Trackpoint vs Touchpad
Posted by Jon Lee in Offtopic, Reviews, tags: Thinkpad, touchpad, Trackpoint
If you’ve ever used a laptop, chances are you’ve used either a Trackpoint or a touchpad.
The Trackpoint (a.k.a. pointing stick, nub, nipple) was one of the first laptop pointing devices. The touchpad (a.k.a. trackpad) is the most popular laptop pointing device. This article will look into the advantages of the two.
Trackpoint
Very few laptops these days include a Trackpoint. All IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads have them as well as certain business class models of other manufacturers. Although they seem primitive in nature, they are actually more expensive than touchpads, which is why only upper class business notebooks have them. The concept of the trackpoint is simple — you push the nub in the direction you wish your cursor to go. Many models also support a clicking action where you apply downward pressure to the nub; however, this is fairly hard to master and may result in unwanted clicks. Advantages to using a Trackpoint include:
- Infinite movement – You can move your pointer in one direction without lifting your finger off the nub, unlike a touchpad where you have to sweep across the touchpad over and over (exceptions apply).
- Ease of access – The nub is located on the keyboard, usually between the H, G and B keys. This means you can type and move the mouse without having to ever take your hands off the homerow. This increases efficiency and is very helpful for coders.
- Gaming – Due to the first reason above, playing first person shooters is quite possible on a Trackpoint. You won’t get the accuracy of a mouse though.
Touchpad
Touchpads use the same technology as the iPod scroll wheel. You glide your finger over the surface to move the cursor. A tap emulates a click, double tap emulates a double click etc. Advantages to a touchpad include:
- Lower cost – The cheaper cost of a touchpad will be directly reflected in the price of the laptop.
- Extra functions – A touchpad can support various functions. For example, the side of a touchpad is usually reserved for scrolling, the corners for maximizing/minimizing windows or even multi finger gestures.
- “Cooler” – Touchpads have a “cool” factor that feels like something out of a science fiction novel since you’re using your fingers to interact with the computer.
Personally, I prefer a Trackpoing because I’m used to using it and I like the efficiency of not having to move my hands to move the cursor (also why I like using Vim). In fact, I prefer a Trackpoint over a mouse for regular everyday tasks. So what I want to know is which one you prefer and why? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. I use the soft rim Trackpoint cap.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Entries (RSS)