new notebooks with "stick"?

[asabour]

I'm looking for a new notebook, but I can't find any that have the "stick" device that I use as a mouse. I hate using the touchpad and much prefer the stick. My old Dell has both, but all of the new Dell notebooks I'm looking at only feature the touchpad. Can I add the stick as a feature? What brands carry the "stick"? Thanks.

This is an example of the "stick" I'm talking about, the red dot in the upper left

note: I'm looking for a new "sleek" small notebook, not a thinkpad.

 

[Aznguy1872]

Personally I preferr the pad just because Im not use to the stick yet. But I think if you are use to the stick, it would be better. Some laptops even come with both options such as the IBM thinkpads.

 

[corkyg]

My Lenovo/IBM T60 has both - and I have disabled the touchpad. The stick rules! Touchpads cause me grief when typing because wrist movement across the touchpad causes very erratic insertion points when typing.

 

[JackMDS]

There is No advantage or disadvantage it is personal call.

Statistically more people prefer the pad, they find it easier than maneuvering the stick.

 

[Aluvus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick lists some makes that supposedly have it as an option, worth checking a few out.

 

[imported_Baloo]

Don't all IMB laptops have that.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: Baloo
Don't all IMB laptops have that.

Yes - but OP doesn't want one. Some Dell's do, some Winbooks did - and, statistically, most buyers don't even consider it. Touchpads are more common because they are cheaper in the build process. I love HP-Compaq laptops because they have a nifty on/off switch. The best device from a user comfort point of view is a mini-USB mouse, wired or wireless.

The worst device was the old mini-trackball which my first laptop had.

 

[Tristor]

I'm in the same boat. I REFUSE to use a touch pad. I hate them, they are annoying as hell while typing, they ruin my ability to be productive when doing development work on a laptop, and they generally just piss me off because they suck, not to mention you can't even begin to have a chance gaming on a touch pad (where you can with a pointer stick, although still it's better to have an external mouse). Luckily, I've done all the research for you, because I had to buy a new laptop fairly recently, and I usually buy Dell laptops (they are cheap as hell and work).

The only two models that I know of that Dell currently offers with the pointer stick are the Latitude D620 and the Latitude D820. I have a D620, and it's wonderful. I highly recommend checking out the Dell Outlet, I got a D620 that would have been $1800 new for $950 shipped (and not a thing wrong with it and a full warranty + 3yr extended with 24hr on-site parts and service included).

Touchpads suck, always disable that damned thing the moment you get your laptop.

 

[Synomenon]

What kind of notebook are you looking for specs.-wise? HP has a nice, new tablet PC model (2710P) that has a stick.

 

[Tristor]

Actually, even more to the point, what are you planning on doing with the laptop? You can get a Latitude ATG (which is based on the D620) for $1089 with a C2D 2Ghz, 1GB of RAM, 80GB 7200rpm SATA drive, intregrated graphics and a 14.1" screen w/ XP Pro. For $1139 you can get a D820 that's identical except it has an nVidia Quadro NVS 110M with 256MB of RAM, a 15.4" screen, and Vista Business. That's two systems that are in the outlet now, to give you an idea.

 

[cytoSiN]

Originally posted by: asabour
I'm looking for a new notebook, but I can't find any that have the "stick" device that I use as a mouse. I hate using the touchpad and much prefer the stick. My old Dell has both, but all of the new Dell notebooks I'm looking at only feature the touchpad. Can I add the stick as a feature? What brands carry the "stick"? Thanks.

This is an example of the "stick" I'm talking about, the red dot in the upper left

note: I'm looking for a new "sleek" small notebook, not a thinkpad.

The new Thinkpad x61 series is pretty thin and light (aka "sleek") for a full-featured notebook, and in my experience, the IBMs/Lenovos have the best "stick" out there...it's rubber so it won't get filthy like the "fuzzy" Dell stick, and it's bigger than most others too, so it's easier to use imo.