Pointing devices that can be used in either hand -- as regularly noted in this space -- are not easy to find. And if your device of choice is a trackball, the pickings are even more slim. With one notable exception: Kensington Technology Group. Their Expert Mouse ("Turbo Mouse" for Macs) long has been the leading symmetrical trackball design and is recommended regularly by ergonomics experts.

The product has been around for years and has gone through some evolution. Expert/Turbo Mouse originally had two buttons; now it has four. Kensington also introduced a "Pro" version -- a scroll wheel and six programmable "direct launch" buttons to start up programs or access Web Sites. Most recently, a wireless version of the Pro has joined the fleet. Street prices range from $95 for a standard Expert Mouse for PCs to $118 for a Turbo Mouse Pro Wireless for the Mac. (Mac users get stuck paying about $10 more for each model.)

For this review, I looked at a standard USB Expert Mouse (left) and the Pro Wireless.

Both were solidly constructed, with a layout that allows users to manipulate the ball and click the buttons without straining or stretching. The Pro Wireless comes with a wrist rest, but the Expert does not. (I recommend getting one as a user's wrist tends otherwise to rest on the device's bottom edge.)

Kensington's MouseWorks software allows users to remap the functions of the buttons on the devices, set sensitivity levels, and acceleration rates. Trackballs are often the tool of choice for computer drafting software, so users need to be able to set it to allow fine control over cursor movement. Regular users, meanwhile, can crank up the acceleration so that they don't have to do a lot of movement with the ball.

The long-time hallmark of Expert Mice has been the heavy duty stainless steel bearings on which the ball sits. This made for a substantially more accurate device as compared with the plastic mechanisms used by competitors. However, the advent of optical technology raises the question of whether this really is the best approach any longer.  A Kensington spokesperson said that optical versions are planned, but none are imminent.

In whatever evolution, Kensington remains the top choice for trackball users.

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You can reach Al Gordon at:

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