I I I SOFTWARE • • 1 Blazing Data! 9 LAN Accounting I •I FoxPro Sets a New Packages That • I L-I Speed Standard in Can Save Your • J The Database Race Company Big Bucks r-I CONNECTIVITY I _ UTILITIES • I I • J Protecting Out of Disk Space? Your Network: Scrunch Fi'les Down 10 PC Workstations With PKZIP, ARC Plus, Bu ilt for Security LHA, and PAK

OCTOBER 15, 1991 THE INDEPENDENT GUIDE TO PERSONAL COMPUTING VOLUME 10 NUMBER 17

~ DIFFER,EN·12.-10~ 5 Yesl BETTER? Maybe. COVER STORY

loptop-totlng rood warriors want something ()DDIJ~ IllID~U smaller than desktop mice, with shorter cords. Different, Yes. Enter the portable es. pointlng device. Id Better, Maybe. PC Lobs tests nine mini-trackballs, ifl dwarf mice, mouse pens, polm-size joystlcks, and related contraptions. Rube Goldberg would be amused. p. But will you

if it be impressed?

ta

the

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Who says the computer industry doesn't have a s )s, sense of humor? Just take a gander at some of the mouse alternatives that have become available for users of laptop and notebook computers. d They're-well, different. Quirky. md The category known as portable pointing devices evolved because of low-level dissatisfaction with ur mainstream desktop devices such as the Microsoft and Logitech mice. Some laptop users find them BY BILL HOWARD

OCTOBER 15, 1991 PC MAGAZINE IDI

lion, • • • PORTABLE POINTING DEVICES bulkier than necessary and the cords far ing devices starts and ends with the tradi­ too long. When you fly coach and your tional desktop mouse. Appoint offers laptop covers the entire tray table, there's stationary; you do not have to clear space products more thoughtfully designed than also the issue of where to roll the mouse. so that you can roll or drag them on a other unconventional devices: MousePen Over the past year, more than a half­ tabletop. Six ofthe nine can be attached to Professional and Thumbelina, a trackball dozen companies have developed alterna­ your PC (Thumbelina, TopTrak, Track­ just 1.6 inches square. Thumbelina is small tives to the mouse that are highly indi­ Man Portable, BallPoint Mouse, ICON­ enough thm it could be built into a laptop vidualistic, to put it mildly. In this article, troller) or are built in (GRiD IsoPoint). computer. But other devices are so un­ we test nine such devices. Four are track­ All except the TopTrak have cords sh0l1er usual that you may have trouble taking balls ranging from tiny (Appoint's Thum­ than the typical Microsoft or Logitech them seriously as portable pointers: belina) to portable-size (Logitech's Track­ desktop mouse. And all except the Top­ Man Portable and Microsoft Corp.'s Trak, the IBM PS/2 Trackpoint, and The • The Kraft TopTrak is a desktop track­ BallPoint Mouse) to too big (Kraft Sys­ Little Mouse/PC are smaller than a desk­ ball (read: bulky) with an 8-foot cord. tems' TopTrak). One is a combination top mouse. Kraft pitches TopTrak for portable use trackball/mouse (IBM Corp.'s IBM PS/2 Microsoft's and Logitech's offerings because of its 10w-culTent design, but Trackpoint), one is a mouse in the shape are likely to be the standards against which that's of little importance, since most of a pen (Appoint's MousePen Profes­ portable pointing devices are measured, pointing devices work well with both sional), one is a downsized joystick because the companies dominate the world desktop and laptop PCs and have minimal (Suncom Technologies' ICONtroller), one of desktop mice and because of the simi­ current drain. is a smallish traditional mouse (Mouse larity oftheir laptop products: mini-track­ Systems Corp.'s The Little Mouse/PC), balls that clip onto the side ofyour laptop. • The Little Mouse/pC, from Mouse and one is a built-in device (GRiD Sys­ Systems, is indeed significantly smaller tems Corp.'s GRiD IsoPoint). TOO UNUSUAL? than a Microsoft or Logitech mouse, but The five trackballs and two other de­ The majority of the designs are unusual, it's an optical design, which means you vices (GRiD IsoPoint, ICONtroller) are especially if your familiarity with point­ have to lug around (and not lose) a 7- by 8-inch mirrored pad. A minimouse re­ mains a great idea, perhaps an obvious idea waiting to be implemented, but not if it's optical. • Four maybes, no winners • The IBM PS/2 Trackpoint is so wobbly as a mouse that most users will find it The portable pointing device buttons to control slide shows. functional only as a trackball. market is evolving; most products The Micro'oft and Logitech would benetit from further trackballs are more similar than OTHER PRODUCTS development. Of the nine devices different. They are relatively To be included in this review, the pointing we tested, you're likely to find that expensive ($175 and $169, device had to be designed for on-the-go one of these four suits your needs: respectively). Their installation and use with a portable computer and avail­ Appoint's MousePen Professional, removal could be smoother. able by early summer 1991. For earlier Appoint's Thumbelina, Logitech's TrackMan Portable works only at a reviews of 58 desktop mice, trackballs, TrackMan Portable, and fixed angle; BallPoint Mouse will and light pens, see" Mice-and Trackballs: Microsoft's BallPoint Mouse. not let you close the cover of your Choices for the New Generation of Appli­ Given the personal nature of the laptop. But once you adjust to how catio s" (PC Magazine, August 1990). devices and the rough edges, none a trackball works (particularly A ditional portable pointing devices of them earn Editors' Choice this when dragging an object), you'll should available now or by year's end. time around. For now, they are all have no problems with either one. GEC Plessey :tol1f'(ST6-293­ honorable mentions. Of the remaining products, Kraft 8636, formerly Marconi CircuitTechnol­ MousePen Professional, $99, Systems' TopTrak trackball is too ogy) plans a sub-$150 Microsoft Mouse­ comes closest to duplicating the big, Mouse Systems' The Little compatible ballistic trackball called LT feel of a mouse in the shape of a Mouse/PC requires a bulky optical that can be held by hand or clipped to a pen. This is the best choice if you mouse pad, and the IBM PS/2 laptop; the ball functions as a mouse but­ want a mouse but don't want the TrackPoint reversible trackball/ ton when you tap or click it. If you need a bulk of a mouse-until some mouse is bulky and somewhat hard portable tablet for CAD, consider company wakes up and builds a to use as a mouse. Joysticks have GridMaster ($449 to $469) from half-size mouse for portable use. not caught on, except for games, Numonics Corp. (800-247-4517 or 215­ Thumbelina, a $99 trackball, only but if you like them, you'll like 362-2766), a roll-up 17- by 15-inch tablet 1.6 inches square and with barely Suncom Technologies' midget with a stylus pen or four-button cursor any height at all, would be ICONtroller. The GRiD IsoPoint, (mouse). It's intended to be readily p0l1­ excellent for running presentations the built-in rolling, sliding pointer, able but is probably too bulky to use while where you click the left and right is an acquired taste. in transit. Veridata Research (818-303-0613) sells

