_Underscore {…}

Does anybody really enjoy controlling their laptop? It is a question I’m putting to myself, just now. In sight of my recent taking to computing mobility around the home I have had to use the laptops default method of input. Now, I didn’t think it was that bad for a while. I used it, got used to it, got comfortable with it – and then learnt to loath it.

Maybe it is a problem in a specific minority that I unfortunately fall victim to. My laptops trackpad is rather nifty. It just looks like a plain silver square that blends into the surface, but has some under lying benefits that I didn’t discover until a year after purchasing it. That is of course taking into consideration that my setup is assembled so that I never interact directly with the laptop (its a laptop + xbox + extra two screens mangle).

The Problem

The way it works could be found to be intuitive with practise and a desire to interact to use this method of input. Neither of which I hold. This is how the track pad works. As usual you move your finger across the surface and it will detect differing temperature or the breaking of light beams to control the movement of the mouse on screen. Subtly it has certain under lying abilities. The most obvious one being the quick tap on the surface that gives you a mouse click.

Then we have the extra controls that I only recently discovered. Tapping the top right hand corner of the pad will toggle the current window between maximised, tapping the bottom right hand corner of the pad will minimise the current window, tapping the bottom left hand corner of the pad will click the windows orb for you and scrolling your finger from top to bottom along the right side of the pad will scroll the current window.

I think they have just packed in to much, tried too hard and it has had a negative impact on the input device.

The Solution

Just keep it simple. We don’t need manufactures stuffing all this functionality into the trackpads. Its overloading them. I suggest try demoing a laptop before you buy it, its an investment that you don’t need screwed over on. Or just buy a mouse.