ProtoArc Vertical Wireless Trackball Mouse EM05 NL Bluetooth Ergonomic Rollerball Mouse Rechargeable Computer Laptop Thumb Mice 3 Device

Price and use of this ProtoArc Vertical Wireless Trackball Mouse are amazing. Very comfortable to use during long hours. Works wonderfully on PC with a wireless fob and on iPad with Bluetooth. So easy to use that my wrist is at a more natural angle. I’ve been using trackballs for close to 20 years, with different brands and styles, and this one has topped them all with the angle, button placement, and thumb control! Read more

Love this trackball mouse. Ball motion is smooth, quiet, and well-constrained. Button clicks are not as tactile or audible as a normal mouse, but that's fine. Scroll wheel is well-weighted and doesn't feel cheap. Forward and back buttons are placed in a great location and are tactile. USB-C charging is a nice touch. The ability to switch between a paired receiver and 2 other Bluetooth-enabled devices is what set this one apart for me. This one has served me well both in the office and at home. My only gripe is I'd like to have the device switching button located on a finger-accessible part of the body to switch devices faster. I use this to jump between PCs and a RasPi, so lifting it up to swap back and forth can be tedious. Read more

Love everything about this mouse EXCEPT you have to flip the mouse to switch between devices. I jump from work and personal multiple times a day and sometimes multiple times in the span of 10 mins. If there was a quick button on top this would get a 5 star, and unfortunately I have to return it due to this. If that wasn't an issue then it checks all the other boxes. Comfortable, easy to setup, the buttons are in a good spot. I have an average sized hand. The tracking ball is smooth and accurate. Takes a bit to get use to, but I like it. Read more

Strong connection Long lasting battery life Comfortable to use and accurate knocked the Logitech Ergo MX advanced plus max off its perch as my most used input device. In my real world use, it seemed to have better battery life, was just as accurate and easy to use, but with the MX, it had that adjustable base and I alwasy had a peoblem with the base flipping over, needing to be adjusted back into position. With this I dont. Read more

Basic description: essentially the trackball equivalent of the "vertical mouse." What do I think about it: Excellent. Ergonomic design is fantastic for me. Helps my shoulder vs. other trackballs because the angle of the arm impacts which muscles in the shoulder get used. It's just a comfortable, natural angle that allows my arm to be more relaxed while having good control of the cursor. This is also a much better value than the extra ergonomic Logi[tech] equivalent, which is nearly 2x the cost as I type this. And by the way, you'd have to use the cushion thing the Logi unit comes with to achieve a similar angle. Maybe it's great/fine, but if you want the steeper angle then why have a 2-piece design? Other aspects: Buttons somehow feel crisp while also being quiet. Effort feels just right to me. Weighting of the ball feels just right and it moves very smoothly. Scroll wheel could feel a tad tighter for my liking but this is being very picky; it behaves as I expect/want. Subjectively, the ProtoArc feels higher quality than the Logi M575 I'm coming from. The M575 doesn't feel cheap to me, but this feels nicer/higher end. If you like switching between DPI levels on the fly, there's a button on the mouse for this. I don't use this but the button is not in the way. My only open questions about this unit is how the Li-ion battery and buttons will hold up. The Logi units use plain old AA batteries, which makes them a non-issue to replace (though less convenient than Li-ion in some ways). The buttons fail on Logi units faster than I think they should. Time will tell here but I'm hopeful given that ProtoArc put the time and effort into creating a very thoughtful product. Read more

**UPDATE** It's been just over 6 months since I bought this, and for the last week the scroll wheel has been "squeaking." It's not constant, at least not yet, but it happens "frequently." When you use the scroll wheel (not the ball), it frequently makes a light squeaking noise. The only other mice that I've ever had do this were cheap HP mice that are included with enterprise hardware. As of now, it's not overly bothersome and performance has not been impacted, but I'm removing a star because of it, as this should not be a problem on a $50+ mouse. We'll see if it gets worse. Overall, I really enjoy using this mouse. The design took a full day or two of work to get use to, but it is so much more comfortable than a traditional design. It keeps my wrist at a much more natural angle, which has eliminated the end-of-the-day fatigue and soreness that I had started to experience. I have used trackballs before, but they were always the more traditional index finger design...I really like using the trackball with my thumb. DPI is adjustable on the fly, which is nice because I can raise it to move between multiple screens or windows quickly and slow it down when precision is needed. It has been reliable, durable, and consistent. I've been using it 40+ hours a week for about a month, and aside from the initial charge I did before even using it, I haven't needed to charge it. You can use it either Bluetooth or with a 2.4GHz dongle (included), and you can have it paired to 2 devices. The wireless dongle stores in the bottom of the mouse when not needed, so if you're primarily a Bluetooth user or just want to keep your dongle safe when in transport, it's a very convenient way to keep track of it. I do have three minor complaints, or things I'd change: 1) The trackball could be smoother. It's not bad; far from gritty, but it's definitely not the smoothest trackball I've used. This doesn't cause any issues under normal use, but when I really need to make precise micro-movements in CAD, I find myself relying on my traditional laser mouse. Fortunately, that's only a few times a month, so it's not unbearably inconvenient. 2) There is no software or driver available for this mouse, so you cannot customize the buttons. Being this is not a gaming mouse, and the default functions are suitable for what it's designed for, I don't find this problematic, but if you like to change default functions, be aware. 3) There is only one DPI switch, so if you want to drop down one level in DPI, you have to hit the button several times. There also is no LED indicator for the DPI setting, nor any sort of driver or software that creates an on-screen indicator, so you have to go off of memory. This is the worst part of this mouse in my opinion and leads to having to "search" for the correct setting depending on the task you're performing. I understand that the thought process is "once you find your preferred setting, you won't need to change it," but in a modern office setting where we have multiple screens and work within many different applications performing many tasks, I think it's a relevant problem. A simple LED "ladder" indicating which of the 5 settings you're on along the top of the mouse where the "Protoarc" logo is would be perfect. Read more