DfJ PC MAGAZINE OCTOBER 15. 1991 COVER STORY

~.: .T. he ExecuLite 386 notebook with an op­ I,,,··· • Mouse-compatible, both provide balli,­ lional slide-in2- by 2-inch touch pad. The tic tracking variable from 150 to 1,000 ppi pad works with a tiny stylus that looks like driver for variable sensitivity (resolution) (points per inch), and both come in port­ J guitar pick. In a pinch, you can use your and ballistic tracking. able (45-inch cord) and desktop PC or finger. Commax Technologies (408-435­ Prices range from $89 (TopTrak) to Macintosh (8-foot cord) versions. Both 5000) sells a variant called the UltraThin $169 (TrackMan Portable) and $175 use the round serial connectors used by 386SX. Olivetti (908-526-8200) also has (BallPoint Mouse), although the two most IBM on its PS/2s and adopted by a small J line offive notebook and laptop comput­ expensive products will also be the most but increasing number of laptop makers. ers with touchpad technology. widely available and probably Other pointing device technology that the most heavily discounted. may find its way into laptops includes V1icroTouch Systems' UnMouse, a pres­ FIXING WINDOWS 'iure-sensitive 3- by 4-inch glass plate Portable pointing devices are a with a stylus; Home Row's Push-n-Point, necessity if you're running a flexible J key that functions as a mini­ Micros(ifi Windows 3.00n your ature joystick; and Key Tronic Corp. 's laptop, but you're likely to have KeyMouse, also a built-in joystick work­ trouble seeing the small mouse alike. The KeyMouse is located to the cursor on-screen. AT&T wisely right of the space bar; sensors determine modified the version of Will­ direction and velocity. The F and 0 keys dows included with its Safari on the keyboard act as primary and secon­ notebook computer to enlarge dary mouse buttons, respectively, and Or!­ the cursor and the I-beam Space controls cursor speed. We tested a (which marks your current demonstration version of KeyMouse; our position in a file). Microsoft first impression was that it is awkward to says that an upgraded BallPoint aim and control. We found it especially driver (which also works with difficult to hold the mouse pointer in the Microsoft Mouse) due by position while double-clicking. A Key summer's end will include an Appoint's MousePen Professional, $99, Tronic spokesman said the G key will be enlarged-cursor option. You looks like a pen and works like a mouse. used for double-click functions on future may want to consider one of several models. Windows cursor-enhancement utilities. Magic Cursor.' ($79.95, Fanfare Software, Both also have PS/2-to-OB-9 (and PS/2­ BUYING CONSIDERATIONS 818-886-8787) is robust but expensive. to-OB-25) adapters for connections to the Because the choice of a laptop pointing Cheaper alternatives are available on more common 9-pin serial P0rls. device is so highly subjective, you should bulletin boards and on PC MagNet. On use our reviews as a starting point; what's MagNet, go to the Utilities Forum, Li­ MOUSEPEN PROFESSIONAL comfortable for one user may be awkward brary 10 (Windows), and browse for the The MousePen Professional functions for another. Other issues may factor into keyword CURSOR. You will find NEW­ exactly as you would expect a device your buying decision: Not all clip-on CSR (free), BCURSOR (free), and that's a cross between a writing pen and a devices will clip on to every laptop, and CHGCUR (shareware). mouse to function.!t'sespecially good for some that do may block the floppy disk design and drawing operations, but free­ drive or the display controls. Trackballs Additional research and reporting hy Eric hand drawing (especially signing your should have a drag-lock feature that Berlin and Rohin B. Bornstein. name) can be awkward compared with a toggles the button on and off because real pen. MousePen Professional lends it­ holding down the primary button while self to c1ick-and-drag functions, with the .