Kenshington Slimblade vs expert? Which one is better?

[hdsound]

Which one is better?
 
Kenshington Slimblade or expert?

I'd like to buy one of the two.

And, I know slimblade's lack of programmable buttons is updated.

In the president situation, Which one is better to buy?

P.s. I use Mac Osx and windows.
     to use logic and cubase

[zulios]

In the president situation, Which one is better to buy?

Show Image

Errr... Joker ?

Both are interesting.

The expert has a scroll ring that makes it great. Side buttons can be pressed at the same time to be used as 5th and 6th button as well, which is interesting to set up for drag & drop for example. However it is way too much inclined in my opinion for a long use. It puts your wrist in a bad position unless you can adapt your tray, in such case it's probably the best of the two.

The slimblade is flat, and more comfortable to me. The "twist ball to scroll" is nice but not as good as the scroll ring. I've settled on it anyway since I'm not good enough to mod my tray :p

[berserkfan]

Slimblade is not really programmable. Just 4 buttons. It's not expert mouse where you can program a function when you click a combo of 2 buttons

I think Kensington is very stupid to leave that out

Which one is better?
 
Kenshington Slimblade or expert?

I'd like to buy one of the two.

And, I know slimblade's lack of programmable buttons is updated.

In the president situation, Which one is better to buy?

P.s. I use Mac Osx and windows.
     to use logic and cubase

[vun]

You do have 2-button combos on the Slimblade. Currently I have my slimblade set up for left hand use, with the upper left button as middle click and upper right as play/pause. Pressing both upper buttons will skip to the next song and the two lower buttons will skip to previous song, but you can make them to pretty much what you want.

[berserkfan]

OK. I don't understand this. I downloaded and updated my trackballworks less than 60 days ago, and I can assure you there were no such dual-key options!

 

You do have 2-button combos on the Slimblade. Currently I have my slimblade set up for left hand use, with the upper left button as middle click and upper right as play/pause. Pressing both upper buttons will skip to the next song and the two lower buttons will skip to previous song, but you can make them to pretty much what you want.

[vun]

Your TBW doesn't look like this?

[berserkfan]

aha i see the problem

me: windows7

you: mac osx

[Glissant]

His window seems to be a skinned version of windows, not OS X, but I could be wrong.
Have you installed the January 13 2013 update of the TrackballWorks™ Software?

[vun]

His window seems to be a skinned version of windows, not OS X, but I could be wrong.
Have you installed the January 13 2013 update of the TrackballWorks™ Software?

Yeah, it's just win7 with a custom theme.

[berserkfan]

Ah??? How did I miss that?

 

I thought I reinstalled my ken drivers in late Feb. But I actually have version 1.1. That is 1.1.18!

update:
? I don't understand!

I went back to kensington, downloaded the latest, http://www.kensington.com/kensington/us/us/s/1550/softwaredrivers.aspx
1.1.18 from this page (yes, that's the same link I used in February), installed it, and again I wind up with TrackBallWorks 1.1!

I am the administrator - this is the only account on my computer. So what went wrong?

His window seems to be a skinned version of windows, not OS X, but I could be wrong.
Have you installed the January 13 2013 update of the TrackballWorks™ Software?

[berserkfan]

here, guys! this is really annoying me! how can my peers be enjoying the full benefit of programmable buttons when I have exactly the same updated software? (ps mine is Win7 Home)

 

[esoomenona]

Maybe try uninstalling the whole thing, then redownloading the update and installing?

[berserkfan]

Tried already

but I notice you mention the word update, whereas I downloaded the driver based on the link they gave. If it is something that appears in a 'patch', then I don't have it and can't see it on the page.

I understand Kensington has different versions of software for Europe and US. I dled from the US version.

quote author=esoomenona link=topic=41562.msg844435#msg844435 date=1365254918]
Maybe try uninstalling the whole thing, then redownloading the update and installing?
[/quote]

[smuvmoney]

Like BerserkFan, I have the same issue running Win7 Ultimate.  If I look under Programs and Features, TrackballWorks is listed as version 1.1.18 (you can add the Version column if it is not shown).  This is really befuddling.  I would happily trade in my Expert Mouse trackball if I got the chording to work on the SlimBlade in Win7.  I will try uninstalling and reinstalling with just the SlimBlade as I have both an Expert Mouse and Slimblade connected currently.  Any help or feedback would be welcome.

[vun]

Hm, I can't really give any info regarding my version and whatnot at the moment since I'm not at my desktop computer, but if this is still a problem when I get back home I'll post whatever relevant info I can find.

[Surnia]

My Trackballworks is listed as 1.1 as well, I have options for the dual buttons (but I don't use them).

Possible thing I noticed: your trackballworks has two devices listed as connected: could this be what the issue is? Maybe try disconnecting the orbit first?

Another difference from mine: my Slimblade's listed as revision 1.07

[smuvmoney]

Surnia - that's the problem!  Mine is a revision 1.05 when looking at TrackballWorks.  It may be time to shell out some dough if I can guarantee that I get a revision 1.07.  I don't want to go through Kensington proper since they charge $130 USD, but if I go through another vendor, I'll have to plead my case to make sure it is a 1.07 or it is a guaranteed RMA.  Decisions decisions...oh and good looking out/thanks for the help. 

[berserkfan]

Awesome! I love this forum!

You guys have helped me arrive at the source of the problem! Yes, I am also Rev 1.05!

Is this a hardware problem that can never be solved without buying a new Kensington?

