ELECOM Relacon M-RT1DRBK Handheld Trackball - 10 Buttons, 2.4GHz IS NOT A DESK is held in the hand and operated in the air.
There is no surface to rest it on and no need forone. You hold it, and your thumb moves the ball.
If you want a trackball for a desk, this is not the computer that is plugged into the television.
That is the problem this solves. A laptop or a media PC on a big screen,watched from a sofa - and a mouse that needs a flat surface three metresaway from where you are sitting.
Relacon is held. Lying down, leaning back, on a sofa with your feet up: thepointer works, because the device does not care what is underneath it.
Ten buttons, including media controls - play, pause, volume - positioned sothey fall under your fingers while gripping. Every one is reassignablethrough ELECOM's Mouse Assistant software.
The ball is optical, with a reflective-lens sensor chosen for the ball'sclear-coated surface. ELECOM describe optimising the ball's colour, thecoating thickness, and the quantity and particle size of the silver powderin it - which is the kind of detail that only matters if the sensor and theball were developed together.
Count switches between 500, 1000 and 1500 at a touch.
The shape is symmetrical - it grips comfortably in either hand.
A stand is supplied, so it sits upright between uses rather than rolling offthe sofa.
77 grams.
2.4 GHz wireless with a detachable : ELECOMSeries : RelaconModel : M-RT1DRBKType : Handheld trackballConnection : 2.4 GHz wireless, detachable receiverButtons : 10, all reassignable Left, right, wheel, forward, back, media controlsSensor : Optical, reflective lensCount : 500 / 1000 / 1500, switchableOperation : Quiet switchesHandedness : Either handWeight : 77 gSupplied : Stand, receiverSoftware : ELECOM Mouse AssistantColour : BlackRelease : November 2019Japanese price : from approx. 6,490 yen
Bluetooth version (not this listing) Operated in the hand, in the air - no surface needed- 10 buttons including media controls, all reassignable- Symmetrical shape, works in either hand- 500/1000/1500 count switching- Quiet switches- Stand included- 77 g- Detachable PCs and laptops connected to a television, presentations, browsingfrom a sofa or bed, and controlling a computer from a reclined IS A DIFFERENT SKILL FROM A DESK MOUSE
Honest notes from Japanese owners, because the reviews are mixed and thereasons are instructive.
"The ball moves too lightly for the kind of precise work you would do with a normal mouse."
"Lifting the finger off the ball sometimes makes the ball lift slightly and the pointer drifts at the end of a movement."
"Shaking the device without touching the ball makes the ball rattle and the pointer move."
"All the buttons are harder to press than they look. The D-pad in particular is a stretch for the thumb."
"I have small hands and it fits. Someone with large hands might struggle."
Set against that, another reviewer notes the sensor follows fine movementsfaithfully and calls the resolution ample for what the device is for.
Both assessments are fair, and they are about the same thing: this is adevice for relaxed browsing and media control, not for precision work.
IT IS GOOD FOR: video, browsing, scrolling, presentations, controlling a screen across a room.
IT IS NOT FOR: detailed selection, image editing, CAD, or anything where the pointer must land exactly.
If you want a precision pointing device, a desk trackball or a mouse isthe tool.
THE SOFTWARE IS WHERE THE BUTTONS BECOME USEFULTen buttons unassigned is eight buttons you do not use.
ELECOM's Mouse Assistant assigns functions to each, and it runs on Windowsand macOS. On other platforms the device works with its defaultassignments.
THE RECEIVER IS DETACHABLEIt stores in the body, which is what stops it being lost between the sofacushions.
Needs a USB-A port. On a laptop with only USB-C, an adapter is required - orELECOM's Bluetooth version (M-RT1BRBK) avoids the question entirely.
BATTERIESCheck what the unit takes and whether cells are supplied. Batteries areremoved for international shipping where fitted.
JAPANESE PACKAGINGJapanese retail packaging. ELECOM publish drivers and software in English,and the device works without software on all supported platforms.
SHIPPED FROM JAPANDispatched from Tokyo with tracking.