•!lI!.I,- you move ihe ball is awkward. You'll primary button (the left button on a mouse) want a short cable (3 feet or less); any­ MousePen Professional located near the base, where your index thing longer gets in the way. Most cables Thumbelina finger rests. Above that is the second have OB-9 serial connectors. The two (right) button, and above that a switch that Appoint products and IBM have round by Robin B. Bornstein lets you choose fixed or variable (ballis­ PS/2 mouse connectors; most products tic) resolution. also have OB-9-to-PS/2 or PS/2-to-OB-9 Appoint offers two of the more unusual The MousePen Professional needs a adapters. If you have to use the adapter, and useful portable pointing devices in working space 3 inches square; in a pinch expect the connector to stick alit 2 inches this roundup. The MousePen Professional that can be your leg. You may find a few from the back of your laptop. is a thick plastic mouse pen with a pearl­ smooth surfaces where the unit doesn't 200-point-per-inch resolution allows size roller-ball tracking mechanism in the track well. (To improve the tracking, one greater precision in selecting objects; 400 tip and two buttons set into the barrel. PC Magazine editor replaced the Oelrin ppi requires less motion to move the mouse Thumbelina is a dwarf trackball with the plastic ball with a steel baJJ bearing.) across the screen. The majority can use same tiny roller set into a housing the size While typing, you may be able to hold the the ubiquitous Microsoft Mouse driver, and shape of a small pill box. MousePen Professional between your although they may also have a proprietary Both are $99, both are Microsoft thumb and finger. The cord sticking out of

OCTOBER 15, 1991 PC MAGAZINE mJ

- ---- ~- . .­ PORTABLE POINTING DEVICES the top is a slight impediment to free bracket (supplied). Don't let Thumbe­ movement of the pen, but you'll get used lina's OA-inch-diameter Delrin trackball to it. All in all, this is a well-designed THUMBELINA fool you: A small spin moves the on­ Thul1 portable pointing device. At 1.6 inches square and little more than screen pointer a good distance. A filter­ half an inch high, Thumbelina is ing system eliminates "mouse jitter"­ chail an excellent choice for users par­ unwanted cursor movements sometimes tial to trackballsand for those who caused by hand twitches or even a bumpy who need a pointing device that does train, plane, or bus. In addition to the not take up much storage or desk­ rol1er ball and left and right buttons, cant top space. You can hold it in your Thumbelina includes a drag-lock button. hand as you would a stopwatch, The cord allaches at the front ofThumbe­ allach it to your computer with lina; it should attach at the rear. (If you Velcro, or atlach it with a Z-shaped turn Thumbelina $0 the cord sticks out the for lapto] back, the screen pointer moves up when control 01 Appoint's Thumbelina, $99, is a you move down, and vice versa.) Thum­ Philip: tiny trackball (1.6 inches square). belina would be an especially good choice bundles r

Appoint Thumbelina Ustprice $99.00 $99.00 $5.095.00 (as part of GRIDCase) HARDWARE FEATURES Type of device Optomechanical Optomechanical Mechanical mouse Optomechanical Optomechanical mouse mouse trackball/mouse trackball Conneclor PS/2 PS/2 None PS/2 DB-9 serial Additional connector (adapter) DB-9 serial DB-9 serial N/A None DB-25 serial IROs supported 3.4 3.4 3-5 None 3, 4 Base hardware resolution 150 150 450 200 200 (points per inch) Composition of ball Delrin Delrin N/A Phenolic Phenolic

