Hello,

--- On Tue, 6/23/09, Susan Platter <[email protected]> wrote:

> My Logitech is not as flash as the latest model but it works well. How 
> was the design changed?

Logitech went from this:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/l8yz42

to this:

http://www.atpm.com/11.12/images/trackman-wheel.png

...which may not *look* like much of a change, but, sadly, my hand told me 
otherwise.

The newer design has a sharper curve (i.e. more of a "hump") to the area the 
hand rests on.  In my own experience, the sharper curve gives the device an odd 
hand-cramping quality vs. the older design, which featured a gentle curve that 
allowed the hand to rest on the trackball in a fairly relaxed and natural 
manner.  

>From what I understand, there were complaints that the first generation 
>Trackmans favored larger hands, so perhaps the sharper curve was introduced in 
>an attempt to make the device friendlier to smaller hands?  Other than that, 
>the impetus behind the design change is a complete mystery to me (anyone?).

The other thing that changed along with the design itself was the build 
quality.  While still adequate, the newer design was at least somewhat less 
robust than its predecessor and had a cheaper feel to it.  Of course, since 
manufacturing peripherals is (more or less) all about building the same basic 
device, but at a lower cost, that particular change may not be all that 
surprising (though still a tad depressing if you owned the older model).

Some of the folks on this list may have had the pleasure of using the ADB model 
of the Trackman and can attest to just how comfortable it was to use for 
extended periods.  In fact, a few list members might *still* be using an ADB 
Trackman with their vintage Macs (I believe you said you still used the PS/2 
version with your PC?).  

The build quality of the first-generation units (either ADB or PS/2) is 
unsurpassed and it's not uncommon to find people still using these today, 
nearly fifteen years after they were first introduced (1995):

http://scott.buffington.me/index.php?action=show&id=339


Best,

James Fraser















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