Now am sure you are asking yourself, ‘Why on Earth would I need a trackball mouse when they became extinct years ago, and if I need one, why not the optical mouse?’ Well, here is why:
If you spend many hours, day-in-day-out using a desktop computer desk with an optical mouse as you proudly put it. You have probably felt arm strains or perhaps the carpal tunnel. Holding the optical mouse in your hands then moving your arm forward, back, and side-to-side all day long will have a toll on your muscles in the long run.
Putting desktop computers aside, I see many people using a laptop but prefer using a mouse instead of the inbuilt trackpad. But still, you need a wide, flat, relatively clean surface to use it well. Otherwise, you find someone with an optical mouse at odds on how they will control the arrow given they don’t have a much flat area to work on. And if they do, sometimes the surface is made of cloth or other material that make the lights from the optical mouse bounce in all the wrong ways.
The Modern Trackball Mouse to the rescue
When I said you need a trackball mouse I did not mean the one with that ‘golf-like’ ball at the bottom. No, that’s terrible and outdated. You are a million times better off with an optical mouse. I meant you need the modern trackball mouse, which has a ball on the side of the mouse.
You actually never need to move the mouse back, forth, and sideways to control the arrow. You simply need to roll the mouse using your thumb. Many people can attest that this mouse does not leave you with muscle ache like both the optical and traditional trackball mouse does.
With this mouse, you will actually be moving less muscle covering less surface. That means even for your laptop use while on your laps, this mouse does not need a big space for placing and using it. You don’t even need any place to use it, a single spot on your lap or any other surface will do.
Though there are not that many manufacturers out there making these modern trackball mice. However, Logitech has been making them for years, and their flagship MX Ergo is meticulously designed for your comfort and long hours usage.
If the Logitech MX Ergo is out of your price range, there are cheaper models such as those from Kensington.