Ball removable for cleaning 'J N/A 'J Method of attaching device to laptop •N/A Z-bracket Built-in N/A •N/A BunONS Unduplicated 2 2 2 2 2 Total 2 2 4 4 2 Drag-lock None 1 None 2 1 Other switches Fixed/ballistic None None None Simultaneous lefVright . . Length of interface cable (Inches) 56 45 N/A 44 95 Weight (ounces) 2 2 N/A 5 11 Ball diameter (inches) 0.4 0.3 N/A 1.3 1.5 • Size of CONFIG.SYS device driver 15K 15K 14K N/A 10K Size of command line driver 15K 15K 14K 14K 10K Disk format of supplied drivers 5.25-inch, 3.5-inch 5.25-inch. 3.5-inch 3.5-inch 3.5-inch 5.25-inch. 3.5-inch Version number of tested driver 2.00 7.04 7.4 7.04 6.24 Driver can be disabled from DOS • • • • • Driver supports ballistic tracking • • • • • Au/oeAD driver Ij I.j ,j IJ Resolutions supported (points per inch) 150-1,000 150-1,000 100-1.000 N/A •10-1,150 Other mouse emulations included None None None Microsoft Microsoft Software bundled None None None None LCS's Telepaint

.-Yes U-No N/A-Not applicable: Tile product does not have tllis feature.

'mJ PC MAGAZINE OCTOBER 15, 1991 COVER STORY ,': .r. 1,:1,'· • same gestures and motions as they do with a mouse. Thumbelina is the most Thumbelina is a good 286-based Magnavox laptops sold in the compact portable pointing device yet. It United States. has a bit of a learning curve unless choice for laptop users MousePen Professional you've used trackballs before. Laptop Thumbelina users should specify the portable who want a mouse to Appoint, 1332 Vendels Circle, Paso versions with 3.5-foot (instead of 9-foot) Robles, CA 93446; 800-448-1184, 805­ cables. control a presentation. 239-8976. List Price: $99. In Short: CIRCLE 544 ON READER SERVICE CARD The MousePen Professional is a mouse in the shape of a pen. Thumbelina is a pea-size trackball in a 1.6-inch square G RID S v S T EMS COR P. for laptop users who want a mouse to case. Both are Microsoft Mouse­ control on-screen presentations. compatible and have ballistic tracking. GRiD IsoPoint Philips Consumer Electronics Co. Despite the MousePen Professional's by John R. Quain bundles MousePen Professional' with its shape, mouse users find they use the Much-publicized for years but never actu­ ally built into a laptop until late 1990, the GRiD IsoPoint is very much an acquired taste. Users may love or hate IsoPoint, a solid straw-shaped shaft set into the very front of a portable computer, parallel to the Spacebar. You roll the shaft front-to­ Microsoft Corp. back and slide it left and right to move the BallPoint Mouse mouse cursor around the screen. $169.00 $175.00 $134.95 $99.95 The only real design restrictions are that IsoPoint must be built in, not added on, and that the keyboard must be set back Optomechanical Mechanical Optical mouse Mini-joystick trackball trackball DB-9 serial DB-9serial DB-9serial DB-9 serial DB-25 serial PS/2 DB-25 serial. PS/2 DB-25 serial 3,4 All (0-15) 2-15 3,4 200 400 300 (approximately) 200

Polycarbonate Compression- N/A N/A molded plastic N/A N/A •Detachable clip •Detachable clip N/A Duo-Lock

3 2 2 3 3 4 2 4 2 None None 1 None 'J I.J Resolution, compatibility, joystick button

26 52 (coiled) 70 36 (coiled) The GRiD IsoPoint, a straw-shaped, 4 6 5 3 rolling, sliding shaft, is built into the 1 1.1 N/A N/A keyboard of the GRiDCase 1550SX.

16K N/A 13K 13.5K about an inch from the front edge of the 34K 16K 12K 13K laptop case. The IsoPoint's rolling shaft is 3.5-inch 3.5-inch 5.25-inch, 3.S-inch S.2S-inch,3.S-inch 6.0 1.00 7.01 1.00 less than a quarter-inch in diameter and • • • • about 2.8 inches long. Two buttons flank • • • i,j each side of the shafl. The inner buttons IJ .J W 0 act as the main (left) mouse buttons, the S0-10,OOO 0.75-22,400 300-30.000 N/A ollter buttons as the secondary (right) Microsoft None Microsoft, PS/2 Microsoft mouse buttons. You can also click on the Windows hotkeys Mouse menus Pop-up menus, Testing and utilities tutor programs bar itself, although doing so without si­ multaneously moving the cursor is diffi­ cult. Using your thumb, you roll the bar to move the cursor vertically, and slide the bar from side to side for horizontal con-

