Touchpads suck! A new internal mouse invention for Notebooks

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Touchpads suck! A new internal mouse invention for Notebooks

2107 points posted to Laptops by liurical 02/16/07

Touchpads suck. I don't get why they've been around for so long. None of the big companies offer a good alternative besides us having to buy and carry around an external mouse.

I came across this invention that is effective like a normal mouse, but can be contained within a notebook computer. It can definitely remove the issues I face with the touchpad .

I characterize it as the trackball of an optical mouse, but would actually work well if designed properly.

I came across this invention after stumbling on the inventor's site. http://www.nextintuit.com He has a prototype simulation of the simple invention in flash.

The Wii and iPod were both hits, the way they input data had a lot to do with that success. I want to see something different from Dell for a change.

pjf3rd 02/17/07	Touchpads are not all bad, especially when there is also a scroll strip, like on my HP dv5030 notebook. IBM/Lenovo have a good idea that Dell used on the Inspiron line at one point, with mouse buttons both above AND below the touchpad. The IBM/Lenovo solution also uses a ridged pair of buttons in the above-touchpad position that are easy for fingers to find without looking. An excellent piece of human-engineering. Dell should copy that one. But I do like your suggestion of a trackball alternative. That could work well.
kermodebear 02/19/07	Interesting idea, but I'm not sure it is patentable; it is just moving a material over the LED, instead of moving the LED over a material. Falls under 'obvious patent'. That aside, I'm not too fond of touchpads myself, the texture always feels uncomfortable (perhaps I have sensitive fingertips), and carrying around an extra mouse is annoying. Those little 'mouse dots'/joysticks in the center of keyboards? Too difficult to control. I'd be willing to give something like this a try, especially if mouse buttons can be put onto the card.
technicaljoe 02/21/07	I hardly use touchpads, they are just too uncomfortable and unprecise. Trackball is great, as long as it is placed at a more natural position (I still remember my Compaq Aero... With trackball along the edge of the LCD panel!?!?)
munk3h 02/22/07	Bring back the nipple!
julez 02/22/07	The nub sucks more than the touchpad, and actually once you get used to a touchpad it's not that bad, it's just like anything else pracitce makes perfect. Now of course if I'm playing any games, you better believe I have a mouse in the side pocket.
munk3h 02/23/07	I must admit gaming brings to the fore the ultimate ability of an external mouse or all other pointer devices. This is pretty awesome though, the inverted optical mouse is a great idea
bupta 02/24/07	AGREED ! No patent is needed for it ^^ LOLLLLL - JUST pre-installed a high resolution (to not need to move far) optical flip eye on the laptop keyboard. - don't forget buttons and scroll up it. - a little cross plastic to close and protec optical eye. - finger suck water after few minutes (mines are, and u ?), and paper won't stay plane, then have a little dark thin plastic. ENJOY IT !
el33tpenguin 02/24/07	The only reason why I did not buy a Dell and went with an IBM Thinkpad was because of the trackpoint. Add trackpoints to all lines of laptops. Carrying an extra mouse for the laptop is plain silly.
hanzo 02/24/07	ok, so u can move left and right. but how do u move up and down when the card is so large. also the card have no grip, its not much different than the touchpad.
nextintuit 02/24/07	Assuming the manufacturers designs the card for best utility, the invention would definitely work similar to a normal mouse (ergonomic factors aside). For example, allowing frictional forces or the right thickness to provide grip. Also, providing a mouse utility software to tweak the control system properly. The main idea, is that the invention is containable within the laptop while at the same time utilizing accurate and proven cursor controlling technology.
forlornity 02/26/07	Agreed, laptop touchpads have NEVER managed to achieve the same usability of a normal mouse, particularly if you tend to get sweaty hands (such as when playing games before you say anything nasty!), which severely hinders the ablity to use the pad. I like the idea of the inverted laser, although I can't see any need to have it wireless or any other such nonsense (an SD card? WHY?) just have a little card type thing, with a slightly sticky surface to lift it up. Store in the side of the laptop, buttons below/above and for pete's sake, some form of scroll wheel (we can't live without them!). No batteries or recharging or any other technology that would mean that we couldn't use our laptop's mouse for ages while it charges. Thanks for letting me rant.
nextintuit 02/26/07	Buttons on the dash. If the card ran out of power, which would take a while. (Imagine a wireless mouse only needing a power source for its buttons and not its constant optical sensors + led. If the card does run out of batteries, you can still use your mouse as long as substitute mouse buttons exist on the dash. SD-card, no real reason. Just if you're going to plug/store a card into your computer, you might as well give it some memory so you can transfer or store files on it, rather than use "another" form of memory card.
thaaanos 02/28/07	Im' thinking something like a thimble or a ring that you can wear near your index finger's nail that senses the relative motion of thumb and index when you rub them together and moves the pointer, button clicks to the keyboard. That way you can always have your hands over the keyboard. Communication I guess goes with a thin cable to the wrist and then bluetooth, or usb? your trade between freedom and weight :) Maybe you can use it also for touch screen.
