▲ 225 ▼ Lenovo has removed its iconic TrackPoint nub from new ThinkPad laptops | PCWorld (www.pcworld.com) submitted 2 years ago by moe90@feddit.nl to c/technology@lemmy.world 88 comments fedilink hide all child comments
[–] embed_me@programming.dev 10 points 2 years ago (9 children) Is it actually usable? I never owned one permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 18 child comments replies: [–] olosta@lemmy.world 33 points 2 years ago (3 children) Used one for a few years and I loved it: it's precise, you can really aim small UI elements It is paired with actual buttons, index on the nub and thumb on the buttons, so no weird gestures to right click It is very quick to switch from keyboard to mouse, your hands nearly don't move But, there's no mouse wheel or scroll gesture and maintaining pressure on the nub is maybe more tiring than a trackpad. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 6 child comments replies: [–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 years ago You can scroll with nub by holding the middle button permalink fedilink source parent [+] ewo@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 2 years ago* [deleted] permalink fedilink source parent [–] elliot_crane@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago Back when I was in high school, we had a shared pool of laptops stored in the library, and our teachers would reserve the library space for days when we were supposed to be working on laptops. My district had a bunch of Dells with the nipple mouse. To this day I still think it’s probably the most convenient and precise input device I’ve ever used. permalink fedilink source parent [–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 2 years ago Some people prefer it over trackpad, or use both. Personally I like to disable trackpad because I tend to always hit it with palm or thumb by accident permalink fedilink source parent [–] Arbiter@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago (1 child) I use a mechanical keyboard with one on my desktop, I actually use it quite a lot. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 years ago (1 child) That sounds awesome! Is it a Unicomp EnduraPro or is there some other option? permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] wjrii@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 child) TEX out of Taiwan makes a few. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 1 point 2 years ago Awesome, thanks! permalink fedilink source parent [–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 2 years ago I think it works fantastically well. I personally like it much better than a touchpad. It lets me move the pointer without taking my hands away from typing home position. permalink fedilink source parent [–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 7 points 2 years ago (1 child) It’s fine. Takes some time to get used to. Some people really love it, but I don’t think it’s that great. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 years ago (1 child) I can never get mine to go where I want first try, and sometimes the pointer drifts on its own after I take my finger off. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 3 points 2 years ago (1 child) The best I can do, is to steer it slowly. For me, it’s always been the inferior option when compared to a regular touchpad. Although, I do se the benefit of the central positioning when you need to type more and you don’t want to move your fingers from the home row just to click something quickly. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 years ago Maybe the IBM touch points were better. I could see the Lenovo ones being mostly for show / plausible deniability. permalink fedilink source parent [–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago It's not just for decoration. You can use it as a legitimate pointing device. Nudging it will move the mouse cursor and tapping it with your fingernail is clicking. It takes some getting used to but you can definitely use it for normal office tasks if you wanted to. That being said, I still personally prefer a mouse. But I have known some people who like using the nipple. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Chozo@fedia.io 3 points 2 years ago It feels a lot like using a game controller to control your mouse, if you've ever used Joy2Key or similar programs. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Engywuck@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago Dunno. I have one on my semifake E580 and I just used it to check if it works. It's a bit awkward for me. permalink fedilink source parent [–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 1 point 2 years ago Oh yeah. It isn't a dealbreaker for me, but it really is nice. It takes getting used to, but it cuts down on the need to move to the touchpad or mouse. If you're working in tight quarters, or have mobility issues, or hand issues, it can end up being a major improvement. It's a ymmv thing of course, but I end up using it more than I thought I would when writing. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] olosta@lemmy.world 33 points 2 years ago (3 children) Used one for a few years and I loved it: it's precise, you can really aim small UI elements It is paired with actual buttons, index on the nub and thumb on the buttons, so no weird gestures to right click It is very quick to switch from keyboard to mouse, your hands nearly don't move But, there's no mouse wheel or scroll gesture and maintaining pressure on the nub is maybe more tiring than a trackpad. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 6 child comments replies: [–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 years ago You can scroll with nub by holding the middle button permalink fedilink source parent [+] ewo@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 2 years ago* [deleted] permalink fedilink source parent [–] elliot_crane@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago Back when I was in high school, we had a shared pool of laptops stored in the library, and our teachers would reserve the library space for days when we were supposed to be working on laptops. My district had a bunch of Dells with the nipple mouse. To this day I still think it’s probably the most convenient and precise input device I’ve ever used. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 years ago You can scroll with nub by holding the middle button permalink fedilink source parent
