I don’t usually get early access to new phones or laptops, but every so often something more niche shows up instead. In this case, it’s a pre-release trackball from Kensington, the new TB800 EQ.
I first saw it at a local trade show a few weeks ago, and Kensington later sent one over for me to try out. The TB800 is available for preorder through Kensington directly and on Amazon (compensated affiliate link). If you buy it through Amazon, you can choose between different ball colors; the unit I’ve been using has a burgundy ball, though a silver option is also available.
One of the first things I noticed is how securely the ball is held in place. It snaps into the housing with enough resistance that it won’t fall out even if you flip the device upside down. That may sound minor, but anyone who has used older trackballs knows how easy it is for the ball to pop loose when moving the unit from one office to another.
Like other Kensington trackballs, there’s a large central scroll wheel, and this one has a solid feel with a bit of weight to it. By default, it spins freely and supports accelerated scrolling. Pressing a mechanical button on the top switches it into a click-by-click mode with an actual mechanical detent so you can physically feel each step as you scroll line by line. In addition to that main wheel, there are two more scroll wheels built into the device on the left and right hand side. One handles horizontal scrolling, while another can be used for zooming, depending on the application. In a spreadsheet, for example, I was able to scroll vertically, move left and right across columns, and zoom in and out without touching the keyboard.
Those extra wheels are positioned far enough away from the main buttons that they don’t get triggered accidentally. After using the trackball over several days, I didn’t find myself activating them unintentionally during normal use. They also have a balanced resistance, so they don’t feel loose, but they aren’t stiff either. If you decide you don’t want to use one or more of the scroll wheels at all, Kensington included physical switches on the bottom of the device that let you disable them individually. That avoids the need to dig into software profiles just to turn a wheel off for a particular task.
There are additional programmable buttons along the top, which by default handle actions like browser back and forward as well as volume control. These, along with the rest of the buttons and scollers, can be reassigned through Kensington’s software.
Connectivity is another area where the TB800 offers flexibility. It can connect via USB-C, through a USB-C wireless dongle, or over Bluetooth, with support for pairing to two Bluetooth devices. A button on the side lets you toggle between connection modes, making it possible to move quickly between multiple computers or tablets. Kensington estimates around four months of battery life per charge, depending on usage.
On the performance side, there’s an on-the-fly DPI switch to adjust pointer sensitivity, along with a polling rate button labeled in hertz. When connected via USB or the wireless dongle, the polling rate can be set as high as 1,000 Hz, which puts it in the same range as many gaming mice. Bluetooth connections don’t support the higher polling rates, but for wired or dongle use, the higher setting results in smoother cursor movement, especially on high-refresh-rate displays.
The configuration software, Kensington Connect, presents a visual layout of the device and allows extensive customization. Any button can be mapped to a wide range of actions, including macros, text snippets, system controls, or application-specific functions. There’s an easy mode for basic assignments and an advanced mode that allows combinations of buttons to trigger additional actions. Pointer behavior, DPI steps, polling rates, and scroll wheel functions can all be adjusted, and profiles can be set on a per-application basis so the controls behave differently in, say, a video editor versus a spreadsheet.
Trackballs have always attracted users who want a high degree of control, and that’s clearly the audience Kensington is aiming for here. I’ve been using Kensington trackballs for decades, going back to one I bought around 1989 or 1990 for an Apple IIgs that still works today. The TB800 feels like a continuation of that lineage, with large, accessible buttons that accommodate different hand sizes and grip styles. All in a very nice solid offering for Trackball fans.
Disclosure: Kensington sent the trackball to me free of charge. No other compensation was received and they have not reviewed or approved this content prior to upload.