When using a computer, the mouse is one of the essential ingredients. Whether you choose optical or mechanical, wired or wireless, there needs to be a mouse, usually controlled by the right hand. With a graphical user operating system environment, like any version of Windows, or Apple’s OS, or Linux, pointing and clicking is what makes the computer a lot easier to use. After all, I don’t see any large movement of folks begging for DOS to make a comeback and to ditch Windows.

Unfortunately, as our computers have permeated more and more of our lives, this has led to an increasing amount of pointing and clicking. Start figuring out a full workday, then hours after work spent surfing, organizing music, loading pictures, and playing games, and it’s little wonder why repetitive motion injury is a rising problem. Short of not using a computer, this is one of those situations where an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

Whatever we use to control our computer, it had better be comfortable. I generally divide pointing devices into “mice,” and “everything else.” While among the mice, I favor a larger mouse, with both cordless technology and optical tracking features. While not the cheapest, I find them comfortable, precise, and easy to use. A while back, I took a look at another device, the Vertical Mouse, but found it somewhat clunky, and continue to use a regular mouse.

The problem that many users get into with a mouse is the angle that their wrist sits at. When we grab our mouse, our wrist gets flexed too much, past the angle it was intended to stay at for hours on end. Given enough time, some users will go on to diseases such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In the end, the wrist was not really designed to push a mouse around for day after day even if that’s what our work and leisure require.

Kensington’s Expert Mouse is not a mouse at all, and fits into my category of input devices of “everything else.” It is a trackball, and a larger one at that. The last trackball I used was on the Mission Command arcade game in the 80’s, but they’ve been around for computers for years, and persisted, although in the minority. When we think about the part of the body that is very well adapted to fine motor activity, it is without a doubt, the fingers. Unlike the wrist, it is not nearly as prone to repetitive motion injury. Hence, theoretically at least, a trackball should be better than a mouse from a repetitive injury standpoint.

Kensington’s Expert Mouse has been updated to have the latest features. For example, it has an optical sensor so it is not prone to mechanical failure. Also, it can work both with USB, and with the older PS/2 connection (that I often prefer because it doesn’t tie up a USB port) by way of a simple adapter. Unlike some other trackballs, the Expert Mouse even incorporates a scroll wheel. It is placed as a ring around the trackball, conveniently located. The left and right mouse buttons are at the lower right and left positions. The Expert Mouse is designed for ease of setup, and works directly out of the box with no drivers required. There is software provided to customize the function of the upper right and left buttons which don’t have a default function without the software.

Theoretics aside, I decided that we needed to put the Expert Mouse to the test- with myself as the guinea pig. Rather than use it for a day, I took my mouse, put it in a drawer, and made the Expert Mouse my only input device for a full two weeks. This way, during the full week of internet surfing, writing, and email, I could fully assess how this thing would really work. Finally, at the end of the test, would I really go back to a standard mouse?

For the first hour or so, the Expert Mouse was a little on the stiff side. Lifting the ball out, I notice that the ball rolls on tiny mini wheels. After the first hour, the stiffness is gone, and it rolls almost effortlessly. For the first two hours, I’ve been slowed down a little. Instead of the intuitive mouse, I notice that I’m thinking and planning out the cursor movements, like when I first started using a mouse. Clicking and dragging require some thought, but by the second day, all of this has disappeared, and I’m back to feeling the Expert Mouse as an extension of myself. Throughout testing, the thing always tracked perfectly.

The Kensington Expert Mouse is a well crafted gizmo. The ball itself has some mass to it, and is perfectly smooth. The LED below it is red, but is not seen in the dark which is useful when you need to stack some Zzzz’s. The buttons are large, easy to depress, and give a satisfying click that don’t leave us wondering if they were pressed or not. The scroll wheel has ridges, and is a hard rubberized plastic that prevents slipping. All of this is packaged in an industrial, but fashionable enclosure that utilizes the colors black, silver and dark gray.
During the following week, I’m able to complete all of the usual tasks, and I’m really enjoying this technology. I try it with the included wrist rest, but I greatly prefer it without it. Without the wrist rest, my hand is forced into a more neutral position in order to use the device. Also, the wrist rest then doesn’t let this input device sit perfectly flush on the table surface. It’s as annoying as getting an uneven table in the restaurant that you need to shim up with a matchbook before the drinks arrive.

Overall, the Expert Mouse is a really great pointing device. It is well suited to the full variety of computing tasks, and especially suited to activities requiring fine pointing, like using Photoshop for image manipulation. i did find that on my large 19″ monitor, if I’m going from one corner to the opposite corner, it does take a little longer to go from end to end than with a comparable mouse. The ease at which it scrolls though makes up for this subtle time difference. Also, for those of us with, ahem, other “stuff” on our desks, it’s great that we only need to clear the footprint of the device in order to use it. One more reason to not clean things up!

I think the most telling thing, is that at the end of the two week trial period, it’s still on my desk. I’m in no rush to go back to a regular mouse, and after the first hour, I didn’t miss my mouse at all. Give the Expert Mouse a try. This is one of the few alternative input devices that is worth using in my opinion. While it is priced up there with the finest of optical mice, compared to a few copays for your local hand surgeon, I think it’s quite affordable.
–Jonas

Manufacturer’s Link.