What Is The Most Common Pointing Device On Laptops?

what is the most common pointing device on laptops

The technological world is continuously evolving, and it is moving so rapidly that you’ll be amazed to see how many new inventions are made every day. New and advanced devices are launched in the market every day and pointing devices are no different.

A pointing device is a hardware that is used to enter spatial data into the computer. A pointing device picks the user choice on the display screen and activates the switches so it is also known as ‘pick device’. What is the most common pointing device on laptops? Obviously, the mouse is by far the most commonly used pointing device but guess what? Almost 10 Pointing devices are available in the market that performs the function smoothly.

The use of pointing devices depends upon the user’s usability and inclination so, in this article, we are going to dive deep in different types of pointing devices so that you can go for any fancy alternative option instead of a mouse. Let’s have a look.

TYPES OF POINTING DEVICES FOR LAPTOPS:

Many pointing devices are available in the market that can be used with a laptop to move the cursor on the screen. Some of them are as follows:

  • Mouse
  • Finger Mouse
  • Foot Mouse
  • Camera Mouse
  • Trackball
  • Trackpad / Touchpad
  • Graphics Tablet
  • Stylus
  • Touchscreen
  • Joystick
  • Track Point
  • Eye Tracking Device
  • Web Camera

MOUSE:

A mouse is a widely used pointing device. This device manipulates the on-screen arrow-shaped pointer known as the cursor. A user can perform multiple operations by using a mouse, like selecting, dragging, etc.

The majority of humans use the right hand for working, so a mouse was designed to fit the right hand of a user. For lefties, some left-hand versions of a mouse are also available. The cord of this device looks like a mouse tail that’s why it is named as a mouse.

This pointing device has two buttons and one scroll wheel. The left button performs left click, the right button does the job of the right click and the middle scroll wheel is used to drag and drop. The mouse is used to perform different gestures which are:

  • Pointing the cursor
  • Click by pressing a button
  • Double click by pressing the button twice
  • Right click/ Left click / Drag

If you are a home user and don’t travel a lot then a mouse is the best option to work with. Also, if your laptop’s touchpad fails to work you can easily attach a mouse externally. Conventional scroll wheel mouse isn’t much in demand, and now being replaced with laser and optical mouse.

1) Finger mouse

Finger mouse is wrapped around an index finger with buttons and operates with a thumb. This device uses Bluetooth to connect with a laptop and can work within a distance of 30 feet. 

The device is pretty exciting to use by moving a hand up, down, left and right, but the user will take some time to get used to it. The pros of using this device is that it is quite handy and serves well while travelling. The con of finger mouse is that it has some laggings and gets chunky. 

2) Foot mouse

This mouse is operated by feet. Foot mouse was specially designed for people who are unable to use their hands. It consists of two parts, one is used to click and the other is used to move the cursor.

It increases productivity in the case if the person is working with hands for hours, and can still operate the mouse by using feet.

3) Eagle eye mouse:

This mouse is an assistive pointing device for people with muscular disabilities. This input device moves the cursor on the screen by focusing the eye movements of the users. It measure position of eye relative to the head.

TRACKBALL:

The trackball is a stationary mouse. It can work on any surface and doesn’t require much space or moving. It consists of a ball and a holding socket. A user has to use palm and finger movements to operate it.

This pointing device is widely used for gaming purposes and much expensive.

TRACKPAD / TOUCHPAD:

A Touchpad (Trackpad) is a pointing device with a small surface that works just like traditional a mouse. It operates by touching it with fingers or skin to control the cursor’s movements.

While dealing with large blocks of text touchpad doesn’t serve well but this pointing device is a great option for people who do not perform labor intensive tasks but travel a lot.

GRAPHICS TABLET:

The graphic tablet was is an input device that is particularly designed for graphic designers or digital painters to draw precisely. This pointing device uses a pressure pen to draw, so in case you are not handy with mouse for digital drawings then the graphics tablet is a good choice.

This pointing device also facilitates to move a cursor on the screen so that the users don’t have to switch between graphics tablet and mouse to select options.

STYLUS:

The stylus pen is a pointing device that operates many devices like smart phones, computer or laptop screens and tablets. This pointing device is very precise and accurate that facilitates efficient working.

TOUCHSCREEN:

Touchscreen is a sort of input device with a pointing screen. This pointing device doesn’t require any intermediate medium to move the cursor on the screen; rather it operates when a finger or stylus pen is touched on it. It has replaced mouse as a pointing device on modern systems.

This pointing device registers a touch event as a pressure point and sends signals to the controller to perform the required action. Touchscreen performs basic operations like double tap, drag, hold, etc. this device is convenient to use.

JOYSTICK:

Joystick is an input device that is used for playing games. This input device is like a thick stick that has a spherical ball on both ends. The stick is able to move in all directions to point a cursor on the screen. A joystick is used for gaming or graphics applications to perform precise pointing functions.

It also serves as a pointing device to move a cursor on the screen for selecting items. For using a joystick as mouse software is required, just install it and you are good to go.

TRACK POINT:

A track point is designed to facilitate user experience. It is a pointing device which is present in the middle of the keyboard as a small knob. When touched and moved in any direction it moves the cursor on the screen.

It is just like an isometric joystick that fits rightly on the keyboard and needs a little movement of hands to point the arrow on the screen.

EYE TRACKING DEVICE:

This pointing device is super cool and amazing future advancement in which users have control over the screen with the eyes. Eye tracking device is compatible with windows 10 and works normally with laptop computers.

WEB CAMERA/ CAMERA MOUSE:

A camera mouse is a perfect replacement for the conventional mouse. This device was launched to help people with physical disabilities. Windows and webcam are required to operate this pointing device.

It’s a software mouse that uses a person’s head as the tracking device, where the movement of the head is translated into cursor movement and pointer then moves on the screen. To generate a click, users just have to rest the head on an icon for some time.

CHOOSING RIGHT POINTING DEVICE:

The choice of right pointing device can vary from person to person because everyone’s situation is different from others. It also depends upon your requirements and comfort needs. So, think about your needs and handiness and then select the right pointing device for you.

For example: if you are a normal user, no device can serve you like a mouse and if person is a gamer, joystick is the best option.

END NOTE:

Pointing devices are much efficient and faster than keyboards when you want to select or click anything on the screen. Moreover, these pointing devices take less space and are more responsive. So, we have gathered all the necessary details about some efficient pointing devices so that you can choose the right one.

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