Movin' up from a T23?

[fwebb]

Need advice on a step up to another TP. can't afford new. $500-800 range. Do NOT want UltraNav. Use is internet, word processing, light weight graphics. Current T23: P3 1.3; 384 ram; xp pro. Not looking to sell, will pass it along to family member. thanks

[dsvochak]

It sound like you're looking at a T4X. There have been some nice sounding one's available recently in the Marketplace here.

If you don't want Ultranav you can replace the palm rest with one without the touchpad. Go here: http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/store ... logId=-840 and enter part number "91P8399". The palmrests also show up on eBay from time to time.

[fwebb]

Is it difficult to install? Got a pic?

[dsvochak]

See this thread and the links there:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=4071

According to RoadHazard, replacing the palm rest is "quite easy" and there's a video somewhere on the IBM/Lenovo support pages.

[kstuart]

I know that it is a religious/political issue for many people , but as a latecomer to laptops, I think I have a relatively objective viewpoint, and I find that having both a Trackpoint and an UltraNav to be much easier and more productive than either alone.

[JHEM]

I know that it is a religious/political issue for many people , but as a latecomer to laptops, I think I have a relatively objective viewpoint, and I find that having both a Trackpoint and an UltraNav to be much easier and more productive than either alone.

Also note that, for the Trackpad averse, it can be turned off in the BIOS so there's no necessity to replace it with a "bare" palmrest.

While I, unlike Ken, don't care for a Trackpad at all, there are many who have come to Thinkpads from the Dark Side for whom a Trackpad was all they ever knew and are most comfortable with.

Regards,

James

[kstuart]

One aspect of the trackpad that I find invaluable is that it will scroll the window in which the pointer appears, without "focus" formally having to be switched to the window.

This means that you can scroll down without having to "click" in the window, which would mean having to find a blank area for clicking (that doesn't have a link that will cause you to inadvertently surf away from the page).

It will also scroll horizontally as well.

[tfflivemb2]

One aspect of the trackpad that I find invaluable is that it will scroll the window in which the pointer appears, without "focus" formally having to be switched to the window.

This means that you can scroll down without having to "click" in the window, which usually means finding a blank area that doesn't have a link that will surf away from the page.

It will also scroll horizontally as well.

The same applies to using the third/bottom button on a trackpoint system.

My biggest beef with the touchpad is that my thumbs hover just above it, and if I touch it accidentally, I end up replacing what I am typing with the next set of letters. On my R40 which has both, I disable the touchpad, so that I don't have to worry about that.

[bigtiger]

When possible, I always use an external mouse. Therefore, I disable them all to avoid any accidental touch.

[tfflivemb2]

When possible, I always use an external mouse. Therefore, I disable them all to avoid any accidental touch.

For a business person that does a lot of typing, having the trackpoint and buttons right there speeds up the process. Having to stop and reach for the mouse, or even a touchpad, will slow you down. It won't be noticeable for minimal usage, but if one were to use the touchpad or mouse quite a bit, then the time spent away from the keys would be noticeable.

I had a friend that types on average over 80-100 words/minute and she absolutely loved the trackpoint once she got used to it...again she has less time away from the keys.

All-in-all though, it is totally a matter of preference. I would never [...ahem...] look down on someone for using the touchpad.

[kstuart]

What you describe is exactly why I like both the Trackpoint and the Touchpad.

The Trackpoint is unquestionably best for when you are typing.

The Touchpad is IMHO useful for when you are using the GUI for things like surfing the web or watching videos - ie more passive activities when you are going to be sitting back a little more. The various feature of the UltraNav software allow for a lot of control with a single finger.

(In fact, it turns out that you can indeed scroll without focus using the Trackpoint... but I still prefer scrolling with the Touchpad because it only requires one finger instead of two.)