Rating: 
Summary: Mixed review
Review: I had a Logtech Trackman Marble FX for about 8 years before the right mouse button stopped working... But that's another story. You can read my review about that one if you want. I'll go straight to the pros and cons:Pros:
Ergonomic shape, nice large ball operated with your fingers and thumb.
4 mouse buttons and a clickable scroll wheel, perfect for gamers. All buttons are reassignable to perform any function, or to do a variety of functions within windows. Note that the bundled software calls middle click "autoscroll," and buttons 4 and 5 are called the back and forward web browser navigation buttons. Good for your average user, but a techie like me likes the buttons to be called what they really are.
It's wired, unlike the Logitech version. Wireless products are a solution looking for a problem for me, and I don't like shelling out the extra dough.
You can reassign buttons to do different functions on a per-program basis. For games I have it assigned to the default button setup so that the game recognizes all the buttons as mouse1, mouse2, etc. Cons:
Very imprecise at high sensitivity settings. The cursor will actually move in steps of several pixels. This might be because the dots on the ball are rather large, but not certain. The solution for those who like high sensitivity settings is to set it for medium sensitivity and turn on low acceleration. The non-linearity that results makes you feel a bit disconnected from the onscreen cursor, however. Not pros and cons, just observations: By default, the left-right-middle mouse buttons are operated by your thumb instead of your fingers, unlike a regular mouse. This can be reassigned, I've reassigned the far right button to right click because it's a bit more intuitive, and I have a button bound to shift so I can use it and the scroll wheel for forward-back navigation in my web browser.
It takes a few days to really get used to, like the transition from a straight keyboard to a "natural" one.
It looks like there's three red LEDs inside, but only one is actually near a sensor, the other two are just there to make it glow an ominous red.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Pointing Device in the World
Review: This is the best pointing device in the world. I love it so much I bought two--one for home and one for work. I am a long-time trackball user--I had two Logitechs before this. What I love about this pointing device is EVERYTHING. The ball moves like silk, and it's removeable without taking the whole thing apart, so you can clean it and keep it moving like it's new. The buttons are great too, and there are five of them plus a wheel! Two are on the right, two on the left, and the wheel itself can be clicked like a button. Hand-in-hand with the buttons is the software (driver) that lets you customize button behavior. It's great. It's been a year since I used Logitech's driver, but at the time I switched, I had the latest Logitech software and it didn't hold a candle to the MS software. Last and, in this case, probably least, it's a great-looking device. The body is titanium, the buttons are gray and the ball is red. The great part, though, is that the optical glow that's so cool is on top--in the cradle where the ball rests--and it looks soooo cool, especially in the dark! I have had my two for more than 18 months, and haven't had the least problem out of either one. I've used them primarily with Win2k and XP. I also have Linux at home, and although I can't customize my buttons the way I did in Windows, their default behaviors work fine. I didn't have to do anything to Linux Mandrake 7 to make it work.
Rating:
Summary: This is a mouse on super steroids!
Review: Love this trackball! Once you used it, it becomes very difficult to go back and use the old mouse. I am converting all my work computer and home computer to use this trackball. The best feature is that it has the BACK and FORWARD button easily accesible by the fourth and pinky. The design is extremely egronomic and keeps my hands relax all the time. The trackball is precise. The thumb has to do a lot of work of scrolling, left click and right click though. It takes a little adjusting to at the beginning. But once you're used to it, you just can't go back to using a regular mouse (it becomes really really anonying when you do).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Durable Product
Review: I've had my Trackball Explorer for a couple of months now, and it has performed flawlessly. I mainly use it with my laptop, it works well on any surface because it is a trackball, which does not operate like a mouse, you control the cursor by moving the ball with your fingers, instead of moving the entire device. The trackball itself is very large, a change from previous products that I've owned, which is a great thing, it allows you to control the pointer with virtually all of your fingers. The button placement couldn't be better, although it took a little bit of practice to get used it, as the right-click and left-click buttons are activated via thumb, but after the learning curve, smooth sailing from there. The back and forward buttons are also a plus, they allow you to browse through you browser's history with a click. I also *love* the wheel. Scrolling through documents and webpages couldn't be easier, it also acts as a button when pressed, which activates a trackball-controlled scroll, very useful for longer documents. The Trackball Explorer comes with Microsoft's IntelliPoint software, which means this trackball is *highly* configurable. You can change the action of each of the buttons, the lines scrolls by the wheel and *much* more. Microsoft has created an excellent product here, very configurable, durable and precise! A recommendation for veteran trackball users and *every* mouse user.
Rating: 
Summary: Microsoft controls your computer
Review: I bought this trackball to replace my Logitech trackball when I got a new computer and could not get a driver for the old trackball. This trackball feels great, allowing me to hold my hand in the ergonomically correct and comfortable position. And you can choose how to set up the buttons, which is wonderful for people like me who don't like to use their thumbs to do the clicking. But here's the bad part. I like to have a mouse installed on my computer so that other folks can figure out how to use it on those occasions when they find it necessary to do so. The software that allows me to map the buttons to carry out my desired commands has some strange idea about other pointing devices on my computer. It has decided which are the two primary buttons and it maps whatever functions I choose for those primary buttons onto the mouse functions. The end result is that when you click the left button on the mouse, it thinks you want to surf back to the previously viewed web site. And when you click the right mouse button, it navigates in the forward direction. I'm not sure why the trackball software finds it necessary to control my mouse. I think it's evil. I may have to replace this trackball very soon, which is a shame. It's very cool looking with that big red ball. And it's very comfortable to use. But if you share your computer with other users who want to use a mouse, buy something else. Perhaps the newer Logitech would have been better.
