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geekhack Community => Input Devices => Topic started by: Chloe on Fri, 02 January 2009, 08:40:00

Title: Macally QBall
Post by: Chloe on Fri, 02 January 2009, 08:40:00: http://mineko.fc2web.com/box/tb-room/items/macally-qball.html
http://www.macally.jp/japan/qball.html

Has anyone here used one? I quite like the look of it. It has five buttons that look well placed and a scroll wheel. It is also smaller (http://www.vanshardware.com/reviews/2004/07/040712_MacallyQball/040712_MacallyQball.htm) than the Microsoft Trackball Explorer.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: iMav on Fri, 02 January 2009, 08:57:15: I'm a big thumb trackball user, so it isn't my thing...but definitely looks interesting.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: Chloe on Sat, 03 January 2009, 16:22:52: The Sanwa Supply MA-TB32UPS (http://www.sanwa.co.jp/product/syohin.asp?code=MA-TB32UPS) looks similar but the reviews (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B5%E3%83%B3%E3%83%AF%E3%82%B5%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4-SANWA-SUPPLY-MA-TB32UPS-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%97%E3%83%88%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%80%8C%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%80%8D/dp/B00008B9I8) on Amazon are not so good.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 03 January 2009, 16:47:34: The Macally looks interesting, but I don't think it would work left-handed.

Amazon and Newegg don't seem to have it, is this new? I found posts about it going back to 2006.

It doesn't look as long here, but it may not be the same mouse.

http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Macally-QBALL (http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Macally-QBALL)

OK, so it is at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Macally-Trackball-optical-button-retail/dp/B00006BAPG (http://www.amazon.com/Macally-Trackball-optical-button-retail/dp/B00006BAPG)
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 05 January 2009, 01:18:03: Quote
The Macally looks interesting, but I don't think it would work left-handed.

Lefties... Always making things difficult for the rest of us.

:)
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 05 January 2009, 04:57:29: Quote from: itlnstln;17084
Lefties... Always making things difficult for the rest of us.

:)

: ) I am actually a righty so it kind of makes it even worse : )
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: Chloe on Mon, 05 January 2009, 04:58:50: The Macally seems to be discontinued, but I'm hoping I can get one from their online shop (http://www.macally.jp/japan/onlineshop.html). I've just asked Crescent-Shop for a quote.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: xyzzy on Mon, 12 January 2009, 13:56:00: The Macally reminds me of the Microsoft Trackball Explorer (http://www.microsoft.com/products/info/product.aspx?view=22&type=ovr&pcid=a9fdd4c0-41da-4045-9d6f-f087c17ffd30) which has very good reviews but is discontinued and is valued an arm and a leg (http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_dmptZPCAQ5fMiceQ5fTrackballs?_nkw=microsoft+trackball+explorer+-optical).
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 17 January 2009, 11:18:16: Quote from: Chloe;17105
The Macally seems to be discontinued, but I'm hoping I can get one from their online shop (http://www.macally.jp/japan/onlineshop.html). I've just asked Crescent-Shop for a quote.

Chloe, did you ever hear back from Crescent?
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: Chloe on Sat, 17 January 2009, 11:21:22: I did. It's not available from the Macally web shop so I assume it is discontinued. I couldn't find it on Rakuten either.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: chimera15 on Wed, 29 April 2009, 15:56:57: This is the best trackball ever produced other than the trackball explorer. It uses rollers for the trackball points so the points will never wear flat, but still uses a pure optical sensor like a tbe. I've modified mine with a trackball from a trackball optical which is much smoother than the speckled ball that comes with it. I've also modified mine to extend the side keys out, because of it's smallesh design it's buttons aren't in a natural position and can be a bit straining on the hand after a while. Once those simple mods are done it's equal to a tbe or better. They're extremely extremely rare. Good luck finding one.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: chimera15 on Wed, 29 April 2009, 22:24:30: It's not much to look at. Bastically I just took a quarter of a stick of epoxy putty and shaped the main left key out so that it's better under my thumb when my hand is in a natural position, out about half an inch or so. It makes a big difference to the feel of this trackball.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: chimera15 on Thu, 30 April 2009, 08:10:38: Here's a pic. It looks pretty bad, but works great ;) I've been using it this way for several years now so the epoxy putty has become a bit yellowed. lol

Notice mine is a pcally, instead of a mcally ;)
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 30 April 2009, 08:18:43: Quote from: chimera15;88265
Notice mine is a pcally, instead of a mcally ;)

That solves a debate in one of the older threads in the Keyboards forum: how to pronounce "Macally." The proposed pronounciations included muhcahlee (emphasis on the "ah"), mackallee (emphasis on the second "a"), and what appears to be correct - mack alai (two words).
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: chimera15 on Thu, 30 April 2009, 08:27:00: Oh I'm not sure, I assumed you'd pronounce it like mac, like the normal way you'd pronounce macintosh, +ally I put mcally cause I was thinking of pcally on it. lol
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: FKSSR on Thu, 30 April 2009, 08:45:18: I didn't see that old thread, but it's really pretty standard phonetics at work.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 30 April 2009, 09:30:58: Quote from: FKSSR;88280
I didn't see that old thread, but it's really pretty standard phonetics at work.

You would hope, but English defies logic many times. To non-native English speakers, this may have been confusing.
Title: Macally QBall
Post by: FKSSR on Thu, 30 April 2009, 10:21:28: True. I'm a native english speaker. So, I often don't have problems with figuring out how to say many words (I also don't have spelling problems for similar reasons).

However, I definitely see how it could be confusing.