OCTOBER 1S, 1991 PC MAGAZINE 1m • •• PORTABLE POINTING DEVICES tro!' There is just enough leeway in the tro!' The design also means that the ball bar's physical sideways motion to move cannot be removed for cleaning. the arrow from one side of the screen to : ... The Trackpoint's software driver the other. proved to be one the smoothest trackball Once you grow accustomed to its inter­ BM PS/2 TraCkPo;n~] operators in Windows' Paintbrush, pro­ face, you can use the IsoPoint to move the ~ by John R. Quain viding steady and consistent control. Users cursor without lifting your fingers from - -- -­ can set vertical and horizontal sensitivity the keyboard. The tricky part is using Of all the poltable pointers in this roundup, using command line switches, as well as drawing and paint packages. In its default the $159 IB M PS/2 Trackpoint is the only selecting four levels of acceleration: slow, mode (450 ppi), the IsoPoint zips the cur­ device that's both atrm.:kball and amouse. medium, fast, or none. On the downside, sor around a little too quickly for some Conceptually, that's admirable. The 6­ the package has no auto-install program tastes, but its sensitiv­ or CONFIG.SYS driver, and the com­ ity and acceleration (or mand line driver uses 32K of memory, ballistic tracking) can more than twice as much as most other be adjusted from the drivers. DOS command line or IBM PS/2 Trackpoint with a TSR control IBM Corp., 1133 Westchester Ave., panel. Ifyou choose to White Plains, NY 10604; 800-426-9292. use a standalone point­ List Price: $159. In Short: The PS/2 ing device, you can dis­ Trackpoint is a bulky, boxy mouse that able the driver from becomes a trackball when flipped upside DOS. The IsoPoint down. The trackball mode is the more uses standard Micro­ successful of the two; the mouse is soft Mouse drivers. unsteady and a bit hard to maneuver. The IsoPoint's me­ It's a great idea, imperfectly executed. chanical rolling-bar­ CIRCLE 546 ON READER SERVICE CARD and-button system was in­ Flip over the IBM PS/2 Trackpoint, vented by GRiD Systems' $159, and it switches from Craig Culver. Currently, mouse to trackball. K R A F. T 5 Y 5 T EMS INC. if you want the IsoPoint, you are limited to one computer: the ounce device can bc used as a trackball TopTrak GRiDCase l550SX, $5,095 with a 60MB when you're limited to an airplane tray by Eric Berlin hard disk and internal modem. (You can table; it converts to a mouse when you also buy the computer with a CD-ROM have a desktop to work on. But asytith Kraft System ." ys that its $89.95 TopTrak drive as the 1550CD.) At 12.7 pounds and many two-in-one solutions, it'· I6Sca­ trackball merits 'onsideration as a port­ 2.5 by 11.5 by 15 inches (HWD), the pable than single-purpose mic or track­ able pointing devl e because of its low GRiDCase is not on the cutting edge of balls. Of the two implement ­ curren re4uirements. You packaging. But little of the the unit's bulk tions, the trackball mode is m6re certain y wouldn't choose (other than an inch of the depth) is related workable. I TopTr k because of its size, to the IsoPoint. Zenith Data Systems (708­ Introduced in March ~ith At 2 lDy 3.8 by 4.5 inches 808-4800) expects to ship its new Super­ IBM's PS/2 L40 SX laptop,; the (HWrr, it's roughly four sPort 486 and 486SX portable with the clam-like Trackpoint is a 200­ IsoPoint before year's end, but these ppi optomechanical system with machines will also be heavy: more than a round PS/2 connector. 'Fhe 14 pounds. Trackpoint bears a rough farl)" GRiD IsoPoint ily resemblance to IBM's four-an -a-half­ GRiD Systems Corp., 47211 Lakeview year-old PS/2 mouse, At 4.5 inches e Blvd., Fremont, CA 94537; 800-222­ by 2.5 inches wide, it's a bit bulkier than 4743. a standard mouse. As a trackball, the List Price: $5,095 for the GRiDCase Trackpoint has four buttons situated 1550SX laptop with the IsoPoint around the 1.2-inch-diameter ball: two installed. In Short: A rotating, sliding, small drag-lock buttons above the ball, straw-shaped shaft built into a laptop in two large click butlons below it. Depress front of the Spacebar, the IsoPoint adds two plastic braces, pull up on the hinged about an inch io the depth of a portable top so less of the ball sticks out, flip it PC. Its desirability is much a factor of over, and you've got a mouse. The two personal preference. Currently available rubber-like feet that keep it steady as a Kraft Systems' TopTrak, an $89.95 in the 13-pound GRiDCase 1550SX, it is trackball become the left and right mouse trackball, is too big for serious use with a planned for inclusion later in the year in bu ttons. Un fortunatel y, enough 0 f the ball laptop, even without the optional $10 foot a pair of equally bulky Zenith portables. still protrudes so that the mouse remains a pedal that duplicates the left button. CIRCLE 545 ON READER SERVICE CARD bit wobbly, making for sloppy cursor con­

