Pointing stick

The pointing stick (trademarked by IBM as the TrackPoint and by Synaptics as the TouchStyk) is an isometric joystick acclimated as a pointing accessory (compare abnormally touchpad and trackball). It was invented by analysis scientist Ted Selker. It is present on abounding brands of laptops, including Lenovo's band of ThinkPad laptops, Toshiba Tecra laptops, HP business notebooks and on Dell Latitudes beneath the name of Track Stick. It has additionally been acclimated on computer mice and on some desktop keyboards (as an chip pointing device).

The pointing stick operates by analysis activated force (hence it is additionally accepted as an isometric joystick), by application a brace of arresting ache gauges. The acceleration of the arrow depends on the activated force. On a QWERTY keyboard, the stick is anchored amid the "G", "H" and "B" keys, and the abrasion buttons are placed aloof beneath the Spacebar. The abrasion buttons can be operated right-handed or awkward due to their adjustment beneath the keyboard forth the centerline.

The pointing stick has a dispensable elastic cap, commonly red on the ThinkPad but additionally begin in added colors on added machines. The cap can be a hardly asperous "eraser head" actual (Classic Dome) or added alternative shapes (Soft Dome or Soft Rim).1

Features

The acuteness of the TrackPoint is usually adjustable, and can be set to accommodate an acutely ablaze touch.

Press-to-select is an alternative feature, area a aciculate tap on the pointing stick is agnate to a button-click. The button appropriately clicked can be configured to be 1, 2 or 3. However, it is absolutely accessible to accidentally bang the abrasion back typing.

Together withcomputer application wheel-emulation, the Trackpoint (and 3 buttons) can accommodate about the absolute behavior of a 3-button, 2-wheel mouse. Tapping button-2 will accomplish a middle-click; captivation button-2 while accompanying affective the arrow will accomplish vertical and accumbent scrolling events.

The TrackPoint III and the TrackPoint IV accept a affection alleged Negative Apathy that causes the pointer's acceleration to "overreact" back it is accelerated or decelerated. Negative Apathy is advised to abstain activity of apathy or dawdling back starting or endlessly movement.2 Usability tests at IBM accept apparent that it is easier for users to position the arrow with Negative Inertia, and achievement is 7.8% better.3

Problems

Pointer alluvion is a all-over botheration amid pointing sticks, acute common recalibration.citation needed However, TrackPoints automatically adapt back the stick recognizes a abiding arrow drift; to activate a recalibration, the user charge lift his or her feel briefly off the TrackPoint for about 1 second.citation needed

History

The abstraction of TrackPoint was created in 1984 by Ted Selker, a PARC researcher. He abstruse about a abstraction that approved that it takes almost continued time, three-quarters of a second, for a computer user to about-face his duke from the keyboard to the mouse, and as abundant time to about-face back. Ted Selker capital to assemble a accessory that would abundantly annihilate this delay. Selker congenital a archetypal of a pointing stick, but absolutely had no time to assignment on it. Three years later, alive at IBM, Selker was able to clarify the TrackPoint architecture and transform his apparatus into a product.4 IBM was issued the US patents in 1996.56

Comparison with touchpads

The pointing stick can be acclimated in ultra-compact netbooks (see Sony Vaio P, for example)7 area there would be no abode for a touchpad.

The pointing stick is positioned such that the easily do not charge to be removed from the home row to dispense the abrasion pointer.8

Some users affirmation it is easier to cautiously position the arrow than back application a touchpad because there is around no "dead zone". Some users feel that pointing sticks annual beneath wrist strain, because user does not charge to abstain comatose wrists on a touchpad, usually amid aloof beneath the keyboard. Some bodies acquisition them added ambrosial for adaptable gaming than a touchpad, because the track-point allows absolute movement after repositioning.8

One criticism is that because the pointing stick depends on the user applying pressure, it can annual duke cramps (although this can be partly apparent by ambience the acuteness to high, and appropriation the feel back the arrow is not actuality moved). Another criticism is that it stresses the basis feel and may advance to repetitive ache injury. In addition, a feel bottomward off of the stick can advance to adventitious acute of one or added keys in actual proximity.

A cardinal of ergonomic studies to analyze trackpoint and touchpad achievement accept been performed.91011 Most studies acquisition that touchpad is hardly faster; one abstraction begin that "the touchpad was operated 15% faster than the trackpoint."11 Another abstraction begin that boilerplate article alternative time was faster with a touchpad, 1.7 sec compared to 2.2 sec with a trackpoint, and article abetment took 6.2 sec with a touchpad, on average, adjoin 8.1 sec with trackpoint.12

These studies abstinent pointing achievement alone and cannot verify or belie the affirmation that trackpoint is faster in a mix of pointing and accounting actions. It is additionally alien whether or not the studies took into annual differences in the acquirements ambit amid anniversary accessory or anniversary device's acuteness setting.

Informal names

In attempting to abstain trademarked names and the ambiguity of the appellation "pointing stick", which frequently refers to a stick acclimated to point at chalkboards or cast charts, assorted breezy names accept been invented, including "nipple mouse", "nub", "eraser mouse", "joy button", "clit mouse", and "keyboard clit".13