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[–] 10 points 2 years ago (9 children)

Is it actually usable? I never owned one

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  • [–] 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.

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  • [–] 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.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I use a mechanical keyboard with one on my desktop, I actually use it quite a lot.

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  • [–] 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.

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  • [–] 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.

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  • [–] 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.

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  • [–] 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.

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  • [–] 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.

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