4 ms·

The ThinkPad TrackPoint tried to build a better mouse

14 points by awiesenhofer 6y ago

kevsim 6y ago
Not sure I ever really _liked_ the TrackPoint, but the trackpad on the Thinkpads I had (this is early-mid 2000s) were so terrible that it was at least an improvement. Doubt I'd be going back after the Macbook Pro trackpad.
- spaceisballer 6y ago
  My X220 trackpad is horrible so I just disabled it. I don’t prefer the TrackPoint but yeah compared to their trackpad it’s great.
jamestimmins 6y ago
Whoa this takes me back to the days of the Dell Inspiron. The TrackPoint felt so much cleaner and easier to use compared to the barely-responsive trackpads of the early 2000s.
4cao 6y ago
I still use a TrackPoint from time to time (on the ThinkPad X220, not my primary computer), and personally think it's a way better experience than any TouchPad, no matter how large, could possibly offer. It works particularly great wherever there is the need to be precise (such as when editing graphics) but in general I rarely find myself using the TouchPad when I have the choice. The TrackPoint on the ThinkPad can also be used for scrolling when holding the middle button.
1996 6y ago
The best is to associate a touchpad and a trackpoint: - the touchpad is used for large movements - the trackpoint is used for precise positioning That was done on several laptops, but many reviews lamented the existance of 2 separate mechanism. I wonder if the same people now clamor for the removal of touchpads on devices with touchscreens?
MintelIE 6y ago
Just imagine having to take your hands off the home row to move the mouse pointer. Just imagine it. I switched to the Trackpoint many years ago. Only thing it's not great for is 3D shooters.
serf 6y ago
I buy Thinkpad branded keyboard/trackpoint combos for server environments where a full size HID setup would be in the way. I like trackpoints a lot -- the lenovo quality is suffering though. I have a lot of problems lately with the trackpoints wandering by themselves without human contact. This used to be because of a center cap that was incorrectly installed on older ThinkPad notebooks, but these keyboards do it without the cap at all -- like a problem with calibrating 'true zero'. Oh well. It's a pretty limited market, gotta take what I can get.
eemil 6y ago
For mobile computing, there's no comparison IMO. With a touchpad, you have to shuffle your hands to the palmrest area to move the mouse. If your machine is on your lap, that might put your hands in a quite unergonomic position. And it of course interrupts keyboard input. And there's the subject of accidental inputs when typing.

14 points by awiesenhofer 6y ago

Not sure I ever really _liked_ the TrackPoint, but the trackpad on the Thinkpads I had (this is early-mid 2000s) were so terrible that it was at least an improvement. Doubt I'd be going back after the Macbook Pro trackpad.

spaceisballer 6y ago
My X220 trackpad is horrible so I just disabled it. I don’t prefer the TrackPoint but yeah compared to their trackpad it’s great.

jamestimmins 6y ago

Whoa this takes me back to the days of the Dell Inspiron. The TrackPoint felt so much cleaner and easier to use compared to the barely-responsive trackpads of the early 2000s.

4cao 6y ago

I still use a TrackPoint from time to time (on the ThinkPad X220, not my primary computer), and personally think it's a way better experience than any TouchPad, no matter how large, could possibly offer. It works particularly great wherever there is the need to be precise (such as when editing graphics) but in general I rarely find myself using the TouchPad when I have the choice. The TrackPoint on the ThinkPad can also be used for scrolling when holding the middle button.

1996 6y ago

The best is to associate a touchpad and a trackpoint: - the touchpad is used for large movements - the trackpoint is used for precise positioning That was done on several laptops, but many reviews lamented the existance of 2 separate mechanism. I wonder if the same people now clamor for the removal of touchpads on devices with touchscreens?

MintelIE 6y ago

Just imagine having to take your hands off the home row to move the mouse pointer. Just imagine it. I switched to the Trackpoint many years ago. Only thing it's not great for is 3D shooters.

serf 6y ago

I buy Thinkpad branded keyboard/trackpoint combos for server environments where a full size HID setup would be in the way. I like trackpoints a lot -- the lenovo quality is suffering though. I have a lot of problems lately with the trackpoints wandering by themselves without human contact. This used to be because of a center cap that was incorrectly installed on older ThinkPad notebooks, but these keyboards do it without the cap at all -- like a problem with calibrating 'true zero'. Oh well. It's a pretty limited market, gotta take what I can get.

eemil 6y ago

For mobile computing, there's no comparison IMO. With a touchpad, you have to shuffle your hands to the palmrest area to move the mouse. If your machine is on your lap, that might put your hands in a quite unergonomic position. And it of course interrupts keyboard input. And there's the subject of accidental inputs when typing.