(I don't see any firmware updates)

Surnia - that's the problem!  Mine is a revision 1.05 when looking at TrackballWorks.  It may be time to shell out some dough if I can guarantee that I get a revision 1.07.  I don't want to go through Kensington proper since they charge $130 USD, but if I go through another vendor, I'll have to plead my case to make sure it is a 1.07 or it is a guaranteed RMA.  Decisions decisions...oh and good looking out/thanks for the help. 

[Surnia]

As to that, you might want to throw an email at Kensington to see what the difference is between the revisions (if it really is the capacity for the unit to understand dual clicks).

Sorry, that's as far as I know/see, as I already re-map the presses natively inside programs (love gesture controls, and the back/forward abilities with left + right clicks). good luck on the solution though!

[smuvmoney]

I forgot to reply back to this topic earlier.  I did buy the Slimblade Trackball directly from Kensington after emailing them about the chording.  The product version was 1.07 and had chording with Trackballworks 1.18.  Kensington kindly gave me a 15% off coupon after the email correspondence.  I used that to buy two more -  one for the laptop and one for work.  They replaced Expert Mouse/Mice in all cases.  I was so ludicrously ecstatic to have chording that the financial hit was worth it. I hope this topic helps others.

[daerid]

Yeah, I've heard good things about Kensington support. My Slimblade occasionally would catch, and I just thought it was dust. Turns out it was a small nick in the ball that I found today. Hopefully they can send me a replacement ball without much hassle.

[yensteel]

Just a small question, Which of these two devices require lighter button press?

[VesperSAINT]

Hmmm I've really been wanting to buy a Kensington Slimbalde but I've heard that you can't customize the top 2 buttons just yet so I've been holding back :\ Hopefully they'll release a newer version.

[vun]

Hmmm I've really been wanting to buy a Kensington Slimbalde but I've heard that you can't customize the top 2 buttons just yet so I've been holding back :\ Hopefully they'll release a newer version.

Yes you can? If you look at my screenshot earlier in the thread you can clearly see that it's possible to rebind all the buttons.

[VesperSAINT]

Hmmm I've really been wanting to buy a Kensington Slimbalde but I've heard that you can't customize the top 2 buttons just yet so I've been holding back :\ Hopefully they'll release a newer version.

Yes you can? If you look at my screenshot earlier in the thread you can clearly see that it's possible to rebind all the buttons.

I actually saw that a couple weeks back and totally forgot about it when I re-saw this thread ) Let me read it again Thanks!

Btw, will this require some kind of firmware update?

[vun]

Hmmm I've really been wanting to buy a Kensington Slimbalde but I've heard that you can't customize the top 2 buttons just yet so I've been holding back :\ Hopefully they'll release a newer version.

Yes you can? If you look at my screenshot earlier in the thread you can clearly see that it's possible to rebind all the buttons.

I actually saw that a couple weeks back and totally forgot about it when I re-saw this thread ) Let me read it again Thanks!

Btw, will this require some kind of firmware update?

No, it should work like that out of the box. Plug in the trackball, install TrackBallWorks and you're good to go.
Although you should be careful if you're planning on finding a used one due to the issues mentioned in this thread; older models don't allow for chording.
If you buy one new it shouldn't give you any problems.

[VesperSAINT]

I actually saw that a couple weeks back and totally forgot about it when I re-saw this thread ) Let me read it again Thanks!

Btw, will this require some kind of firmware update?

No, it should work like that out of the box. Plug in the trackball, install TrackBallWorks and you're good to go.
Although you should be careful if you're planning on finding a used one due to the issues mentioned in this thread; older models don't allow for chording.
If you buy one new it shouldn't give you any problems.

Thanks for the response! I'll be sure to be wary of used ones. The price makes it hard to get new though. Really want this thing but not sure if I'm willing to drop $90 for it just yet but it's so damn pretty and cool.

[kurplop]

Just a small question, Which of these two devices require lighter button press?

I began using a Slimblade after using an Expert Mouse for two years. The switches seemed harder to push on the Slimblade but that may be because I may not have been hitting the sweet spot on the buttons. The SB buttons are an integral part of the case top, where the EM has a more complex button structure which may offer less resistance over the entire surface of the button. If you press the SB buttons at the 3:00 and 9:00 position it is lightest because it is the greatest distance from the pivot point but resistance increases as you get closer to the hinge point.

I didn't use the Slimblade in its natural form long enough to get use to that.

Expert Mouse button exposed

The physics of the EM button seems to lend itself to a larger sweet spot.

[yensteel]

Just a small question, Which of these two devices require lighter button press?

I began using a Slimblade after using an Expert Mouse for two years. The switches seemed harder to push on the Slimblade but that may be because I may not have been hitting the sweet spot on the buttons. The SB buttons are an integral part of the case top, where the EM has a more complex button structure which may offer less resistance over the entire surface of the button. If you press the SB buttons at the 3:00 and 9:00 position it is lightest because it is the greatest distance from the pivot point but resistance increases as you get closer to the hinge point.

I didn't use the Slimblade in its natural form long enough to get use to that.

Expert Mouse button exposed
(Attachment Link)
The physics of the EM button seems to lend itself to a larger sweet spot.

Thanks for the help. So, if you press the Slimblade buttons as you would with an Expert Mouse, then it would actually be more difficult to press? Also, are the buttons of the two trackball mice stiffer than conventional mice?

[kurplop]

It depends on where you like to press them. If you press close to the sides of the ball it will feel lightest. I may not be the best one to answer your second question because I can't feel my fingers half the time anyways but I never noticed the Expert Mouse buttons to require more pressure than most mice. The actual force required may not be as important as your orientation as you press the switch.

[yensteel]

Oh, I see. Thanks for the help!