Pointer accuracy and the possibility to keep your hands on the keyboard while navigating the cursor. Clickpads make it harder to get pixel-perfect pointer accuracy without compromising pointer speed since the act of pushing down on the pad to click invariably moves the pointer. A touchpad with separate buttons does not have these problems but those are becoming rarer and have not been available on your preferred device for a long time.
Is it possible to operate the trackpoint with your thumb? Being able to keep my fingers on the home row while moving the pointer would be a feature I'd pay for.
Seeing how your thumb normally rests somewhere in the vicinity of the space bar and the 3 buttons underneath it it is possible but not the most ergonomically sound way to do it. Normally you'd operate it with your middle finger, use your thumbs for the buttons and space bar and that way your hands do get to rest in their assigned areas on the keyboard. It sits between the g/h/b keys so you can try simulating using one on any keyboard you have, just imagine three buttons - two wide ones with a raised smaller one between them - just underneath the space bar.
Really? I have always used one of my index fingers, the other fingers stay on their keys in the home row. Do you find an advantage to using your middle finger or just one of those things you do because that is how you always have done it?
Yes, index finger, I stupidly used the wrong term. INDEX FINGER. It is too late to edit that post so for anyone interested in not getting some weird crippling finger affliction use your INDEX FINGER to massage the nub.
