The Logitech TrackMan Wheel Computer Mouse Works Well Once One Is Used To It!

The Good: Efficiently uses space, Plug-and-play capability, Stylish
The Bad: Not ambidextrous, Expensive, Less durable than they used to be, Learning curve required.
The Basics: Once one overcomes the sticker shock and learning curve associated with using the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse, it is a fun, efficient mouse.


Almost a year ago, my wife and I had a bit of a fight. The argument stemmed from her assertion that I broke her Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse (and my adamant belief that after she had been using the same mouse for almost six years, it had just naturally worn out on her). Regardless, I found myself rapidly in the market for a new Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse and I was astonished by how expensive they were. When I finally managed to find one, the only retailer who had the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse charged an exorbitant $54.95 for it! The price on these appears to have gone down in the year since I purchased it, but that did not make me happy, considering the were so much more expensive just six months ago.

It actually surprises me how few products from Logitech I have reviewed. I like the company and I actually write about their products and people quite a bit at my day job. As it stands, before this evaluation of the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse, the only Logitech product I had reviewed was the Logitech Classic 200 Keyboard (that’s here!). As it is, after six months of using my wife’s Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse, I found it to be a good product, though as a left-handed person, I would have wanted (at least) an ambidextrous design for one.

The Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse is a stylish gunmetal trackball-style mouse that is 5 ¾” long by 3 7/8” wide and 1 7/8” tall. As a trackball mouse, the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse is a stationary mouse; one does not move their hand to manipulate the cursor on their screen, they use their right thumb or index finger to move the ball on the upper left side of the mouse. The Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse is designed for one to use their right thumb to manipulate the ball and that frees up the index and middle fingers to utilize the two buttons and/or the scroll wheel at the head of the mouse. Experience has proven to me that this is a well-designed mouse in that regard.

Given that I will sit down and use the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse for hours on end, I can attest to the positive benefits of the ergonomic design of this mouse. The smooth shape is designed to fit all the proper angles of the hand and it works beautifully in that regard. No matter how long I have used the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse in a stretch, my fingers and hand have never suffered any form of fatigue common with using a mouse for a long period of time.

The Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse is USB-connected to the laptop or PC and the four foot cord is more than adequate for that, especially considering that one does not need to move their hand while using the trackball mouse. The trackball is very easy to use . . . after a few days of consistent use. I found getting used to a trackball mouse was initially very disorienting – having to only move a few fingers as opposed to moving the whole hand takes a little getting used to. Sure, it is far more convenient, but it does take some time to learn. The two click buttons work just fine and have never shown any spring fatigue on either of the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mice I have used.

I have become a slave for scroll wheels. In fact, the prime reason I am not as enchanted with my laptop computer’s mousepad is that I have found myself to be pretty much dependent upon scroll wheels to get the most out of all the programs I use. The scroll wheel on the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse, located between the two keys at the top of the mouse, has never stuck or not responded in a fashion which one might expect. The TrackMan Wheel’s scroll wheel works ideally!

The same cannot be said for the actual trackball. With no difference in how the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse was being used, our six month-old TrackMan Wheel has begun sticking and being fussy in a way that the original one did not. The main problem we have with the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse is that it sticks, but I’ve also noticed an odd habit of “slippage.” If the TrackMan Wheel is bumped, it seems to be especially sensitive to movement side to side. In other words, if it is bumped, the cursor tends to move left to right or right to left, regardless of how much the actual ball moves. The latter was not a problem we experienced with the first one.

In general, though, the Logitech TrackMan Wheel computer mouse is a solid trackball mouse that one only wishes was less expensive and left-handed!

For other computer mice I have reviewed, be sure to check out my takes on:
SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse
Gear Head #OM3400U 3 Button Optical Mouse
Microsoft D66 Optical Mouse

5/10

For other computer hardware reviews, be sure to visit my Computer Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Comfortable Optical Mouse, The SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse Gets The Job Done!

The Good: Easy to use, Light helps makes functioning ability clear, Comfortable grip
The Bad: Uses up a USB port, Requires drivers
The Basics: A stylish optical mouse, the SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse is surprisingly durable and easy-to-use!


I hate having to buy a computer mouse. Ever. I think, now that I have found mice that I like, I would like them to be indestructible. For me, the computer mouse is pretty simple. I am happy with two buttons, but I have discovered I have grown entirely dependent upon the scroll wheel for maximum functionality. So, with my actual day job, I was surprised to find that I found a computer mouse I actually like quite a bit. That is the SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse. It is a little more stylish than others I have used, but it is pretty cool and having used one now for over six months, I can easily attest to its durability.

