ellis@daffodil.LABS.TEK.COM (Cynthia Ellis ) (04/18/91)
A variety of magazines have had mini-reviews about the new laptop- oriented trackballs. The reviews I have seen have been about Microsoft's BallPoint, Logitech's new product (I can't remember the name right now), and a product called "Thumbelina". Compaq is giving away a BallPoint with each new laptop/notebook sold between now and June 30, but I've checked with three different authorized Compaq dealers, and none of them has a BallPoint to demo. Has anyone out there in the great net world had a chance to use any of these new products? Cindy
rubin@watson.ibm.com (Bill Rubin) (04/19/91)
In <1051@crl.LABS.TEK.COM> ellis@daffodil.LABS.TEK.COM (Cynthia Ellis ) writes: > A variety of magazines have had mini-reviews about the new laptop- > oriented trackballs. The reviews I have seen have been about > Microsoft's BallPoint, Logitech's new product (I can't remember the > name right now), and a product called "Thumbelina". > > Compaq is giving away a BallPoint with each new laptop/notebook > sold between now and June 30, but I've checked with three different > authorized Compaq dealers, and none of them has a BallPoint to > demo. > > Has anyone out there in the great net world had a chance to use > any of these new products? I heard from someone who tried the Microsoft Ballpoint and they seemed to like it. I have one on order, but the scheduled ship date is not until the middle of next month. According to Microsoft, they sent the entire first shipment to Compaq! Based on what I have seen, the Microsoft looks to be the best of the bunch, at least for me. The Logitech model won't be available until June, according to their announcement. I have not seem Thumbelina, but it doesn't look all that interesting to me. For what it's worth, IBM announced a similar box with the L40 laptop. It's novel in that you can use it as either a trackball or a mouse by just turning it over. Unfortunately, it's mouse port only, not serial, so it will be of limited usefulness on most laptops. Isn't it too bad that given the obvious need for a product of this sort, the industry had to wait until one company announced a model so the others could then come out with a me-too variety? -- Bill rubin@watson.ibm.com
ellis@daffodil.LABS.TEK.COM (Cynthia Ellis ) (04/20/91)
In article <1991Apr19.163656.29665@watson.ibm.com> rubin@watson.ibm.com (Bill Rubin) writes: >In <1051@crl.LABS.TEK.COM> ellis@daffodil.LABS.TEK.COM (Cynthia Ellis ) writes: >> Has anyone out there in the great net world had a chance to use >> any of these new products? > >I heard from someone who tried the Microsoft Ballpoint and they seemed to >like it. I have one on order, but the scheduled ship date is not until >the middle of next month. According to Microsoft, they sent the entire >first shipment to Compaq! Based on what I have seen, the Microsoft looks >to be the best of the bunch, at least for me. My SO finally found an authorized Compaq dealer who had a demo BallPoint unit. He and the salesperson had some trouble with the keyboard attachment. I went there today and (maybe because I have more experience with the SLT keyboard? or because I chased the salesperson away?) popped the same BallPoint on the side of the same keyboard quite easily and proceeded to play SimCity using it. The keyboard attachment was solid and actually very secure-feeling; I was pleasantly surprised. The BallPoint is approximately the same size and shape as the "top half" of a Microsoft mouse. There are four buttons on the thing, so the same unit can be used either left or right handed. The buttons are a little bit close to each other, but I think one would get used to this quickly. I had never used a trackball before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found using it quite natural after a couple of minutes (I'd need more practice to be accurate, however). It's a very different feeling than using a mouse! I, like Bill, can't find anyone to sell me one of these marvelous little toys. Various stores are willing to put it on order for me but tell me to expect to wait until at least the end of the month before the order even goes in. Argh! And they are expensive - the best price I can find locally is $125 (compared to a best local price of $70 for a MouseMan). >The Logitech model won't be available until June, according to their >announcement. I have not seem Thumbelina, but it doesn't look all that >interesting to me. I'm so thrilled by my new serial MouseMan from Logitech that I may wait for the Logitech offering (since I can't get immediate gratification by buying a BallPoint now anyway), to compare prices and features. I was a die-hard Microsoft mouse user until the MouseMan came along. But I agree with Bill, from the pictures and descriptions, the BallPoint seems like the best, and I sure liked the size and feel of using it. I would buy one now if I could get anyone to sell one to me. I'd enjoy reading other people's impressions of the BallPoint, and would especially appreciate any first- or second-hand reviews of the Logitech Portable Trackman. (I agree with Bill that the Thumbelina doesn't look appealing, at least from its pictures - the ball is too small.) Cindy
shwake@raysnec.UUCP (Ray Shwake) (04/22/91)
rubin@watson.ibm.com (Bill Rubin) writes: >Isn't it too bad that given the obvious need for a product of this sort, >the industry had to wait until one company announced a model so the >others could then come out with a me-too variety? Well, since others *have* worked to fill this need long before Microsoft announced its Ballpoint, let's at least give them credit. Some portables (like Apple's offering) have offered an *integral* trackball; the Isopoint (my favorite so far) is available in models from Grid (maybe others by now). External add-ons have a place only to the extent that laptop/notebook manufacturers have failed to anticipate and accomodate the need. ----------- uunet!media!ka3ovk!raysnec!shwake shwake@rsxtech
jps@cs.brown.edu (John Shewchuk) (04/24/91)
I've been using the Ballpoint Mouse on my Sharp 6220 extensively for about 2 weeks now. So far I am reasonably happy with it but there are some things that annoy me. The biggest problem is that the ball is made of a fairly slick plastic and it is very light. As a result, sometimes you will be moving the mouse in one direction and the cursor will simply stop, even though your thumb is still moving. I think this is because the ball is slipping on the rollers that pick up the mouse movement. This really, really bugs me. One way that Microsoft might fix this is to make the ball rubberized. I have been thinking of tracking down a mouse and swapping the balls to see if this helps. However, another aspect of the Ballpoint Mouse design might prevent this. The Ballpoint Mouse was designed with a plastic spring-loaded retaining ring that is used to force the ball into the rollers that pick up mouse movement; I would guess that this design is due to the fact that the mouse can be mounted at various angles and because the ball is so light. This design results in a fair amount of friction on the mouse ball which prevents it from rolling freely and unfortunately, it feels (to me) like you have to push hard on the ball. (It also sounds scratchy if you listen closely.) I tried removing this spring-loaded retaining ring and the mouse (again, to me) "feels" much better. Finally, the buttons feel pretty flimsy, they can bend in weird directions. This is not to say that I don't like the Ballpoint Mouse. The best part about the Ballpoint Mouse is care that went into the design. The button placement and the ability to adjust the angle make it very pleasant to use. Also, very important to me is the spring-loaded mechanism that attaches the mouse to the laptop. This allows the mouse to pop off in the event of excessive force- more than once I bashed the mouse into something that caused it to pop off and prevent damage to either the computer or the mouse. Impressive. In summary, I prefer the old Microsoft Mouse. On the other hand, if you want portability the Ballpoint Mouse is great. The Ballpoint is pleasant and easy to use and the thoughtful design protects both the computer and the mouse. On the down side, the Ballpoint Mouse "freezes" once in a while and I think I would prefer a heavier ball that had a rubberized surface. -- John Shewchuk, Computer Science Dept, jps@cs.brown.edu Brown University, Box 1910, Providence, RI 02912 (401) 863-7664