My father is 93 yrs old and enjoys using his PC to surf the internet and tube of you. But his fingers are all crooked and don't work very well so I'm thinking of getting him one of these:
My father wants to try a track ball and also likes the idea of very large buttons for the clicking stuff. So I'm just wondering how the scroll ring thing plays out? Has anyone used this (or similar) product? Thanks!
I have it, the scroll ring works very well. It's no trackman marble, but it is very good.
I use one of these, Logitech M570. I love it, but no scroll ring feature so I can't comment on that. It does have a vertical scroll wheel, which works fine, but no horizontal scroll. It has decently large buttons, and other than eating one battery per month I have no complaints.
The big problem I see is the fingertip trackballs (as opposed to thumb type trackballs like EastCoastMojo linked) require a lot of steadiness and dexterity. My brother had one for a while and every time I would help him with something on his computer it was like pulling teeth to use it. Constantly jiggling the mouse cursor, overshooting things, etc. There's nowhere to rest the weight of your hand without affecting the ball or holding your fingers in a really weird and tiring position. And it wasn't just me - he also had trouble with it despite it being his computer and using that trackball for years. I have good dexterity and still had trouble with it. I'd be hesitant to recommend one for a 93 year old. The thumb type track balls are just so much easier to use since you can rest the weight of your hand on the body of the track ball and then just use your thumb to move the pointer.
If it's the fingers that are the issue and his arms are still pretty steady, you might consider something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Ergonomic-Patented-Compatibility-EM500GPS/dp/B000F2BP7U
They are used by people with carpel tunnel issues by eliminating the need for wrist movement and making them arm movements.
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