1m PC MAGAZINE OCTOBER 15, 1991 • • • PORTABLE POINTING DEVICES times as bulky as a Microsoft Mouse. The Microsoft and Logitech trackballs art cord stretches 8 feet, twice as long as nec­ dissatisfying. Of the two, Logitech ap­ essary. The optional steel foot pedal ($10) buttons). With a single bullon on the side pears to be the slightly better choice. that serves as an alternative left mouse and the other two buttons on the top, your TrackMan Portable button has another 8-foot cable and adds index finger is always positioned on the Logitech Inc., 6505 Kaiser Dr., Fremont. an extra pound of weight. primary (left mouse) button. For left­ CA 94555; 800-231-7717, 415-795­ TopTrak 's left and right bullons domi­ handed users, the position of the primary 8500. List Price: With cable and 6-foot nate the upper left and right corners. button can be flipped 180 degrees to allow extension cable, $169. In Short: This Sandwiched between them are a textured the unit to be mounted on the left side of versatile, ergonomically designed hand­ drag-lock button and a simultaneous left/ the keyboard. held 200-ppi trackball can be clipped to right bulton. Driver installation is easy. the side of your laptop (at one fixed You also get AMENU.COM, a series of angle only) or used freestanding on your mouse menus for programs such as Lotus desk. Users with large hands may find 1-2-3 and WordPerfect. The foot-pedal the TrackMan Portable more option includes LCSffelegraphics' Tele­ comfortable than Microsoft's BallPoint paillf. a low-end paint program. Mouse. It has annoying procedures for TopTrak may be an adequate pointing attaching and detaching but, unlike the device for the desktop, but it's [00 bulky BallPoint, lets you close your laptop with to be seriously considered for portable the device attached. It was the second­ computers. And the low-current claim most-expensive product we tested. iSH't much of a distinction: Almost every CIRCLE 548 ON READER SERVICE CARD popular pointing device works fine with a laptop. TopTrak -.. ... Kraft Systems Inc., 450 W. California Logitech's TrackMan Portable, $169, can Ave., Vista, CA 92083; 619-724-7146. attach to the side of a laptop or be used BallPoint Mouse List Price: $89.95; $99.95 with foot as a freestanding trackball. by John R. Quain pedal and Telepaint. In Short: The TopTrak works with portable computers, Mounting the TrackMan on your lap­ Like Logitech's TrackMan Portable. but that doesn't make it a portable top is both a blessing and a curse. It Microsoft's $175 BallPoint Mouse is a pointer. A trackball too bulky for portable attaches with a sliding, spring-Ioclded U­ small trackball-type device that clips to use, with an optional foot pedal that channel clip that grabs the side of the the side of your laptop or rests alongside duplicates the left mouse button, it's far portable's case, as long as the attaching on your desk. The simple D-shaped form too big for serious consideration. point is no wider than 5/16 of an inch. The attaches easily to most laptops. CIRCLE 547 ON READER SERVICE CARD mounting angle is fixed at 45 degrees (the Technically, the BallPoint Mouse is BallPoint's is variable). Annoyingly, you neither a mouse nor a trackball; it's a must attach the TrackMan in two pieces thumb-rolling device. You operate it with LOG I TEe H INC. and remove the mounting clip in order to your forefinger resting on the curved click TrackMan Portable remove the ball. You can, however, close buttons and your thumb resting on the the lid of your laptop with the unit at­ ball. There are four buttons: two along the by Robert W. Kane tached, unlike the BallPoint. The compro­ top edge and two along the bottom edge. '------mises are less bothersome if you use Either pair can be selected as the primary Logitech believes that the trackball is the TrackMan as Logitech suggests: free­ tool of choice for portable pointing de­ standing on the desk or held in your hand. vices. The world's largest manufacturer With six nonskid feet on the bottom, the of mice and the winner of an Editors' TrackMan Portable sits at a 5-degree angle Choice award for its desktop trackball and can be readily cradled in your hand. (PC MaRozine, August 1990), Logitech The removable, cerulean I-inch track­ brings considerable design expertise to ball spins on optomechanical wheels with the $169 TrackMan Portable trackball. a base hardware resolution of200 ppi (the It's roughly similar in function to Micro­ BallPoint's is 400 ppi). The cord is 26 soft's BallPoint Mouse, although there inches long and has a DB-9 serial connec­ are enough subtle differences to make the [or (but no round PS/2 adapter) and a 6­ two far from interchangeable. foot extension for desktop users. While The 2- by 2.8- by 3-inch dimensions the standard DOS driver has ballistic track­ (excluding the attaching clip) may make ing capabilities, the Windows driver does the TrackMan Portable easier to use than not. This may be acceptable with a VGA Microsoft's BallPoint Mouse, $175, is a the BallPoint for those with large hands. screen, but 200 ppi on an 800-by-600 or portable trackball-shaped device. It Its three-button design carries over from 1,024-by-768 desktop display will wear attaches easily to most laptops but must other Logitech input devices (even though your thumb out in no time a[ all. be removed to close the laptop cover. most software uses only one or two of the The compromises inherent in both the mJ PC MAGAZINE OCTOBER 15. 