[–] elliot_crane@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago Back when I was in high school, we had a shared pool of laptops stored in the library, and our teachers would reserve the library space for days when we were supposed to be working on laptops. My district had a bunch of Dells with the nipple mouse. To this day I still think it’s probably the most convenient and precise input device I’ve ever used. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 2 years ago Some people prefer it over trackpad, or use both. Personally I like to disable trackpad because I tend to always hit it with palm or thumb by accident permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Arbiter@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago (1 child) I use a mechanical keyboard with one on my desktop, I actually use it quite a lot. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 years ago (1 child) That sounds awesome! Is it a Unicomp EnduraPro or is there some other option? permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] wjrii@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 child) TEX out of Taiwan makes a few. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 1 point 2 years ago Awesome, thanks! permalink fedilink source parent
[–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 years ago (1 child) That sounds awesome! Is it a Unicomp EnduraPro or is there some other option? permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] wjrii@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 child) TEX out of Taiwan makes a few. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 1 point 2 years ago Awesome, thanks! permalink fedilink source parent
[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 child) TEX out of Taiwan makes a few. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 1 point 2 years ago Awesome, thanks! permalink fedilink source parent
[–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 2 years ago I think it works fantastically well. I personally like it much better than a touchpad. It lets me move the pointer without taking my hands away from typing home position. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 7 points 2 years ago (1 child) It’s fine. Takes some time to get used to. Some people really love it, but I don’t think it’s that great. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 years ago (1 child) I can never get mine to go where I want first try, and sometimes the pointer drifts on its own after I take my finger off. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 3 points 2 years ago (1 child) The best I can do, is to steer it slowly. For me, it’s always been the inferior option when compared to a regular touchpad. Although, I do se the benefit of the central positioning when you need to type more and you don’t want to move your fingers from the home row just to click something quickly. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 years ago Maybe the IBM touch points were better. I could see the Lenovo ones being mostly for show / plausible deniability. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 years ago (1 child) I can never get mine to go where I want first try, and sometimes the pointer drifts on its own after I take my finger off. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 3 points 2 years ago (1 child) The best I can do, is to steer it slowly. For me, it’s always been the inferior option when compared to a regular touchpad. Although, I do se the benefit of the central positioning when you need to type more and you don’t want to move your fingers from the home row just to click something quickly. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 years ago Maybe the IBM touch points were better. I could see the Lenovo ones being mostly for show / plausible deniability. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 3 points 2 years ago (1 child) The best I can do, is to steer it slowly. For me, it’s always been the inferior option when compared to a regular touchpad. Although, I do se the benefit of the central positioning when you need to type more and you don’t want to move your fingers from the home row just to click something quickly. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 years ago Maybe the IBM touch points were better. I could see the Lenovo ones being mostly for show / plausible deniability. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 years ago Maybe the IBM touch points were better. I could see the Lenovo ones being mostly for show / plausible deniability. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago It's not just for decoration. You can use it as a legitimate pointing device. Nudging it will move the mouse cursor and tapping it with your fingernail is clicking. It takes some getting used to but you can definitely use it for normal office tasks if you wanted to. That being said, I still personally prefer a mouse. But I have known some people who like using the nipple. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Chozo@fedia.io 3 points 2 years ago It feels a lot like using a game controller to control your mouse, if you've ever used Joy2Key or similar programs. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Engywuck@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago Dunno. I have one on my semifake E580 and I just used it to check if it works. It's a bit awkward for me. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 1 point 2 years ago Oh yeah. It isn't a dealbreaker for me, but it really is nice. It takes getting used to, but it cuts down on the need to move to the touchpad or mouse. If you're working in tight quarters, or have mobility issues, or hand issues, it can end up being a major improvement. It's a ymmv thing of course, but I end up using it more than I thought I would when writing. permalink fedilink source parent