lamn 03/01/07	Bring back the nipple!
vinohradska 03/01/07	No, the nipple is worse that the touchpad - neither are great - what about a little detatchable wireless stylus akin to that wii controller so you can just point at the screen.
kermodebear 03/06/07	Or, a detachable, wireless (or wired) mouse. I know that space inside of a laptop chassis is at a premium, but perhaps some clever engineer could figure out a way to slip a small but usable mouse into the chassis itself.
bugsy33 03/07/07	What if you had a totally different type of controller. For example: If someone were to attach a small, round, magnet to a type of fabric thimble and then place a sensor plate in the casing of the laptop. In other terms basically wrap a band-aid around your index finger and tape a 1/16" round magnet to the pad. Then you could use the entire base of the keyboard instead of a limited touchpad.When moving your finger on the laptop it would provide a more tactile feel, and provide great range for motion. With this system you could also have sets of magnetic pens that would allow signatures and the ability to freehand in photoshop. Not only is this easier to make, its cheaper.
strangefarer 03/09/07	/shakes his head/ You guys are forgetting the best portable controller, ever. The trackball. Sure, it was bad before- but it was all mechanical. It got nasty and grimy and wore out easily. An optical trackball would fix all of that, and be a LOT more sensitive than a touchpad. Add left and right-handed buttons on each side of the case, in addition to the two above/below the trackball, and you'll have a rig that will be a pleasure to use, instead of a ham-fingered chore.
riddle 03/14/07	They said it before: Bring back the nipple! Or even better, put the trackball back in the notebook. My dad used to own a laptop that used this technology over 10 years ago, but it had to be replaced ones every 6 months, improve that technologie and bring it back to life, much easier and precise. The one he owned, had a little box on the right side of the laptop, it looked like a tiny cd drive, you pressed a button and it came out the side, was about 3 cm wide and 5 cm high, when you were done you just pressed it back in.
shadowchild 03/16/07	If we have to keep the touch pad, can we please add 2 finger scrolling. This is a feature apples have had for a while and it makes a huge difference.
clicky 04/20/07	Nipples are great on IBM machines. Others ...not so good.
premcv 04/20/07	How about touch sensitive LCD Screens. Those will be the best!!! Anyday. But do not remove the trackstick (or nipples) and the touch pad. Some people are still used to having them around.
thejedimaster 04/24/07	Touchpads really do suck! this has potential!
premcv 04/24/07	Oh Yes! ;)Touchsensitive LCD should be made for all systems.
phubert 04/24/07	Why not just plug in your Logitech MX-500? Surely, it's not too big to carry with you! Touchpads AND that 'stupid little eraser' are both horrible.
premcv 04/24/07	Choices are what makes them special! We all need choices don't we?
denli 06/30/07	The Apple touchpad rules. I realy enjoy the two-finger scroll function. I used to like the IBM-nipple (and I still do) but see if you can license the Apple touchpad technology instead.
cdurst 07/11/07	I have gotten used to touchpoint/nubbin/erasers on a Compaq. I have used trackballs in the past and they're OK, but they tend to clog. I hate touchpads (even the scrolling ones)! I hate accidentally touch-clicking! I hate bumping them when trying to type! Get rid of them! What I don't understand about the linked invention is, how do you move it vertically? The slide-out-card only looks like it'll move horizontally. Why not just have an optical trackball? Just build in an optical mouse pointing up and slide your fingerprint over it to move it. Then just have THREE buttons next to the light. If you want to be really fancy, you could make it an actual, embedded, removable, wireless, optical mouse...
phubert 07/11/07	I always take a Logitech MX-500 with me... that and the MX-700: best mice made (8 buttons!)
boybawang 10/30/07	The demo you gave in this link: "http://www.nextintuit.com" is unusable when the cursor reaches the edge of the screen. With ordinary mouse you simply just lift it and reposition it. OPTICAL TRACBALL below the spacebar is the best!
champ Jan 17	Wow, This topic is very polarizing (kind of like Hillary). My Lattitude D420 has both. Which ever one you don't like, disable it. I personally prefer the touchpad, as the eraser-head irritates me while typing. (I pulled off the rubber piece). Maybe BOTH would be the best answer, and then have a good way to disable one or the other in the BIOS.
cerfurmark Feb 10	The touchpad on my Inspiron 1520 is indented into a beveled section in such a way that as my thumb rests on the touchpad, the spot between my skin and my nail is rubbed raw within a few minutes by the sharp beveled edge. It's amazing that this tiny flaw makes me hate the 1520 so much. So, first requirement is to get rid of this indented bevel immediately in all future designs. My second request is to place the touchpad on the far right side (left side for lefties) of the laptop so that my hand doesn't have to keep moving all the way across my body to the touchpad. I just want my to stick my arm straight out and have my fingertips reaching the touchpad. I watched a person who had the wide 17" laptop and it a seriously major downer for her to have to try and reach the touchpad that was so far away from the edge of the laptop.

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