Trackballs
From Fozzee.net
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This page was originally going to be dedicated to the Microsoft Trackball Explorer, probobly the best mouse on the planet. After the availability of this mouse went to crap, people started searching for alternatives, and largely coming up empty. That said, I figured I'd chronicle every trackball lovers' struggle to replace the venerable Trackball Explorer.
Microsoft Trackball Explorer
They came about around the time Microsoft got into the hardware business, and were last manufactured around 2004. Today, they're all but unavailable on the retail market. There are a few available on Ebay, but they command a steep price (around $85 at this writing).
Kensington Turboring
The Kensington TurboRing is similar in shape to the Microsoft Trackball Explorer, but it lacks a "right" button (3 buttons vs the 4 on the MTE). Because the "wheel" is a ring instead, there is no "wheel button". Jeff also notes that the build quality of these mice are mostly crap.
Kensington Expert
These seem like they'd be a good substitute for the MS:TBE, but they're terribly spendy. They also are ambidextrous, but it's not so bad, because the scroll "wheel" is actually a ring, around the central ball. I had an opportunity to buy one of these at the CompUSA going out of business sale, but it had no ball and they didn't want to make me a deal. (The Expert is about $99) Two of the buttons are mounted high, and they're not terribly convenient.
There is a new Expert Pro that adds ten buttons at the top of the mouse. They're kinda far away from the ball, but it might work. Also, the ring was traded for a top-center scroll wheel. A wireless version is also available.
Kensington Orbit
Logitech Marble
I'm not a fan. I've got one of these at work, they're still in production and fairly common. They've got only 4 buttons, two of which are small and hard to reach. There's also no scroll wheel. On the upside, they're ambidextrous, which doesn't matter to me, but might make some people happy.