My mouse is a stylish basic SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse. This is an optical mouse with a tapered top, which is ergonomically nice. The SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse is a USB mouse with a six foot cable that ends in a standard USB jack. With over six months of use with my VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse, and who knows how long it was in service prior to that?!, I am very happy with it.

The VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse is a basic mouse intended for use on computers using a Windows platform or Mac platform. I am not sure what is different about the configuration of the SONY VAIO style mouse, but it required drivers to download in order to use it on the Windows XP system I run at work.

The SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse is 4 1/2" long by 2 3/4” wide and 1 1/2” tall. It has a curved top, like most mice, so it fits in the hand nicely. Also, as a left-handed person, the SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse is nice because it is not contoured on its sides in any way, so it is intended for ambidextrous use. The VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse has a six foot cable which plugs into a USB port. I am pretty used to griping about anything that uses up a USB port, but then I noticed the new laptop my wife got me does not even have a dedicated mouse port! So, the fact that virtually every computer these days has more than two USB ports leaves me thinking that this is not a huge problem.

Like all optical mice, the SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse glides along the surface of the desk or wherever one has their PC because of two non-stick pads on the bottom of the mouse (one at the front, one at the back). These help move the mouse effortlessly along the smooth surface of my desk, making a mousepad obsolete.

The VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse is called an optical mouse because where there used to be a ball on the underside of the mouse, there is now a simple hole with a light emitting diode in it. When the mouse is properly plugged in and working (whenever the power on the PC is on), the diode glows red and tracks movement to allow the cursor on one's screen to move about. Whenever the mouse has failed – which has only happened for me when it is unplugged – the light on the bottom is no longer lit.

Like most mice, the VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse features two physical buttons at the top of the mouse. The left one is usually used to click and highlight, while the right one is used to access menus – this is something that is configured in the software in Windows, not ingrained into the mouse itself.

The VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse also features a small scroll wheel between the two physical buttons. In most Windows-based programs, the scroll wheel allows one easy access to moving up and down on pages, as it is designed to serve only that function. This has worked fine on my computer, save very old programs (so, for example, while navigating my ancient PFS Windowworks documents, I have to either use the Page Up/Down keys or move the mouse to the right side of the screen and use the up/down bar there.

When I replace my current mouse (which will be sooner than I wanted, thanks to my cat!) the SONY VAIO VGP-UMS1 Optical Mouse is the one I will pick up!

For other computer mice and equipment, please check out my reviews of:
Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse (#OM3400U)
Microsoft Mouse D66 Optical Mouse
Belkin Laptop Cooling Stand F5L055

9/10

For other computer product reviews, click here to go to the index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Gear Head OM3400U 3 Button Optical Mouse Is A Surprisingly Decent Basic No-Frills Computer Mouse!

The Good: Inexpensive, Functional, Plug-and-play compatible, The scrollwheel works, Easy to use, Somewhat durable.
The Bad: Cord and shell are easy to damage
The Basics: The Gear Head OM3400U 3 Button Optical Mouse is an effective, inexpensive, basic computer mouse that works on virtually any computer!


Despite being a very happy and confident liberal in most every way, it turns out that there are still some ways that I am uncharacteristically conservative. Most of those aspects of me have to do with modern technology. I am, by no means, a technophobe. However, when my wife presented me with a new laptop computer, the first thing we did was go out and buy me a new mouse. I am not a fan of touchpad mice and I pretty much refuse to use them. I am, however, very attached to optical mice with scroll wheels and if anyone ever tries to force us all to convert, I’ll probably stock up on some cheap ones. As it turns out, cheap is pretty much all you need with an optical mouse, which I discovered with the Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse (model #OM3400U).

The Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse is an inexpensive corded mouse and, as little as Gear Head might not want me to write it, it’s a cheap mouse. With a thin cord that connects to a USB port, the Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse is exceptionally lightweight. It also has buttons that stick occasionally and it pops apart when you drop it. But, amazingly enough, it also snaps right back together. That is why, despite calling this $5.00 mouse cheap, I enthusiastically recommend it after six months of using mine!

The Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse is an ambidextrous design black plastic mouse with a thin cord. I keep stressing the thin cord because after six months of daily use, the 4 1/2' cord that connects the Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse to the USB port has already cracked and chipped a chunk off. Even so, the 4 1/4” long by 2 1/2" wide by 1 1/4” tall fits nicely in either hand and it is easy and comfortable to use for hours on end.

The Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse features two forward buttons that spring back when they are pressed down. This mouse, more than any other I have had, has an audible click when one touches the button. The scroll wheel does not wear easily and in the six months of pretty constant use, my Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse has not lost any of its precision or accuracy when it comes to controlling the cursor or responding to clicks or wheel movements.

