I've thought about doing the same. I have a trackpoint USB keyboard for my home PC, which is nice because it matches the keyboard on my laptop. I figure that

I've thought about doing the same. I have a trackpoint USB keyboard for my home PC, which is nice because it matches the keyboard on my laptop. I figure that worst case if I end up with a new laptop without the trackpoint I'd just grab another Thinkpad USB keyboard and plop it over the top. Back when "laptop" meant "can carry short distances in a shoulder bag" I work mainly on home-built desktop machines. That meant I got the screen rez I liked, the keyboard I liked, the graphics card, etc. I keep hoping for the day when portable components are such that I can just use the CPU in my phone (or some other) with the screen and keyboard of my choice. As it is one has to make a list of what things you can or cannot live without and see what compromises you need to accept in a laptop.