Editorial Product Review:

Item Description:
The Kensington SlimBlade Trackball Mouse works where other travel mice can't. The trackball gives you control even when there's no room to move a mouse, then switches to mouse mode with the push of a button. Bluetooth connectivity offers up to 30 feet of range and doesn't use up a USB port.









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Customer Rating: - Excellent
have been growing frustrated with my Apple Bluetooth mouse. When I perform a primary click the mouse thinks it is a secondary click. And it sticks. Also the tracking is not very high and in the end is just not that useful. Both Logitech and Microsoft implement a version of Bluetooth in some of their devices that need a transceiver. If I wanted another piece of equipment connected to my USB port I would buy a USB Mouse.

Enter the Kensington SlimBlade Trackball Mouse. My requirements for a new mouse are: Bluetooth, good feel, improved dpi tracking and affordable price.

I have been using the new mouse for the last two weeks. I am happy to report that the SlimBlade Trackball Mouse does all of these very well. It was easy to setup on a 10.5 machine. The Quickstart Guide included provided enough information to get me up and running. For the complete manual you need to visit the Kensington website. Which brings me to one of two knocks that I have against the trackball mouse. The trackball mouse includes a cd with drivers on it. However this disk is only needed if you are using Windows XP. Windows Vista, Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 users do not require the driver disk. In an effort to be a Green company , I would like Kensington to remove the disk from the product and make the XP driver available for download. It may even save them some money across their product lines. It's a small gripe but I don't need the disk, it has been laying on my desk for two weeks gathering dust.

What do I like about the Trackball Mouse, I like just that. By pressing the button in the center in the center of the mouse it toggles between a trackball and mouse operation. At first I was only looking for a mouse. However I have found the trackball to be very useful. It finds a home on an airplane where you don't have space to roll a mouse and don't want to use the trackpad. I simply rested it on my leg. I found the resolution of the trackball to be very good. It had a nice feel to it as well. If you have a Mac Mini hooked up to a television, this Trackball Mouse would be a welcome addition for controlling your computer.

When connected to my iMac , I found the SlimBlade to move very nicely. It has a nice weight and feel to it. I tweaked the System Preferences to get it the way I liked it. I ended up with different settings than I had for the Apple mouse. These settings were for the better. I really is a nice mouse. You can check the battery while turning the device on. The battery life indicator is at the back of the device. Not on the bottom or the front. This is nice attention to detail.

My second Con with this device is with the price. At $[...] , I feel that this is too expensive. However, there is relief in sight. Our friends at Amazon.com have the SlimeBlade for $[...] after rebate. Had it not been for this lower cost the SlimBade would have earned four Moose. I am proud to award five Moose to well done product from Kensington.

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Customer Rating: - Fatal Design Flaw!!!
Have had this mouse for 7 months and the scroll ball doesn't work anymore, assume it's caused by grime, dirt, etc. getting under the ball because it was a gradual loss over the last couple months. Can't open it to clean out. It was great while it worked, but the buttons were kinda loud. Just got microsoft mobile memory mouse 8000, seems cool so far.

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Customer Rating: - Excellent Trackball
I purchased the Kensington SlimBlade Trackbal Mouse with Bluetooth Wireless to use with my MacBook Pro. It is everything I hoped it would be. I can move the cursor without moving my hand across a mouse pad. It works great and I highly recommend it to people who want a trackball mouse (don't want to physically move the mouse to move your cursor).

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Customer Rating: - First impression is positive
I've been looking for a good travel mouse for some time. I'm not convinced yet that this is it, but you could definitely do worse. I really suspect that this would do better as a desktop mouse (and will test this theory soon).

I use my laptop as my primary computer, a MacBook. As such, it often sits in my lap or on other odd surfaces where no smooth safe surface is available to run a traditional mouse. A trackball is an ideal solution in such cases, but most are large/bulky and don't travel well. Plus, I generally prefer a traditional mouse in most situations (though comfortably jump back and forth). Looking that this SlimBlade, I thought it might be the perfect solution. It isn't, though it may be a good compromise for most people.

In standard mouse mode, what you get is a typical laser/optical mouse with right and left mouse buttons and a scroll wheel, the scroll wheel, being a ball, allows you to scroll left and right as well as up and down in programs that support this function. It's comfortable in the hand, as much as any typical desktop-sized mouse is, but may not be to everybody's taste as it's flatter than most modern mice.

In trackball mode, which is what I use with my laptop, it's a little less comfortable. I read the other reviews and noted that the tracking speed seemed to be too fast for some and too slow for others. I'd say that mine moves relatively slowly out of the box. It's also quite awkward to use as there is no easy way to use the scroll ball while holding down a mouse button (click and drag) as you'll be stuck scrolling with your middle finger, which is difficult. Most trackballs allow you to use your thumb to scroll and keep your index/middle finger free OR you scroll with your index/middle finger while you use your thumb and ring finger for left/right clicking, respectively. The SlimBlade currently feels ungainly, but it may grow on me, particularly if I can get the speed "just right."

Lastly, don't buy this mouse if you're looking to save space. It's a little flatter than your average mouse, but its footprint is the same as most desktop mice. It's wide and long, though not too much, and is not any lighter than most wireless mice. In fact, I have several travel mice that are smaller and lighter than this, though lacking the trackball functionality. The main advantage it has regarding travel is that it does not have a separate USB plug-in receiver to take up weight, space, or your USB port. It is bluetooth based and connected to my MacBook with Leopard without a problem at all.

This mouse's claim to fame is not it's size or weight, despite the marketing. Rather, it is the dual-mode option of either behaving as a normal mouse or as a trackball that is its appeal. Judged on that basis, this may be the greatest thing since wireless mice were invented, or it could be just a very overpriced and otherwise entirely average mouse. I'm still looking for a better option, myself.