As a Plug-and-play mouse, the Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse works on both PC and Mac systems; I frequently change it between three different computers and it works fine. In fact, for only $5, anyone who refuses to learn to use a touchpad mouse can get a decent, optical mouse that works. Should this style mouse ever get outlawed, the Gear Head 3 Button Optical Mouse is the one I would stock up on!

For other computer product reviews, please be sure to visit my takes on:
Microsoft Mouse D66 Optical Mouse
Logitech Classic Keyboard 200
Dynex 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub

9/10

For other computer hardware reviews, please visit my Electronics Review Index Page for an organized listing of those reviews!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Very Basic Mouse With Enough To Recommend It, Microsoft's D66-00066 Optical Mouse!

The Good: Easy to use, Light helps makes functioning ability clear.
The Bad: Without adapter, uses up a USB port, Still seems pricy to me.
The Basics: A very basic optical mouse, the Microsoft D66-00066 Optical Mouse holds up for years!


When it comes to computers, I am two things other than generally cheap. The first is a layperson: I will never attempt to pass myself off as a computer expert as there are techies who can run laps around me with numbers and symbols I have never seen. The other thing I am is generally old fashioned. I'm not wild about touchpads and I find trying to highlight things and click in weird ways using a touchpad to be a real pain in my butt. So, when I've been allowed to use my brother's ACER Aspire Laptop I have frequently hooked up my computer's mouse to it.

My mouse is a very basic Microsoft D66-00066 Optical Mouse. This is a step up from classic mice which have a ball in them and the optical mice seem to be the basic product on the market as far as mice go these days. The Microsoft D66-00066 Optical Mouse is a USB mouse with a four foot cable and I purchased mine four years ago when my last mouse with a physical ball gave out. With five years of use with my D66-00066 Optical Mouse, I would have to say I am very happy with it.

The D66-00066 Optical Mouse is a basic mouse intended for use on computers using a Microsoft (Windows or XP) platform. I am not sure what is different about the configuration of the Microsoft style mouse, especially as it works on all Microsoft Plug-and-Play platforms, but I know that this mouse does not work when I try plugging it into my MacBook Pro. My home PC runs on Windows 98 and the new ACER runs on Windows 7, so despite the fact that it is not listed in the specs for this mouse, it does work on the Windows 7 platform.

The Microsoft D66-00066 Optical Mouse is 4 ¾ long by 2 ¼” wide and about 1” tall. It has a curved top, like most mice, so it fits in the hand nicely. Also, as a left-handed person, the Microsoft D66-00066 Optical Mouse is nice because it is not contoured on its sides in any way, so it is intended for ambidextrous use. The D66-00066 Optical Mouse has a four foot cable which plugs into a USB port. Because my PC only has two USB ports, I have gotten an adapter which allows me to plug the optical mouse right into my mouse port (a round, pinned port specific to old mice).

Like all optical mice, the Microsoft D66-00066 Optical Mouse glides along the surface of the desk or wherever one has their PC because of three non-stick pads on the bottom of the mouse. There is one in the back and two in the front and these help move the mouse effortlessly along the smooth surface of my desk, not making a mousepad (which, as it might have been forgotten given the stylish aspects of them, were originally needed with mice for the friction they provided to the physical ball within the mouse) necessary at all.

The D66-00066 Optical Mouse is called an optical mouse because where there used to be a ball on the underside of the mouse, there is now a simple hole with a light emitting diode in it. When the mouse is properly plugged in and working (whenever the power on the PC is on), the diode glows red and tracks movement to allow the cursor on one's screen to move about. The nice thing about the D66-00066 Optical Mouse it that whenever there is a problem with the functionality of the mouse, the aft top section of the mouse, which usually glows red, turns off. This makes it simple to see right away if the mouse is working!

Like most mice, the D66-00066 Optical Mouse features two physical buttons at the top of the mouse. The left one is usually used to click and highlight, while the right one is used to access menus – this is something that is configured in the software in Windows, not ingrained into the mouse itself.

The D66-00066 Optical Mouse also features a small scroll wheel between the two physical buttons. In most Windows-based programs, the scroll wheel allows one easy access to moving up and down on pages, as it is designed to serve only that function. This has worked fine on my computer, save on programs that are not written by Microsoft (so, for example, while navigating my ancient PFS Windowworks documents, I have to either use the Page Up/Down keys or move the mouse to the right side of the screen and use the up/down bar there.

But for most users, the Microsoft D66-00066 Optical Mouse is likely to be all the mouse they will need for their PC!

For other computer equipment, please check out my reviews of:
Apple 64 GB iPad
ATP Specio Flash Drive
HP LaserJet 6P Printer

9/10

For other computer product reviews, click here to go to the index page!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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