prior MS Windows versions. There is a workaround (download the MouseWorks software, set the properties to "run as administrator" and "run in XP SP2 compatibility mode", and then run) - use a search engine to find more detailed instructions (e.g. http://blog.jeffhandley.com/archive/2007/12/18/kensington-expert-mouse-on-vista.aspx look for Derek Williams' explanation). This workaround is simpler and better than the one using the MS IntelliMouse driver, but doesn't work perfectly either.
One other issue: the scroll wheel feels terrible. The movement doesn't feel smooth, the wheel feels like it is fragile and will soon break, and there is no way to click the scroll wheel for the smooth scrolling you get with a scroll-wheel mouse.
In short, I love trackball mice, and I hope that one will be made that works great on Vista - if one is made, I'll be there to buy it!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Alternative to the Mouse - Good for Lefties Too
Comment: I've had the Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for about three weeks now.
General Audience Impressions:
The Trackball is of excellent quality; I've had no problems with it. The wrist pad is comfortable. The scroll wheel makes it worth the price. The key mapping works.
Left Hander Impressions:
As you know most of the trackballs are designed for righties. This one only has one quirk for us southpaws...
I use my index finger to move the trackball and work the scroll wheel with my middle finger. This method for us lefties has the scroll wheel moving in the opposite direction from what I would have preferred - pushing the scroll wheel forward moves to the top of the screen; backward towards the bottom. I haven't checked to see if the wheel direction is configurable, but as is it is a minor annoyance.
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