Rating:
Summary: Won't use anything else!
Review: I bought this a few years ago...being used to the average two button mouse it took a little while getting used to. However, now I won't use anything else! I wish they came out with a cordless version. It fits my hand so well and the buttons that were a little awkward to use at first are now so easy to use and well placed. I scroll and click with my thumb and move the wheel with my forefinger. The other two programmable buttons to the right of the wheel are clicked with your middle and ring fingers, and the whole device fits my hand like a glove. You barely have to move your fingers to use the buttons, once you get used to the layout and you can even place the trackball horizontally or diaganolly in front of you (which I do) - which is why I don't ever feel "awkward" the way one of the reviewers does. If you place the trackball vertically with the cord facing north, you will ulitmately have a fatigued hand. But after getting used to the layout of this trackball, you don't have to keep it vertical anymore and can place it any way you like. Once placed in a position that is comfortable, it is so natural to operate that using a mouse again is so uncomfortable. If you have the patience to try this out, I highly recommend it. I haven't been able to find a cordless trackball that even comes close to this...pity!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Trackball!
Review: I've had a trackball for 3 years now. I have never known such quick response and ease of mousing. My previous mouse was $20, and I wanted to buy something a little bit nicer. The Trackball Explorer exceeded my expectations. Constantly cleaning my old trackball was a pain. With the optical trackball, no moving parts means no cleaning! It has 4 buttons (2 of which can be programmed by the software included, they default to forward and back commands for Internet Explorer), and a scroll wheel that also serves as a button. It also looks cool. It has a nice greyis metalic color to it. Another plus is the fact that its nifty ergonomic design makes this mouse comfortable to use. Installation was easy. Plug it in, install the drivers, install the software that comes with the mouse, and you're done!
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: My company bought me this model because they cannot buy Logitech (won't go into why here.)I have a couple of Logitech trackballs at home and they are much better ergonomically. Here is my gripe list with this MS trackball: - the buttons are plentiful but badly placed (at least for my hand) For example, the scroll wheel sits in between the two 'main' mouse buttons on the left making it difficult to easily right-click. (sure, you can re-assign the buttons...but keep reading.) - You have to move your thumb too much to click the upper side(right-click) button. It should have been placed closer to the V between your thumb and index finger; it does not follow the arc of your thumb's movement so, at best, you are clicking on the rear of the button--if you don't miss it completely (which I am constantly doing) - The two buttons to the left of the optical ball are a pain to use because if you position your hand so that your thumb overcomes the above gripes, then your ring and pinky fingertips are out of position to use the two buttons. It requires having to move your hand (a trackball is supposed to alleviate that) - IntelliPoint software is different on Mac and Windows. KEY difference (and maybe this is a Windows limitation): you can't assign a keystroke to a mouse button in Windows. If you have an average size hand, I would not buy this mouse. Look at the Logitech Marble Mouse and save $30--or move up to one of the Wireless Logitechs ($59 and $69) They just feel better ergonomically. All are optical technology.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent pointing device
Review: I have been using computers for 20 year and this track ball for 3 years. With the years most people will develop some pain from using the mouse. I find this device to be an excellent replacement. It will really minimize the movement of the hand and increase the comfort.
There is some learning before you will be as fast as you can be with a mouse, but it is well worth the effort.
Highly recommend the device.
Rating: 
Summary: Gimmicky Lights, Poor Tracking, Improperly Assigned Buttons
Review: To call this input device a "trackball" is misleading. It does not track very well at any resolution setting. You must install the Intellimouse software in order to change the default button positions, which places what we all know as the "right" mouse button to the left of the ball. This is simply stupid and I cannot imagine that the engineers who designed this input device actually use this aging product anymore. If you have Windows XP, the built-in mouse driver with its welcome highly-precise tracking feature will be replaced, and turned off, with the Intellimouse software which also has a slightly different acceleration scheme and is a lot less precise. Unfortunately you cannot use the built-in Windows XP mouse driver unless you actually want your "right mouse button" to be assigned to the "upper-left mouse button." The shape of the housing is very comfortable for right-handed users only. Southpaws cannot comfortably use this device in any fashion. The housing fits my right hand so well but the perspiration can be troublesome since your entire hand will be flush against the unit. When this model first came out several years ago it was over seventy dollars. Get it under promotion and you probably won't be disappointed, but I think the twenty-dollar Logitech Marble Mouse is a massively higher quality and more useable product than this one. I think it's worth mentioning that the ball socket is lit up by several LED's that are only activated when you install the Intellimouse software. If you don't install the software you only get one light (and a stupidly-placed right-mouse-button on the left!).
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