1991 COVER STORY 1.: or. and secondary (left and right) buttons. I,,,··· • side-by-side hands-on comparisons with The BallPoint attaches to a laptop (or all other portable pointing devices (and a desktop PC keyboard) with a quick­ laptop-specific accessories to allow users with the industry-standard Microsoft release bracket and a pair of thumbscrew to close their PCs without having to re­ Mouse), we found that The Little Mouse/ clamping arms. Microsoft provides three move the clamp. PC provided the most accurate cursor ,izes ofarms. The BallPoint juts out about BallPoint Mouse control of all. The optical technology (a 3.5 inches from the side of the laptop, has Microsoft Corp., 1 Microsoft Way, single LED and a photo detector) is not .1 coiled 4-foot cord with a OB-9 serial Redmond, WA 98052-6399; 206-882­ affected by the occasional crumbs of dil1 connector (plus a PS/2 adapter), and adds 8080. List Price: $175. In Short: A that can make a mechanical or opto­ 6 ounces to your laptop. small trackball that clips to the side of a mechanical mouse skip a beat. Software installation is easy. The driver laptop or keyboard or sits on the desk, The two-button optical mouse has no lakes about 16K of memory. The dri vel', the BallPoint Mouse is a good internal moving parts and operates just Version 8.0, works with both the Ball­ compromise for laptop owners who need like the standard mouse-no unfamiliar Point and the Microsoft Mouse. You a pointing device. The mounting clip has hand-crimping or arcane thumb-rolling .:annot, however, use earlier versions of to be removed before you close the techniques to master. But for laptop users, the Microsoft Mouse driver with the Ball­ cover. It's a matter of personal the issue is not The Little Mouse/PC's Point. preference whether Microsoft's or performance but portability. The pad is 7 How do the BallPoint and the Track­ Logitech's implementation of the mini­ by 8 inches and cannot be rolled up or \1an Portable compare? Either can attach trackball is more comfortable to use. folded in half. The mouse itself is 1.8 by 4 o the side of a laptop or stand on its side Unlike the TrackMan Portable, the inches, noticeably smaller than the 2.2- by (In a desk. The BallPoint uses a slightly BallPoint can be adjusted to more than 4-inch Microsoft Mouse. urger, textured I. I-inch ball; you may one angle. It was the most expensive The Little Mouse/PC can be adjusted ind it feels more comfortable and gives product we tested. via ballistic tracking (300 ppi to 30,000 u better control over the cursor. The CIRCLE 549 ON READER SERVICE CARD ppi) to use an area of only 3 by 5 inches. TrackMan uses a lighter and smoother In addition to the automatic installation all that tends to spin more freely. The software, Mouse Systems Corp. supplies BallPoint's hinged clamp is adjustable; 'M 0 USE 5 Y S T EMS COR P. several pop-up mouse utilities for a vari­ e TrackMan attaches at a fixed angle. ety of best-selling applications, including The BallPoint uses a mechanical sys­ The Little Mouse/PC current versions of Lotus J-2 -3. Mouse m of rollers resting next to the ball to by John R. Quain Systems provides free driver upgrades for rive the encoder disks and move the cur­ the first year, although there is no toll-free r directly (the TrackMan uses opto­ As a compact portable pointing device, technical-support hotline at the moment. chanical technology). In testing, it did Mouse Systems Corp. 's downsized The Little Mouse/PC comes with a6-foot )t appear quite as precise as the Micro­ $134.95 Little Mouse/PC suffers from an cord (a bit long for portable users), a ft Mouse, but the BallPoint's base reso­ enOllllOUS drawback: It's an optical mouse. OB-9 serial connector, and a serial-to­ 'ion of 400 ppi is fine-grained enough That means you have to carry a special PS/2 adapter. r any of today's notebook screens. Ad­ reflective mouse pad. Leave the pad on The Little Mouse/PC lionally, the ballistic tracking (or sensi­ the plane or in your hotel room, and your Mouse Systems Corp., 47505 Seabridge ity, as Microsoft calls it) can be set mouse is a paperweight until you can get Dr., Fremont, CA 94538; 415-656-1117. m 0.75 ppi to 22,400 ppi. to a computer store and find a spare opti­ List Price: With reflective mouse pad, You cannot close your laptop with the cal mouse pad. cord, and extension cord, $134.95. In lIPoint installed. It also will not fit on If you can get past that drawback, you'll Short: The Little Mouse/PC is a ry portable (the IBM PS/2 L40 SX is probably like The Little Mouse/PC. In compact and highly accurate device. But ·ticult, for example). On some note­ it's an optical mouse, which means you k PCs, the BallPoint blocks the floppy have to carry (and try not to lose) a 7- by k drive bay or the brightness and con­ 8-inch reflective pad. For this reason, it ;t controls. But Microsoft offers a "fit is not really suited for portable __ Jrantee": If the BallPoint does not fit computing. your computer, you may return it within CIRCLE 550 ON READER SERVICE CARD days of purchase. t press time, Microsoft planned to re­ an updated Windows mouse driver • • the BallPoint (and the Microsoft 'use) by late summer. It will increase ICONtroller ize of the arrowhead when the cursor by Oliver Rist Illotion, making the alTowhead easier e on laptop displays. Owners can get Suncom Technologies' $99.95 ICON­ driver by calling Microsoft technical Mouse Systems Corp.'s Little Mouse/PC, troller represents the mini-joystick seg­ port or by downloading it from an on­ $134.95, is small but requires an optical ment of the portable-pointing-device ervice such as Microsoft's forum on pad, an inconvenience for laptop users. genre. Your taste may be for either a joy­ puServe. Microsoft has also planned stick or a mouse. With a joystick, the on-

