Logitech M575

Over the years I have bought 5 trackbals, initially the M570 in 2013, more recently the current model. As well as the 'unifying usb receiver' this one includes bluetooth and greatly increases its ability to pair with a number of separate PCs. Particularly useful when working on a problem PC for a friend or family member.While I've always found them to be very robust and durable, nothing withstands the inquisitive, sticky, chocolate encrusted fingers of a 5 to 10 year old grand child. Battery covers vanish, buttons stick and eventually no amount of cleaning (of either trackball or hands) will prevail.This one is a replacement for the 2014 model, (the one from 2013 having been replaced earlier this year).Not everything I buy lasts 10 years in constant use. It's worth mentioning that the replacements cost substantially less than their earlier counterparts.

I first discovered trackball mice a few years ago and I've not looked back since. This being the latest version, I'm very happy with it. I did have the MX Ergo for a period but really didn't find the extra features warranted the extra cost, I just wasn't "WOW, this is so worth the extra £40" I had the M570 previous to this and that was good but this is better, here are my reasons why.If you're after a trackball mouse you can't go passed this. Having had it for 16 months (at time of writing) and used it daily I can't fault it.I found it easy to set up on my Mac devices. I have 2 I use it on, a laptop and a MAC mini (I'll come to these in a bit) without using the Logitech software. I guess they want you to use theirs but I just found it cumbersome and intrusive. I think I had to install initially but soon uninstalled it.The quality of the device is very good and robust having survived daily use. I travel a lot so it's forever in and out of a suitcase, on and off tables and all sorts of surfaces.I find (I'm right handed) I can rest my hand on top of the mouse and all the buttons, wheel and ball are situated perfectly for ease of use...and very easy to use it is.Now, back to the fact I use it on 2 devices. With it being USB AND Bluetooth this makes connectivity so much easier and quicker. I have the USB receiver constantly plugged into my MAC mini and use Bluetooth with my laptop. To switch between the 2 couldn't be easier either. Lift it up, turn it over and press the button, it lights up blue for Bluetooth and white for USB connection. The function alone makes me feel it's the most versatile on the market.Next to that of course is the on/off switch, use that and the battery seems to last forever.As you can see from the photos, it may be 16months old and travelled all over the world but it's holding up well with just a few nicks and where marks.I paid £29.90 and it's currently £49.99 and even at that price I feel it's absolutely value for money.

Disclaimer: I'm a first time trackball user and by no means an expert.Also, for anyone else that hasn't used one before, I would like to add that using a trackball is not difficult or hard to get used to, in fact if you're comfortable with a trackpad using a trackball should feel like second nature after only a few minutes of use, certainly did for me.In my quest for the best and cheapest trackball mouse I purchased this logitech M575 and a Perimice 517. Both are of simillar build quality and weight, fairly hollow and cheap feeling plastic all around the main body, not what I was expecting from a brand like logitech. the logitech has a smooth matte texture while the perimice goes for a gripier matte textured coting that's a little closer to rubber. both are simmilar but the perimice gets grubier easier and the logitech is a little smoother, it's really just a matter of preference though. another thing that is a matter of preference would be the shape of the mouse. with my index finger over the left click the perimice was fairly comfortable for me and the extra widh of the design gives somewhere for my pinky finger to rest. with my index on the left click of the logitech comfort was simply awful with my index and middle fingers off angle from the buttons and my pinky with nowhere to rest. If however, I change my grip to have my middle finger on the left clik the comfort of the logitech was darn near perfect, all the buttons are within easy reachand all my fingers rest well on the body of the mouse. on the perimice comfort was eaqualy as okay as before, but not exceptional. I found myself prefering the logitech but adjusting to left click with my middle finger will be tough. The weird grip on the logitech does put the remapable function keys right under my index finger though wich is a huge positive. Unlike the logitech MX Ergo's single large rubber pad these mise use individual feet, on the logitech these feet have a matte finish and keep it firmly planted on a wide range of surfaces. the perimice feet are a glossy finish and I found it was more picky about surface, sliding around a little on my desk mat, the logitech had no such issues. Now, the trackball, the most important part of a trackball mouse. The perimice is rough, the ball feels smooth over lrge rolls but try to move it a small amout to highlit text or select a selection box and you feel the rough movement of the bearings and it becomes difficult to be precise as the mose jumps around, it feels almost like a scroll wheel, not good at all for controlling the cursor. The logitech mouse is fantastic though, almost too smooth., it can be difficult to be precise but in a completely different way, it's like a trackpad that's too sensitive with how smooth it is, much, much better than the perimice. The logitech has some cool features the the perimice doesn't though in the remapable buttons and custom sensitivity settings. the app in which you control these is really annoying and invasive on first setup, it begs for a whole host of data and seems to force you to create a logitech account with no option to not use one, if you close the browser window it opens when you click to create an account and back into the app it seems to work fine without the account. the app itself is really good too, super well designed, easy to use and good looking. something really annoying that might not happen with everyone is that my mouse didn't come paired to the usb reciever meaning I had to download the logitech unifying software and pair them up, this should be done in the factory as this could make the mice unusable for some or at least casue some annoying headaches, trackball mice are often used for applications where space is at a premium, these applications often make use of computers you can't install any old exe onto, enterprise solutions with admin passwords and backend systems not running a regular os like windows. these are the types of situations I would expect this mouse to be used with the usb reciever so for it to not be paired up out of the box is pretty attrocious in my opinion. anyway the actual product itself is pretty good and i would definitley reccomend it, just be weary of the software and know that it's not built great, some have complained of long term issues as well so, again, do be aware of these issues. Certainly better than the perimice though and probably also the other two designs of trackball mouse I found on amazon that were cheaper than this.p.s. There was no proper user manual in my box so the button on the bottom switches from bluetooth to usb reciever, the blue light means bluetooth and the white means usb reciever. if the light is flashing that means it is not connected and a steady light means it is connected. it also takes 1 AA battery and mine came with a GP branded one in the box.

The media could not be loaded. My trusty MacBook Touch has an issue with the keyboard. I bought it second hand so Apple won't touch it ... soooooo, I bought a new bluetooth keyboard but that meant that the trackpad is in front and not massively convenient. I looked up all the stactic mice with trackballs that are compatible with macs (there is very little space on my desk) and I found this one. I AM IN LOVE. It's totally intuitive, really responsive and I'm a bit peeved I didn't do this earlier. The sleek ergonomic design is very comfortable in your hand (I'm right handed) and it's just brilliant. Grab yours now!!