OCTOBER 15. 1991 PC MAGAZINE mJ COVER STORY ,..: ... • ~ 1·:1·'· Eric Berlin is an editorial assistant of PC Magazine. Rohin B. Bornstein is an assis­ ICONtroller tant editor (!t' PC Magazine. Bill Howard Suncom Technologies, 6400 W. Gross is WI executive editor o{ PC Magazine. Point Rd., Niles, IL 60648; 708-647­ Rohert W. Kane is henchmark manCiger oj' 4040. list Price: $99.95. In Short: This Z(tfDavis Lahs and/ormer technical di­ miniature device has one mouse button rector of PC MaKazine Labs. John R. at the tip of the 1-inch joystick. It must Quain is (l Ncw York-hased ./i'ee-lancc be attached to the side of your laptop or writer and CI ./i'equel11 contrihutor to PC YOU'll need both hands to control it. Magazine. Oliver Rist is a staff editor of CIRCLE 601 ON READER SERVICE CARD PC Magazine.

Suncom Technologies' ICONtroller, 599.95, is a miniature joystick that can be attached to the laptop with Velcro.

reen cursorcontinues to move as long as he stick is off-center; the cursor stops moving when you return the joystick to neutral. With a mouse or trackball, you need continuous motion to keep the on­ ,neen cursor moving. For most laptop ap­ plications, you should find it easy to get u'ied to the ICONtroller and its inch-long joystick. The (CONtroller is small, 2 by 1.3 by 3 IIlches (including the controller stick), ,md bristles with buttons and switches. [t has three bUltons on the base (left, right, both), a user-selectab[e button on the joy- tick tip that usually duplicates the left mouse button, and switches that control .:ursor speed and driver type (either Micro­ 'oft or Suncom). With a competitive price, easy soft­ ware installation, fast learning curve, and well-thought-out design, the only draw­ back to this little joystick is its method of attachment. On some laptops, it may obstruct access to a disk drive or screen controls. The [CONtroller attaches to the For just $89.95", the new compatible. It is the perfect ,ide of your laptop with an industrial­ MicroTRAC brings pin- pointing device for controlling strength Velcro-like hook-and-Ioop tape point accuracy to any 1- Windows'· , 0 made by 3Com. [f you do not attach the notebook, laptop or ~~IS'~ And MicroTRAC comes from [CONtroller, you will need two hands to desktop computer. ~d-n ~ MicroSpeed'·, winner of operate it. (An extremely dexterous user Now it's easy to work :Y.J:), ~G' numerous awards for might find it possible to cup the joystick in smart. For great feel, preci­ • ::f'. the design and perfor­ one hand and manipulate it with a thumb sion or price, there is one clear mance of its trackballs. choice - the new MicroTRAC'· Call for a dealer location or index finger.) Suncom says that it is nearest you. developing an alternative mounting solu­ Unlike a mouse that you push all over your desk, MieroTRAC stays tion that should be ready by this year's put. And you control MicroTRAC Fall Comdex. with your fingertips, not your The [CONtroller comes with installa­ elbows. So it feels great, It is the tion and testing software (in 5.25-inch and most natural. easy-to-use pointing 3.5-inch formats) and a OB-9 serial con­ device ever, Ilf9f9,S/:lfwr nector. Installation is easy: Simply load You get full-sized performance in 1-800-232-7888 the disk and follow either the electronic or a 28" by 20" package. And, of International call printed instructions. You may run the course, it's fully Microsoft '" mouse (510) 490-1403 or FAX (510) 490-1665

driver either from the command line or 'Manufacturer's suggested Fetafl pflce. Deafer price may vary_ M,croSpeed and MlcroTRAC are trademarks from your CONF[G.SYS fjle. • of MlcroSpeed. Inc Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarKS of Microsoft CorporatIon.

CIRCLE 394 ON READER SERVICE CARD OCTOBER 15, 1991 PC MAGAZINE DD

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